BPI Sports KETO Weight Loss Fat Burner // Is It A Scam?

Ben BA(Hons), PGCert

BPI Sports Keto Fat Burner

First Look

This fat burner product from BPI jumps on the keto bandwagon.

However, because it looks like all of the other supplements from BPI Sports, it is easy to mistake it for a different product.

In some respects I like a ‘corporate face’. It adds continuity and confidence in a brand. You are essentially buying in to a brand rather than just a product.

I guess it is similar to when you take home your new born from the hospital.

I mean they are all babies, great, but they all look the same, who knows who’s is who’s?!

This particular product tries to cash in on the Keto diet which has regained popularity but has been in ‘service’ since the 1920’s, so the diet at least isn’t a new thing.

In fact, the keto diet was implemented as a treatment for epilepsy as far back as 500BC – yes even before Jesus. [1]

Maybe that’s why he looked so ripped!

I know a guy at work who is always in to fad diets. I have no idea why either, he certainly isn’t overweight and he tells me he used to do some boxing and play rugby in the past.

However, he has been doing the keto diet for ages now, and I mean ages, he is full on dedicated too.

He moans about his head space feeling a bit weird, but overall, from an outside perspective, his body has not changed whatsoever!

No change in body mass, no thinner, no fatter, no more muscular. However, he is more confused and finds it harder to concentrate…

Yet, this is the first fat burner aimed at those on the diet, particularly when those on the diet are entering the phase whereby they feel sluggish and generally deathly…just as my co-worker feels on a daily basis.

He does love to tell me how vacant he feels while pouring coconut oil in to his coffee in the morning.

However, over the past 15 years or so this KETO diet seems to be en vogue again, and I have heard controversial things about this as a fat burner so wanted to see for myself.

Sounds like a fabulous journey we are about to embark on.

Who are BPI?

BPI say that they are in this game because they want to provide nutritional products that work as hard as we do in the gym, on the filed and on the track.

That’s pretty nice stuff. Thanks guys.

BPI inspire us to be better versions of ourselves.

‘…It takes discipline and commitment to live healthier and train harder day in and day out. Making great supplements is no exception…’

Keto Weight Loss Claims

Well, we would like to think with a supplement that has the words ‘weight loss’ as part of its name, one of the major outcomes would be losing weight.

However, there’s thankfully a bit more to it than that if BPI are to be believed.

So, what can this product do, or rather, what are we told it can do?

Overall this utilises different mechanisms to lose weight.

It focuses on promoting fat reserves for energy and should suppress the appetite so that you are not constantly shovelling food and the mounting calories down your neck.

Yet, it also claims to help improve endurance and focus.

This is starting to sound quite promising…

Ingredients: The Keto Method

Vitamin D

We have already conducted an analysis of studies to establish and understand that vitamin D can help increase testosterone levels which contribute to increasing muscle mass.

We also found out that vitamin D contributes to an improved mood, bone health plus other health functions.

However, there’s also talk about a vit D deficiency having a negative effect on your waistline, too.

Plus, if you are living in regions where there’s not a great deal of sunshine throughout the day or your working patterns are during the night you will be suffering from a deficiency.

Well, most of us seem to be lacking the constant UV rays that Muscle Beach seems to attract because it seems that nearly half of the US population are suffering from a lack of D.

So what does the medical community have to say about D and fat mass?

Trials looking in to D3 levels and body composition found that there was a strong relationship between a D3 deficiency and larger than healthy waist circumference.

[2] [3]

BETA-HYDROXYBUTYRATE (BHB)

This carries energy from fat cells to tissues when you are exercising or in periods of fasting.

So essentially, when you are in a period of fasting this will then transport the reserves of energy that are found in your fat stores.

Moreover, the ketone body of BHB can help treat metabolic risk factors which include type 2 diabetes.

As a result, ketone bodies such as BHB are seen as a vital regulators of metabolic health. [4]

Paullinia Cupana (AKA Guarana)

Guarana has proven in studies to increase IQ scores when accompanied with caffeine.

However, guarana is very dose sensitive.

So it makes sense to find a product that discloses how much of each ingredient is included.

This does not, because most of the ingredients fall within a secretive proprietary blend.

So, how much of guarana do we need for best effects?

Some clinical trials have noted that a lower amount is more effective as a higher dose.

The results were that 75mg is optimal to improve cognitive health.

However, there’s also plenty of evidence missing or that is contradictory.

For weight loss, it must be known that there is also caffeine present in the bean. This can contribute to energy increases and overall thermogenic weight loss benefits.

