Performance Lab SPORT Fat Burner Review

Ben BA(Hons), PGCert

8.8

Value

8.7/10

Quality

10.0/10

Effects

9.5/10

Ingredients

9.0/10

Dose

7.0/10

Pros

Highest quality assured
Evidence proven ingredients
Increase metabolism
Kosher, Vegan, Halal friendly

Cons

Low dose
Few ingredients

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Maintaining a healthy weight is not only good for your self confidence, but also for your overall health.

Tackling obesity is fast becoming a global concern with over 1 billion people being overweight, and being overweight can put you at risk to numerous cancers, lest other diseases and health issues. [1]

We take a look at this popular fat burner supplement from Performance Lab.

LAST UPDATED: September 2019 by Ben.

First Look

I love the branding and design scheme to this fat burner, and all of the Performance Lab products.

It looks contemporary, professional and stands out from the crowd.

Clearly some money has been invested to execute such a slick looking range of products.

I would hope with such a quality image this would translate to the product as well.

I am hoping for excellent results from this fat burner by Performance Lab.

Who are Performance Lab?

Performance Lab are new to the market.

However, that has not stopped them releasing a full range of healthcare supplements which span everything from sleep aid supplements, vision support, immunity and even hormone production.

These supplements are designed to help enhance your overall health, and your overall performance.

They look as if they are aimed at a wiser crowd. Those willing to spend a little extra for premium products devised to get the best from your exercise regime and to excel in their careers.

They certainly look good and of a high quality.

Who is behind Performance Lab?

Performance Lab has been researched and produced by a company called Opti-Nutra who are based in London just by the University of London, the Moorfields Eye hospital and the Institute of Ophthalmology.

All-in-all, well positioned within a hive of scientific research and activity which can contribute to getting the right people on board for product development.

Opti-Nutra state that their products offer:

State-of-the-art formulations
Premium ingredients with high purity standards
Safe and effective manufacturing
Highest quality

These statements are then qualified by their processes.

Transparency

For instance, Opti-Nutra products do not hide their nutritional profile behind a proprietary blend like many manufacturer’s.

The labelled ingredients are analyzed prior to distribution and sale to ensure the contents match.

Opti-Nutra supplements are only available in vegan friendly capsules or soft gels.

Their manufactured products conform to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA).

This means that the supplement you buy will be of the highest quality. Something that appears to be lacking the more we evaluate products on the market.

What are the claims?

Performance Lab keep it simple and concise for their fat burner.

They have a few goals and claim that this supplement can:

Fat breakdown
Increase thermogenesis
Increase exercise performance
Protecting muscle

Video Review

Ingredients: The Science

Capsicum/Cayenne

Cayenne is a spicy pepper that increases your body temperature when you eat it.

If you have ever had spicy food and noticed that you are feeling flushed, or even sweating, this is the process known as thermogenesis.

Thermogenesis is when your body temperature is increased, your body responds by trying to regulate your temperature and keep you cool.

This activity ‘burns’ more calories as it is energy intensive.

It may not be a huge amount of additional calories being burned, however, it all helps towards achieving that calorie deficit.

Multiple Benefits

Cayenne also promotes fat oxidization while not increasing blood pressure. [2]

Furthermore, a study demonstrated that eating chilli peppers before mealtimes also decreased appetite, and thus helps regulate calorie intake. [3]

Interestingly, consumption of chilli’s also increased VO2 max and thus oxygen intake in people with a high body max index score (BMI), this translated to an increase of fat burn when tested on individuals. [4]

This increase of VO2 max means that the body can produce more energy, however, it must be noted that once a man hits the age of 30 his natural VO2 max declines by about 2% per year. [5]

After reading this, you may wish to understand what exact effect thermogenesis can have on a persons calorie burn.

This is because, the process of thermogenesis raises the resting metabolic rate (RMR).

University Results

A study conducted by the University of South Florida found that the RMR of subjects would increase by up to 9% when they had taken a thermogenic supplement.

