Dr. Mercola is a well respected nutritionalist and staunch organic foods advocate who runs a very successful website, www.mercola.com. I truly appreciate the depth of knowledge he shares and the energy he devotes to educating the public on the dangers of “supermarket” and junk foods that are truly killing millions every year. Yes, he does sometimes go a bit overboard in crazy conspiracy theories, but much of that is hype to stir interest among his readers.

Top Quality Products

His line of products that he promotes thru his website are definately first rate, top quality products that are targeted at correcting nutritional deficiencies that are most common in the diets of average US citizens. However, the army of writers and researchers employed by mercola.com don’t come cheap and the huge overhead has to be paid for somewhere. That somewhere is in the price of his products being several times higher than similar products.

His latest product is a prime example of the top quality, top price model. Biothin uses SOME of the very finest ingredients natural that have been shown to aid in weight loss without serious side effects or risks associated with some other popular diets like the hcg diet. However, at $39 for a bottle of 60 (500mg) capsules, the price is nearly 3 times that of products using similar ingredients but not carrying the name a marketing muscle of mercola.

African Mango the key

The main ingredient that most of the claims are based on is Irvingia gabonensis. It is better known as African Mango, but he never refers to that name. Probably because readers would google it and realize that although it is THE hot weight loss product today, it is also fairly inexpensive at around $13 a bottle

Besides African Mango (Irvingia Gabonensis), the other ingredients of Biothin are:

• Hoodia Gordonii
• Fucoxanthin
• pomegranate
• Ginger root
• Gambooge (Garcinia Cambogia)
• Apple cider vinegar
• Cayenne

These are all excellent ingredients for a natural weight loss aid with few side effects. But they are all fairly inexpensive ingredients, so we don’t really understand why it is priced so high. A much more competitively priced (and possibly more effective) product is SDF-3. SDF-3 also uses African Mango as it’s primary product, and some of the other secondary products as Biothin, but also includes Acai Berry and Sea Buckthorn. More about SDF-3 below.

Do not overuse!

The other problem we have with Biothin is the use of Hoodia. It IS an effective, natural hunger control product with few side effects when used in small quantities. But the addition of Hoodia does limit the amount of Biothin you can take in a day, so those interested in using larger doses for more aggressive weight loss programs should not be considering Biothin.

But, there are many people who really don’t mind paying extra for quality products and don’t have agressive weight loss goals,, so if you are one of those we do heartily recommend Biothin for safe, natural, weight loss.

Alternative to Biothin

A less expensive and possible more effective alternative to Biothin is just being introduced now by New Life Botanicals called SDF-3.

SDF-3 stands for Superfruit Diet Formula 3 because the main ingredients, African Mango, Acai Berry, and Sea Buckthorn were labelled “superfruits” by Dr Oz. It also has most of the same ingredients as Biothin (excluding Hoodia), so it is logical that it would be even more effective a weight loss aid.

Better yet, the 3 superfruits are documented to have MANY overall health benefits and no real side effects – in fact NONE of the ingredients used have significant side effects, so you aren’t nearly as limited in how much SDF-3 you can take in a day. And even though Acai Berry and Sea Buckthorn are VERY expensive ingredients by themselves, SDF-3 is priced quite a bit lower than Biothin. So obviously, although Biothin is a good (but overpriced) product, SDF-3 is actually our first choice for a natural weight loss product currently on the market.

Key ingredients in Biothin and how they work

Perhaps you’ve heard the expression “middle-age spread”. As you reach middle age and beyond, your body begins to store and release fat differently. And this all happens out of sight at your body’s cellular level. Your fat cells control their size and number by secreting three different ‘command signals’:

Leptin
Adiponectin
Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

These command signals tell your brain whether to stop or to continue to eat. And you’ll soon discover that it’s because of these three substances that many young, physically active people can consume what seems like endless calories without packing on pounds.

Wouldn’t you like to be in control of these signals, as when you were younger?
I’m sure you’ve noticed that when you are on a diet, often all you can think about is food. But what if that wasn’t the case?