Be aware that once you start trying to do a bit of research regarding guarana and weight loss that you can literally skim page after page of online search results, all of which claim how powerful and useful guarana is.

Yet, the actual reliable and reputable scientific pages or scholarly articles are missing…all of the links to websites have a vested interest in selling guarana.

Make of that what you will.

The way I see it, is that if there’s no scientific study results coming in on the first or second page after an online search, there’s little reliable evidence of its benefits. [5]

Cocoa Bean Extract

Cocoa bean does contain caffeine, not in massive amounts, but it contains it all the same.

But, just like the benefits and effects of guarana, much of the online search results are not from reputable sources and sites that have an interest in making cocoa sales for profit.

It has taken me to page 4 of a search engine to find just one study that sought the weight loss effects on rats.

That does state that the theobromine in cocoa helped the rats lose weight and improve cholesterol parameters. [6]

Medium Chain Triglycerides

MCT’s are said to help increase your metabolic rate.

However, these effects are seen as very small, that said, they are still improvements and that is better than nothing.

MCT’s are easily absorbed fatty acids that are available for energy, but do not trough MCT related food products expecting them to burn fat.

They are fats after all and contain calories, MCT’s are not magic substances. [7]

Coconut

As above really, the MCT’s found in coconuts are better for you than cooking with lard or butter, but they are still calorie laden fats.

Okay, they can temporarily stimulate an increase of the metabolism and has fewer calories than other fats.

However, its calorie burning effects are not strong enough to make a difference and this is not a negative calorie food source such as celery. [8]

Caffeine

There are a vast array of benefits which include improved focus, energy, endurance and muscle recovery – this pretty much covers all of this products claims right there.

However, caffeine also stimulates the metabolism by increasing thermogenesis. That means that your body temperature is increased and your body fights to regulate it. The result is burned calories.

In addition to this, caffeine also promotes the use of fat stores to use as energy when you are in a fasted state. Fasted state to me just means hungry. [9]

Calcium

Calcium is able to increase testosterone levels and when combined with vitamin D3 seems to offer some fat loss benefit.

And, available data also demonstrates that those people who are overweight are also deficient in calcium.

However, studies whereby the subjects were supplementing 1000mg per day of calcium did not show any reliable or significant evidence that suggests calcium supplementation can actually reduce fat mass. [10]

Magnesium

If you are deficient in magnesium you can experience a variety of symptoms which can include fatigue and weakness.

Those people who are suffering from type 2 diabetes are more likely to be deficient in magnesium.

And, studies in to magnesium show that it can help alleviate high blood pressure and those who are deficient can be more susceptible to metabolic risk syndrome. [11]

Sodium

Sodium is given a lot of bad press. And, rightly so in many cases.

However, it is not sodium that is the issues, because sodium is an essential mineral that we need to live. Without it we have no fluid balance and we can lose control of muscle function.

The problem with sodium is having too much of it.

Too much sodium can lead to higher blood pressure, and over time such high pressures can harden blood vessels and it can even lead to heart attack or a stroke.

So, sodium is all about balance, and the worry here is that around 90% of the US population already consumes too much salt.

So, unless you are sweating a lot each day either from climate or exercise any additional salt is going to be more of a hindrance than benefit. [12] [13]

Dose

3 capsules at once, in the morning, daily.

This is 2500.47mg per day.

This is a poor dosing schedule if we are going to scrutinise.

Having at least 4 capsules spread equally over the day is a better way to constantly provide your body with the required nutrients to stimulate fat loss.

As per the best fat burner on the market.

KETO Weight Loss Price

$27.99 – this is quite cheap and they do offers. Right now I am looking at a 20% discount code.

Pros

There are a good number of ingredients included in this weight loss supplement.

So, credit where credit is due.

So let us run through what is good and how it can benefit us…

Vitamin D is more commonly associated with testosterone levels, yet research has now discovered that there is a strong correlation between D3 and body composition.

So it is important to ensure D3 levels are optimised.

Government bodies around the world suggest a daily dose of 2000iu if you are supplementing. This offers 10,000iu – so well above target.

It also seems that D3 and calcium together can work well and increase fat loss.

BHB works well to utilise those energy reserves found in fat stores. Especially during periods of fasting.

BHB is also a known diuretic, therefore we will lose lots of vital minerals through passing more urine.

Hence why there’s minerals such as magnesium, calcium and sodium to help replenish our stores.

What we have learned is that during ketosis the body produces, amongst other ketones, BHB. The body utilizes BHB for energy.

So why are we supplementing it if we produce it?

There’s very mixed results concerning cocoa.

It seems to be able to improve cognitive function, but this is very dose sensitive and we have no idea what the dose is because it falls in that secretive proprietary blend.

