Advantra Z® RaisesMetabolism, Not Blood Pressure

WAYNE, N.J.The medicinalplant Citrus aurantium (CA)increases resting metabolic rate and does not affect blood pressure (BP),according to two recently published studies.

In the first study, published in the AmericanJournal of Medicine (118, 9:998-1003, 2005) andconducted at the University of California, San Francisco, 10 healthy adults tooksingle doses of 46.9 mg CA synephrine (as Advantra Z® [ADV], from Nutratech),a multi-component formulation including 5.5 mg CA synephrine (as Xenadrine EFX® [XEN], fromCytodyne), and placebo, with one-week washout periods between treatments. XENsupplementation produced increases in systolic and diastolic BPpossibly dueto caffeine and other stimulants in the formulation whereas treatment withADVan eight-fold higher dose of CA synephrinedid not affect bloodpressure.

Some weight-loss and sports nutrition supplements have beenassociated with adverse cardiovascular effects, but the popular bitter orangeingredient Advantra Z tested in this study used dosages that were equivalent tothose found in supplements sold on the market and did not have any adverseeffect on blood pressure, said Mark Blumenthal, founder and executivedirector of the American Botanical Council (ABC), in a statement.

In the second study, published in ObesityResearch (13, 7:1187-94, 2005), researchers from RoyalVictoria Hospital in Montreal used indirect calorimetry to assess whether CAincreased metabolic rate. Thermic response to CA was higher in men when takenwithout food, and higher in women when taken with a meal, possibly due todiminished sympathetic nervous system response to meals in females. The researchers also found CAhad no effect on blood pressure.

We are very encouraged by the wealth and quality ofresearch being done on CA in general and Advantra Z in particular,said Bob Green, president of Nutratech (www.nutratechinc.com). Independent research studies like these help us chip awayat false and often misleading allegations about CA while alsobuilding credibility for our brand and our industry.