Forza T5 Super Strength Fat Burner Review
A product review of T5 by Forza by evidence based analysis of the ingredient profile using cited studies to understand the potential benefits and effects of this supplement for human use.
Author: Ben is a product reviewer with a Bachelor degree with ten years experience of using and testing supplements.
LAST UPDATED: July 2019.
T5 Super Strength First Look
I immediately noticed this fat burner supplement when grocery shopping. Okay, it was in and amongst the other supplements but its clean cut branding stood out from all of the bright and gaudy products with mized messages.
The effort from Forza looked like a high end product, and, I like a transparent bottle. It allows you to see exactly what is in there.
The white label and chrome lid adds an element of ‘pharma’ and it looks almost like you would be prescribed this from a high end clinic in Malibu.
Needless to say, I picked a bottle up and investigated a little further.
TL:DR – T5 Video Review
Who are Forza?
A good question…
Just from the outset, it seems that Forza are angled towards female fitness.
That’s only because their homepage has lots of women showing their transformations. Forza have a few weight loss products including T5 but also weight loss shakes that look similar to SlimFast plans and fat binder supplements plus other meal replacement products.
According to their website T5 is one of the UK’s most popular slimming supplements. That may not be that surprising as it seems they are not just an online retailer but have a presence in many leading ‘brick and mortar’ stores.
They mention that T5 was the UK’s first legal T5 as well. That sounds quite interesting as I do not know of any illegal T5 products.
Now, what I find quite refreshing is that there are plenty of product reviews on their site alongside each individual supplement.
You may think this is nothing new, places like Amazon and many others also do the same.
The key difference here is that there’s plenty of bad or negative reviews free for you to see.
These negative reviews are not hidden at all, in fact the reviews all look like they are chronologically posted and not moderated like you often experience on Amazon.
That honesty and transparency is good. And, if we are honest, people react differently to different products.
There is not just one size fits all solution.
Forza T5 Product Claims
Again, there’s no BS with their claims. It is simple, short and to the point.
- Support metabolism
- Increase energy
- Concentration and focus improvements
Okay, let’s move on to the ingredients….
Nutrient Profile : Research
Caffeine
You will have heard of caffeine. In fact, I am drinking a cup of coffee now which probably has around 61mg of caffeine in it.
So why is caffeine so popular? Well, it is able to increase energy levels and alertness.
There is no denying that a cup of coffee first thing in the morning gets us out of bed with a bit more urgency, or that coffee run during the afternoon helps you and your co-workers get the final tasks completed.
However, there’s also fat loss benefits too. Yes caffeine can help raise your metabolism to burn more calories. [1]
Tyrosine
Research in to tyrosine have demonstrated that it can help alleviate stress and as a result it can also improve cognitive function.
Because it is structurally very similar to thyroid hormones you can often find it in fat burner supplements like this with the hope it will help users lose weight.
However, there’s no evidence that this is the case. It is best to be considered as a cognitive enhancer rather that fat burner. [2]
Green Tea
The catechins included in green tea are what provides it with its numerous health benefits, no less fat burning.
The best part is that the benefits are reaped from drinking the tea or by taking supplements. Green tea also works particularly well alongside caffeine to increase fat burning. [3]
Spirulina
One thing to note about spirulina is that human studies are few and far between. However, there has been some positive outcomes from animal studies regarding its effectiveness as a nutrient that can aid neurological and metabolic processes.
You may also be interested to know that spirulina is a form of algae and bacteria, however, it is mostly safe and has a high content of protein and is also used as a source of B12, particularly by vegans who need to source nutrients from a restricted diet.
Yet, spirulina is not absorbed very well by the body which can hinder its effectiveness.
So what can spirulina really do?
At best it seems to be able to offer anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects, this is due to C-Phycocyanin. In effect, it can help detoxify.
Another purported benefit is that it may be able to increase muscle endurance, but this is in very high doses and so far there is only a thin veil of evidence to support the claims.
Otherwise spirulina does seem to have a positive effect on cholesterol, liver fat and even oral cancer.
This are all great preliminary outcomes, but there’s nothing here to help reduce fat. [4]
Niacin (B3)
According to the cited studies including B3 in a fat burner or weight management supplement holds itself in a juxtaposition.
This is because while the evidence points to a reduction in cholesterol levels and even one study suggests it can reduce heart dissease and risk of death it can also increase insulin resistance. This can lead to weight gain and type 2 diabetes. [6] [7] [8]
Taurine
With obesity causing much concern for governments and officials worldwide scientific research is looking in to many nutrients to help find natural ways to help reduce the global epidemic.
Taurine is an amino acid that has found its way in to energy drinks in the past, but now there is a potential link between taurine deficiency and levels of obesity.
As such, it may be a tenuous link, but a link non-the less. [9]
Guarana
Guarana is another ingredient often found in sports drinks touted to increase energy levels and improve athletic performance.