Wouldn’t that make dieting soo much easier? What if you could sit down at the table and eat only what you need, without having to exert extreme willpower to stop yourself from overeating?

Meet Leptin, the hormone that is key to the brain/body signals that control your hunger. The fat cells in your body secrete leptin. Leptin acts as a chemical signal in your blood that tells your brain you have eaten enough.

When you are younger, your brain responds to the signal from the leptin and you feel full. Your body functions as it should and you maintain the ideal weight.

Not only does leptin help shut down your hunger, it also helps you burn more calories. Leptin stimulates the breakdown of stored triglycerides from your fat cells. That is, when your body works as it should.

Leptin Overload
This is the problem. Much like “the boy who cried wolf” too often, your brain eventually stops paying attention to the Leptin signal if it is overused. Or a more apt analogy is Insulin resistance. Over time it takes more and more Insulin, or Leptin, for your body to respond to the signal. Most overweight individuals already have high levels of leptin circulating in their bloodstream. And because of this overload, their fat cells become less sensitive to leptin – that is, cells do not receive and respond to leptin signals optimally.

We know understand that leptin resistance contributes to weight gain.

When you’re overweight, your fat cells also increase in size. They pump more and more leptin into your bloodstream in an attempt to better get their message through to your brain. But, unfortunately, your brain does not “hear” the message in an optimal way.

In response, two things happen.

First, your body burns less fat.
Second, your fat cells soak up fewer free fatty acids from your bloodstream. The overabundance of fatty acids in your blood causes your muscles to become less responsive to insulin than they ideally should, ultimately leading to a rise in blood sugar. This in turn only leads to more free fatty acids, more fat stores and a vicious cycle.
But That’s Not All. There are Still Two More to Go…

We’ve talked about leptin and how it’s an important chemical signal that commands your brain to cease eating.

The second signal produced and released by your fat cells is adiponectin – a hormone that helps to maintain your body’s normal insulin sensitivity. As the amount of fat tissue increases, the level of adiponectin decreases. Larger fat cells naturally produce less adiponectin. Levels of adiponectin also appear to be directly related to belly fat.

Overall, levels are lower in overweight people and higher in lean people. When you lose weight, more adiponectin is available to promote health.

Last but not least, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase is the third command signal that your fat cells produce. This is an enzyme that helps convert starch and sugar calories to stored body fat.

I probably don’t need to state the obvious, but I’m sure you’re beginning to see why maintaining healthy, normal levels of these three substances may be helpful for not just a lean and trim body, but for total health.*

Just to summarize how these three substances can help contribute to maintenance of your ideal weight… in my opinion, the perfect weight loss tool would help:

• Increase adiponectin
• Decrease glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
• Allow leptin’s natural signals to be “heard” optimally

There are several things you can do to help promote your cells’ ideal sensitivity to leptin and support the second two important command signals:

• Avoid processed foods
• Avoid high fructose corn syrup, sugars, grains, fruit juices, and sweetened and diet drinks
• Supplement with high quality omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils (and Acai Berry products)
• Add Sea Buckthorn supplements to your diet

Also important in reducing Leptin resistance and having your brain pay attention to the “full” signals is : EXERCISE !

Exercise helps your body hear its natural command signals. Of course, no discussion about promoting your cells’ optimal ability to respond to leptin’s signals would be complete without mention of exercise. If you’re not accustomed to exercising, I advise you to start slowly. Even something as simple as rebounding on a mini trampoline or a brisk walk or bike ride around your neighborhood will help you get started.

Find something you like to do – and commit to doing it regularly.

Ok, enough about the theory – here is some specifics on the products:

How African Mango helps Leptin Sensitivity in Overweight People

An extract from a West African herb called Irvingia gabonensis may help support optimal leptin sensitivity in overweight people. And by promoting your body’s ideal sensitivity to leptin, you can better know when your body has eaten enough food. In a recently published study, Irvingia demonstrated positive effects upon leptin blood levels and resulted in weight loss and inches off the waistline.

Over a 10-week period, one double-blind study group received 150 mg of Irvingia extract twice daily while maintaining the same diet and exercise level. This group lost an average of 28 pounds whereas the placebo group lost less than three pounds.