There’s also a certain element of fat loss benefit, but it is a tenuous link at best.

MCT’s are effective at raising metabolism but on a very small scale, so much that you wouldn’t really notice the effects.

Again with coconut, made up of about 65% MCT and useful to trade bad cooking fats with as they can minimally raise metabolism and have slightly less calorific value than bad fats too (LCT).

However, there has to be the trade off.

You cannot just add extra fats to your diet and expect weight loss because they are healthier. You are just adding more calories to your diet, simple.

However, there is caffeine in this weight loss supplement, so let’s all sigh in relief, because caffeine has many benefits in terms of energy, focus and even muscle recovery, notwithstanding its effects on burning fat.

We shall finish up with magnesium here, because magnesium is so vital to many healthy biological functions.

Importantly it can help ward off high blood pressure which can eventually lead to issues such as heart failure.

It is also good to prevent weakness and fatigue.

It also has to be said that if you are taking this supplement, it is because you are following a ketogenic diet.

However, potentially the biggest benefit here is actually following a keto diet rather than taking the supplement.

A ketogenic diet appears to reduce metabolic syndrome factors and certain complications revolving around prediabetes. [14]

Cons

This is a proprietary blend, watch the video to see why it is a scam.

If you cannot be bothered to follow the link, I will summarise it for you.

A proprietary blend is a completely legal way for manufacturers to hide exactly how much of each ingredient is included.

Furthermore, to include an ingredient on the ingredients panel and within the blend you only need to add trace amounts of each.

Therefore, the blend could be made up of trace amounts per ingredient and the rest consisting of a bulking agent.

If that isn’t fucked up and a scam, I don’t know what is!

In essence, we could write this product off right here and now.

However, we shall give Keto weight loss the benefit of the doubt and talk through the other negative points.

Let’s then hit the ingredients…

There is MCT’s which we have already mentioned and while they can raise the metabolism, it isn’t very noticeable.

Not in the real world, and they do not cancel out the calories consumed by the fats.

Coconut is approximately 65% MCT but as already stated to just supplement coconut oil without a trade in the fats is actually adding more calories, not subtracting them.

So that isn’t really going to be helpful.

Cocoa has some thin evidence to suggest it can help with weight loss, however, it is not entirely conclusive.

Then there’s BHB.

Supplementing with BHB seems to be like all of those detox supplements you can buy.

Well, your liver works to detoxify your blood plus a whole host of other essential jobs to keep your body functioning.

The body or liver does not require detox supplements, it has its own detoxification machine – by the way it is more effective than any supplement.

And….your body produces the BHB that is required for energy, so supplementing more is not really going to add any benefit. Your body knows how much is required.

Plus we have sodium, and I know that we pass a lot of sodium through with urine and sweat.

But, the vast majority of Americans and western population consume way too much sodium in our diets anyway, so we are getting enough.

Adding more if merely going to increase the risk of high blood pressure and other associated risks.

Then, to make matters worse, over time, long term use of calcium supplements can lead to a build up of artery plaque…

This can build up, harden the arteries and reduce the cross sectional surface area for blood flow which can lead to heart failure.

My BPI Sports Keto Fat Burner Review Conclusion

I fully appreciate that this is a product that is looking to assist your stages from a high carb diet to a low carb diet.

However, we must question how well this will benefit us in the real world.

Okay, getting 10,000iu of D3 is certainly beneficial to body composition, especially accompanied by calcium according to some studies.

And, Caffeine is a great way to improve many aspect of your health and physical performance, in fact, caffeine alone can almost hit all of the product claims from BPI.

Yet, the real crux of the issue is this proprietary blend.

We have no idea how much of nearly every ingredient is included. We could literally end it now.

But there’s other issues…

It seems that you are pointlessly supplementing your body with a ketone it produces itself.

Adding more MCT fats to the body in the belief that it will raise the metabolism even though you are just adding extra calories regardless.

Using cocoa which is not a proven ingredient to reduce fat and it is dose sensitive according to studies.

And is it really healthy to be increasing sodium consumption? Or for that matter supplementing long term with calcium considering that it can cause artery plaque build up.

So, overall, how much benefit are we really getting from this? And how much risk are we exposing our health to?

I think there’s an imbalance that is not worth pursuing that is backed up by science.

[1] https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19049574

[2] https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21310306

[3] https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29856775

[4] http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v67/n8/full/ejcn2013116a.html

[5] https://examine.com/supplements/paullinia-cupana/

[6] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3113527/

[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11694608

[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11880549

[9] https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11508705

[10] https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4010554/