Furthermore, the increase of the metabolic rate increased more so over time. So, it’s highest point was 180 minutes after ingestion. [6]

Hence why it is important to dose gradually, and continuously throughout the day.

This study also demonstrated that the effects of thermogenesis did not have a negative impact upon heart rate or blood pressure.

Interestingly, alternative studies have seen a increase of energy expenditure up to 29% by administering thermogenic supplements to subjects. [7]

These studies demonstrate that thermogenics can have a real benefit when you implement them alongside a calorie controlled diet plan.

Coleus Forskohlii

Unlike cayenne which we have just discussed, coleus is not a thermogenic. A such it does not increase boy temperature to increase calorie burn.

However, coleus does have a positive impact on fat loss.

This is due to its effects on a molecule at cellular levels.

Coleus increases this molecule, which in turn is associated with an increase of fat loss.

In addition to this, research states that an increase of this molecule also improves the effectiveness of other fat burning elements.

The required dose according to research is 500mg daily split between two servings. [8]

We could just finish up there, but there’s more to coleus which is not only interesting but can also positively impact your body composition.

The same study also noted that there were increases in testosterone levels and lean body mass. But it must be noted that this study was using men as subjects.

Additional Research

Further studies including women did also see a reduction in body size when supplementing coleus. [9] While another female only study showed that coleus preventing additional weight gain in subjects. [10]

High doses of coleus supplementation over a period of two months in older patients saw the following health improvements: [11]

Decreased blood pressure
Reduction of BMI
Increased HDL

Needless to say, these improvements are all significant to help lead a healthier life.

As such, coleus foskolii is a worthy and valid additional to any fat burner supplement such as this one from Performance lab.

BioPerine/Piper Nigrum

Bioperine may seem a little boring, if at all even relevant considering it is essentially black pepper.

That may sound great to put on food, but where is its place in a supplement?

As it is, black pepper or piperine which it is a source of, doesn’t do a great deal.

However, piperine can assist with the absorption of supplements and nutrients. [12]

It does this by helping to prevent enzymes that may attack molecules which would otherwise prevent thorough and optimal absorption. [13]

Bioperine is a manufactured and patented formula of which the source is piperine.

The manufacturers of Bioperine say that there version is the ultimate in safety and efficacy with GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status.

That said, piperine is widely considered safe for human consumption.

While there is evidence to say that piperine compliments the absorption of nutrients, I cannot find anything other than the claims by the manufacturer’s of Bioperine that confirms it is better than normal piperine.

Beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate (HMB)

In our older reviews we may have taken a one dimensional look at nutrients such as HMB and dismissed them or rather didn’t appreciate them wholly.

It was sometimes the case of if it didn’t directly target fat loss then we weren’t particularly bothered.

However, that is a lazy and unhelpful approach. And, didn’t really give you, the reader, the full picture.

So, we have taken a look at the available evidence just to establish how beneficial HMB can be, not only for weight loss but for general health.

HMB is able to reduce your levels of LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol which is important for your cardiovascular health and can prevent strokes along with heart attacks. [14]

Build Lean Muscle

Research shows that HMB can help improve protein synthesis.

This improvement of protein synthesis can contribute to a better level of body composition and increased muscle growth, this appears to be more evident if supplemented by people who are not already physically training. [15]

This muscle growth is also accompanied by increases in strength and power. [16]

Fat loss benefits were achieved when HMB was administered to a group of geriatric adults who had just started weight training and were also evident when administration was observed on combat sport athletes. [17]

Therefore, these studies demonstrate that HMB is an effective nutrient that can increase muscle development and reduce fat mass.

Directions

Take two plantcaps daily. These are vegan friendly!

It is better to spread the pills out over the course of the day rather than take them in one sitting.

That way you maintain a high level of the thermogenic ingredients working to increase your metabolism as we have already seen in the studies.

Remember, the highest percentage of increased metabolic rate was up to 3 hours after ingestion.

Serving

Each bottle provides a month supply.

A daily serving consists of two plantcaps which equates to a total of 1302.5mg.

Considering this covers just 4 ingredients that is a high amount.