As a result studies have looked in to the effect that guarana can have on using fat stores as energy sources.
Tests on rats discovered that as long as the guarana extract is not decaffeinated it can help increase lipid metabolism. That is, the breakdown of stored fats for energy. [10]
Iron
There’s growing evidence to strongly suggest that iron blood concentrations are closely linked to chronic disease such as obesity. That is, a reduction or lack of iron is associated with people being obese.
However, due to a number of factors regarding diagnosis and analysis more research is required to absolutely determine whether the relationship between iron and obesity is a loose or concrete correlation.
Yet, due to the current positive findings it is recommended that the levels of iron in obese people should be monitored closely. [11]
Iodine
The thyroid gland is responsible for the processes of metabolism, in turn metabolism is the conversion of foods into usable energy. A metabolism that does not work properly can lead to weight gain.
It is important to understand that the body does not produce iodine so it must be a part of your daily diet.
This is where iodine comes in, because iodine actually responsible for the processing the thyroid hormone. If there is too little or indeed too much iodine this can lead to thyroid disease which will lead to an inactive or ineffective thyroid.
So, the issue then is how do you know if you need more or less iodine?
The American Thyroid Association has some helpful pointers that you may wish to look for.
These include:
- Swelling of the neck
- Fatigue
- Weight gain
- Memory problems
- Dry skin
- Hair loss
- Feelings of cold
If you suffer from this combination of issues you may need to have your iodine levels checked. [12] [13]
Chromium
Chromium has found its way in to many supplements and products purporting to help lower weight and reduce fat levels.
So, does this mean it is effective?
There are reports that chromium picolinate can reduce any gains in body weight and increases insulin sensitivity for those suffering from type 2 diabetes.
Plus a review of studies that we composed did unearth a number of health benefits such as increased libido, cholesterol regulation and appetite control.
However, on the flip side of the coin there’s no viable evidence that suggests chromium picolinate can help adults who are overweight and obese lose fat mass.
So while chromium still has a lot to prove in order for it to be considered an outright fat burner, there’s still plenty of other health benefits associated with this essential mineral.[14] [15]
PROS – Transparent doses of each ingredient, and two widely proven and acclaimed ft burning ingredients.
CONS – Low overall daily dose plus lots of ingredients that have a degree of speculation or uncertainty of how effective they are for fat loss.
T5 Dose
A dose of 2 pills per day only racks up a combined amount of just in excess of 1,011mg.
That is not particularly high, especially considering there are ten ingredients in total.
Pros
There are two well established and well documented ingredients included in this supplement that are proven with lots of research to help burn fat as part of your weight management efforts.
These two ingredients are caffeine and green tea.
However, there’s more benefit to this product than just those two…
In fact this product does have a number of further ingredients that may help other aspects of your health.
Spirulina for instance may contribute to lowering levels of inflammation and help detoxify your body, particularly the liver.
Taurine appears to have some positive effects on managing weight as well as guarana.
The links are still a little unclear and not entirely concrete at the moment but they seem to have a relationship.
This is also the same for iron, it seems that those who are deficient in iron suffer from an excess of body weight.
Iodine is required to help ensure that you have a active and healthy thyroid which manages your metabolism. As such it is useful to have iodine included as your body cannot produce it.
Then there is chromium. A number of the available studies offer conflicting results about how effective it is as a fat burner.
Non the less, it can help manage insulin levels, help increase your good cholesterol and increase your libido.
It is important to understand that there are also plenty of clinical research studies that do actually lean towards chromium as helping reduce fat mass.
Cons
The main issue with this product is the lack of clarity regarding the benefits of the ingredients.
There’s two excellent ingredients but the rest all come with a level of uncertainty.
For instance iodine is important and we do need to either supplement with iodine or get it from foods, however, too much iodine can also have a negative effect.
Niacin also seems to be a double edged sword. On one hand it supposedly can help reduce cardiovascular risk yet it can then exacerbate insulin resistance.
Tyrosine does not seem to offer any fat loss benefit and that of taurine and iron has tenuous links. As such, this supplement would have benefited much more from other proven ingredients.
Forza T5 Customer Reviews
Clearly we need to see what other customers are saying to see what their thoughts are…
This helps us find a broad opinion of the benefits and effects. This is not always fool proof though as there can be many fake reviews added as is the case with many Amazon feedback scores for Amazon products.
There is software which can identify fake reviews though, however, this does not work for this site by Forza.
That said, I did notice quite a few reviews that were not particularly complimentary so that does at least feel as if they have nothing to hide.
Let’s take a look…
Overall there are only 27 reviews of T5 on the sales page and they do not seem particularly current with the latest one being a good couple of months ago but only 6 over the past year.
Overall this does appear to be a mixed bag of customer reviews.
