Ingredients In Ultra Mini Diet Pills

Ultra Skinny Mini diet pills are Nature's Plus' answer to the battle of obesity. The company claims that the pills reduce cravings, increase metabolism and energy and provide key nutrients, but only part of that claim is correct. None of the ingredients have been shown to have any effect on cravings, but the plethora of herbal stimulants will definitely increase energy. Only one ingredient in the lengthy list has been shown to affect metabolism, and there is no way of knowing if the pills contain an effective dose. As for nutrients, the pills supply a few amino acids and B-vitamins, but nowhere near what you would get from a multivitamin and protein supplement.

Vitamins/Minerals

Ultra Skinny Mini Diet Pills contain vitamins B6, B12 and B5, listed as pantothenic acid. The B vitamins help your body use food as an energy source instead of storing it as fat but B vitamin supplementation has not been shown to enhance weight loss. It also contains 120 micrograms of chromium, which the University of Maryland Medical Center says may have a very small effect on weight loss, but not as much as diet and exercise. Adults only need 20 to 35 micrograms per day, although 200 micrograms is sometimes used in therapeutic doses. High doses of chromium can cause heart arrythymia and liver damage long-term.

Stimulants

Nature's Plus boasts that these pills contain more "energy precursors," which is marketing-speak for stimulants. Stimulants are a big part of of Ultra Skinny Mini diet pills, although because they are listed as ingredients in various proprietary blends, the exact amounts of each are unavailable. Guarana, green tea, rhodiola, yerba mate and maca are all herbal stimulants, and are the only ingredients that have been shown to affect weight loss. All of these herbs contain varying amounts of caffeine, which can slightly diminish appetite and increase the amount of calories you burn. The green tea also contains an antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, which has also been shown to influence fat loss but it is unclear if Ultra Skinny Mini diet pills contain enough EGCG to be effective. Because there is no total caffeine listing or even separate amounts of each stimulant listed, those who are sensitive to caffeine should avoid this product.

Diuretics/Laxatives

Like many diet pills, Ultra Skinny Mini pills contain a host of herbal diuretics and laxatives. Spirulina, chlorella, alfalfa leaf, kelp, bladderwrack, dulse, piper nigrum, mustard seed and licorice root all have system-flushing qualities -- the increased urination and bowel movements may make you feel lighter and may even make the scale appear to move, but the only weight lost is from water. None of these herbs have any affect on stored fat, but they can make it appear as if you are losing weight quickly, which encourages you to continue taking the pills. Unfortunately, the water weight will come right back as soon as you stop taking them.

Amino Acids

Ultra Skinny Mini diet pills contain three amino acids -- phenylalanine, tyrosine and conjugated linoleic acid. Phenylalanine is not associated with weight loss -- in fact, it's associated with weight gain. It is considered an essential amino acid, and using it as a supplement in undernourished individuals actually produces weight gain in accordance with the amount of phenylalanine given to the patient. Your body makes its own tyrosine from the phenylalanine you ingest from food, and although tyrosine deficiencies are associated with low thyroid function, the University of Maryland Medical Center says that there is no evidence that tyrosine supplementation would increase thyroid function. Conjugated linoleic acid is a different story -- a 2004 study in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that it may help decrease body fat slightly more than a placebo.

The "Magic" Ingredient

Garcinia cambogia is an ingredient common to many over-the-counter diet pills, and the Ultra Skinny Mini pills contain 200 mg of it. Marketed as Citrimax, Garcinia carmbogia is touted as a "magic" weight loss herb that works wonders on the metabolism and makes the fat melt away. A 1998 study in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" sought to negate the rumor when researchers showed that the herb did not cause weight loss or fat loss when compared to a placebo, but unfortunately, the rumor persists.