Price

$50 or £40 – Bordering on premium pricing.

This can be bought in other currencies, too.

However, consider the manufacturing process that Opti-Nutra ensure that each of their supplements go through for their exacting standards.

In addition, there are multi-buy offers available which do reduce the unit cost and even stacking different products together in bundles.

This means you can take advantage of top flight nutrients and formulations at more affordable prices.

The supplement also comes with a 30 day money back guarantee and there is 24/7 customer service support to answer any queries you may have.

Let’s not forget that this is one of the few products available that provide vegan friendly plant caps.

Pros

We have already covered the production, research and manufacturing standards of the Performance Lab brand.

That in itself is rare in a market of identical and cloned supplements whereby people just purchase a formula and stick their logo on it.

To have a supplement that is rigorously crafted is only gong to benefit the purchaser, and the production costs will massively outweigh other supplements available.

But let’s recap the ingredients…

We have the thermogenic effects of cayenne.

Cayenne

The constituents of this pepper help to increase your body temperature. In response, your body works hard to regulate your temperature which is proven to increase your resting metabolic rate by up to 29% even up to three hours after taking it.

Then, cayenne can also increase your work rate by combating the natural decline of your VO2 max when you hit 30.

Chilli pepper extract consumption also reduces appetite.

All of these effects combined, from just one ingredient can help burn more calories and burn fat.

Coleus

There is then the cellular processes from coleus which increases fat loss by increasing the levels of cAMP molecules.

Coleus is also effective at increasing the levels of testosterone in men and increasing lean muscle mass.

For women there are positive changes to fat mass and the prevention of gaining more weight while there’s also decreases in blood pressure, a reduction of body mass index (BMI) and an increase of HDL which is the good cholesterol that keeps your arteries clear.

The supplement helps build a better body composition, which, after-all is what we are trying to achieve, right?

We all want to look and perform better, and that’s what a fat burner should do.

HMB

So, it is good to see that in addition to the proven nutrients already covered, we have the benefits of HMB.

Studies have demonstrated that HMB is also able to lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol). It is also able to increase protein synthesis which help build lean muscle tissue, improving body composition.

It is also able to help contribute to fat loss.

Bioperine is also added, this is formed with piperine which can help your body absorb these nutrients more effectively so you get the most from each serving.

There’s no gelatine capsules, meaning these are good from vegetarians and vegans.

Additionally, there’s no stimulants included, either, so your blood pressure or heart rate isn’t increased.

This is good for those who may be particularly sensitive to caffeine, or if you are like me, drink so much coffee that any additional caffeine would probably put me in hospital.

Cons

I appreciate that high quality and stringent guidelines come at a price.

The balance for this product from Performance Lab is quantity of ingredients and price.

The price reflects the quality, by increasing the number of ingredients will start to increase the price which can then put it out of reach for many consumers.

It is a fine balance, products like Hunter BURN include more but are more expensive to buy.

So, in that respect it would have been good to see more ingredients such as the catechins from green tea or even glucomannan which could make you feel fuller.

Any unwanted side effects?

The only issues could be with Coleus.

If you are pregnant it is best to stay away from Coleus to be on the safe side.

High doses could potentially slow or stop the growth of the fetus when pregnant.

All of the other ingredients do not appear to offer any concerns.

Performance Lab SPORT Fat Burner Review Conclusion

Quality is the best word to sum up this fat burner.

It looks good and the ingredients are multi-facted, they’re not one dimensional.

So, while it may only have a few ingredients at its disposal, they can all contribute to reducing fat mass, reducing blood pressure and cardiovascular related issues while increasing lean muscle mass along with improving your work rate.

On the face of it, 4 ingredients and a high price tag may seem like poor value, but when you dig deeper and evaluate the scientific research you can see there’s more to these four ingredients that initially thought.

Let’s also remember that this is non-stimulant and is vegan friendly. Not many other fat burner supplements can offer that.

A such, with so much proven benefit, it packs a much harder punch than many cheaper supplements with more than double the ingredient count.