This does actually make me feel like I would trust the product more. They do not seem to have anything to hide.
Are T5 Tablets Illegal?
No, these T5 tablets from Forza are definitely not illegal.
Each ingredient is natural and does not feature of the list of banned substances released by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Review Conclusion
It would be unfair and unjust to say that this supplement does not offer any benefit.
The clinical trials and research available regarding the ingredients illustrate that there is an almost unanimous level of health benefit from each one.
However, there’s really only two ingredients that we can be sure do actually offer a certain degree of fat burning effects.
The rest either have some supporting evidence yet with other contradictory reports that state against their purported fat loss actions.
Then if we analyse the latest customer reviews we can see that it is not without criticism although there are some positive responses.
So, in essence, this is not the strongest and most effective fat burner on the market, not by a long shot.
That is because it omits so many other established and proven nutrients in favor of nutrients with sketchy abilities.
If this had included the basics such as B6, zinc, cayenne, green coffee or even glucomannan for instance it would be a much better product.
References
[1] Caffeine: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of its thermogenic, metabolic, and cardiovascular effects in healthy volunteers. Astrup A, Toubro S, Cannon S, Hein P, Breum L, Madsen J. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990 May;51(5):759-67. PMID: 2333832
[2] Treatment with tyrosine, a neurotransmitter precursor, reduces environmental stress in humans. Banderet LE, Lieberman HR. Brain Res Bull. 1989 Apr;22(4):759-62. PMID: 2736402
[3] Epigallocatechin-3-gallate and postprandial fat oxidation in overweight/obese male volunteers: a pilot study. Thielecke F, Rahn G, Böhnke J, Adams F, Birkenfeld AL, Jordan J, Boschmann M. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jul;64(7):704-13. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2010.47. Epub 2010 Apr 7. PMID: 20372175
[4] C-phycocyanin: a biliprotein with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects.Romay Ch, González R, Ledón N, Remirez D, Rimbau V. Curr Protein Pept Sci. 2003 Jun;4(3):207-16. Review. PMID: 12769719
[5] https://examine.com/supplements/spirulina/
[6] Effect of fenofibrate and niacin on intrahepatic triglyceride content, very low-density lipoprotein kinetics, and insulin action in obese subjects with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Fabbrini E, Mohammed BS, Korenblat KM, Magkos F, McCrea J, Patterson BW, Klein S. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Jun;95(6):2727-35. doi: 10.1210/jc.2009-2622. Epub 2010 Apr 6. PMID: 20371660
[7] Nicotinic acid effects on insulin sensitivity and hepatic lipid metabolism: an in vivo to in vitro study. Blond E, Rieusset J, Alligier M, Lambert-Porcheron S, Bendridi N, Gabert L, Chetiveaux M, Debard C, Chauvin MA, Normand S, Roth H, de Gouville AC, Krempf M, Vidal H, Goudable J, Laville M; “Niacin” Study Group. Horm Metab Res. 2014 Jun;46(6):390-6. doi: 10.1055/s-0034-1372600. Epub 2014 May 7. PMID: 24806747
[8] Niacin, but not gemfibrozil, selectively increases LP-AI, a cardioprotective subfraction of HDL, in patients with low HDL cholesterol. Sakai T, Kamanna VS, Kashyap ML. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2001 Nov;21(11):1783-9. PMID: 11701466
[9] Role of taurine in the pathogenesis of obesity. Murakami S. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2015 Jul;59(7):1353-63. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201500067. Epub 2015 Apr 28. Review. PMID: 25787113
[10] Lipid metabolism in trained rats: effect of guarana (Paullinia cupana Mart.) supplementation. Lima WP, Carnevali LC Jr, Eder R, Costa Rosa LF, Bacchi EM, Seelaender MC. Clin Nutr. 2005 Dec;24(6):1019-28. Epub 2005 Sep 22. PMID: 16182414
[11] Obesity and iron deficiency: a quantitative meta-analysis. Zhao L, Zhang X, Shen Y, Fang X, Wang Y, Wang F. Obes Rev. 2015 Dec;16(12):1081-93. doi: 10.1111/obr.12323. Epub 2015 Sep 23. Review. PMID: 26395622
[12] [Application of iodine metabolism analysis methods in thyroid diseases]. Han JH, Qiu L. Zhongguo Yi Xue Ke Xue Yuan Xue Bao. 2013 Aug;35(4):369-72. doi: 10.3881/j.issn.1000-503X.2013.04.002. Review. Chinese. PMID: 23987480
- [13] https://www.thyroid.org/iodine-deficiency/
[14] http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/29/8/1826
- [15]
Chromium picolinate supplementation for overweight or obese adults.Tian H, Guo X, Wang X, He Z, Sun R, Ge S, Zhang Z. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Nov 29;(11):CD010063. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010063.pub2. Review. PMID: 24293292
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