The Irvingia group also maintained healthy blood glucose, cholesterol, and LDL levels that were already within the normal range, and experienced a significant reduction in C-reactive protein levels. Plus, there was a significant reduction overall of circulating leptin and a significant increase in adiponectin.

Irvingia Targets ALL Three Signals That May be Involved in
Age-Related Weight Gain

Irvingia targets the important factors that I mentioned above that may be involved in age-related weight gain, such as responding to your fat cells’ command signals.

In addition to supporting healthy leptin sensitivity , Irvingia also helps:

Reduce the activity of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase which may help reduce the amount of starch and sugar calories that turn into body fat.
Support a slowing of the rate of carbohydrate absorption from the intestines and a reduction of the caloric impact of starchy and sugary foods.
Support healthy adiponectin levels while helping to maintain healthy insulin sensitivity.
Of course, I must carefully caution you that if you eat more calories than your body can utilize, weight loss can’t occur. Excess calories are stored as fat in your fat cells. It’s just that simple. In my opinion, you simply can’t consume unlimited calories and expect to shed fat pounds by taking a product that might happen to show weight loss in a research study.

Hoodia Gordonii

Long hunting trips through the vast desert have long been a way of life for the San Bushmen, one of the world’s oldest and most primitive hunter-gatherer tribes.

To survive in the scorching environment, the Bushmen depended on a spiny succulent plant growing wild in the desert.

In addition to the much-needed moisture, they discovered an unexpected side effect when they consumed this plant. Their appetites diminished!

For the San Bushmen, this provided a clear advantage. They could focus on the task at hand – hunting and gathering food to take back to their tribes.

This miraculous plant was Hoodia Gordonii. However, it wasn’t until the 1960s that scientists began taking a closer look at this plant and its traditional use as an appetite suppressant.

An Astonishing Discovery for Weight Management

In 2004, researchers at one of the most highly-regarded medical schools in the U.S. studied the effect of Hoodia on the appetite of rats. After being fed Hoodia, the rats’ caloric intake dropped by almost half and they lost weight. While these results cannot necessarily be imputed to humans, knowing the hearty appetite of rats, the researchers were impressed by the findings.

Unlike some other products, Hoodia works in a way that doesn’t affect the entire body. It helps trick your brain into thinking your stomach is full, even if it’s not! A natural response is a decrease in the excessive desire to eat.

Over thirty years of research on Hoodia ended in the discovery of a potent substance known as P57. The researchers found that P57 acts in a part of the brain known as the hypothalamus – which is your body’s appetite control center.

Here’s how scientists believe P57 works:

When your hypothalamus senses blood glucose levels from food, it triggers a signal to your body to quit eating. Researchers at a highly-regarded U.S. university found P57 to be about 1,000 times more active in rats than glucose, so it can send a ‘stop eating’ message way sooner.

When crews from UK and U.S. news shows traveled to South Africa to investigate this story, they personally sampled Hoodia to experience its reported effects for themselves. Both the UK and U.S. reporters and crews said they experienced reduced hunger after eating Hoodia.* And here’s more positive news… Hoodia has no known side effects based on studies done to date.

Fucoxanthin – The Gift From the Sea

In my opinion, Fucoxanthin is one of the most exciting substances to hit the weight loss market in quite some time.

A natural carotenoid (natural pigments found primarily in plants and algae), Fucoxanthin exists naturally in brown seaweed, a type of kelp. Preliminary animal research performed in Russia and Japan suggests that fucoxanthin may help burn fat.

Also, here’s a huge plus for you and others searching for an effective yet natural option that doesn’t disrupt your activities and sleep. Fucoxanthin revs up your metabolism without stimulating your central nervous system.* Although it’s not fully understood how fucoxanthin works, it appears to target a protein called UCP1 that increases the rate at which belly fat is burned.

Evidence is emerging showing that the fucoxanthin component is a powerful antioxidant that can protect your cells from free radical damage*. It also may support your:

Cardiovascular health
Healthy immune response
Maintenance of healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels that are already within the normal range
Maintenance of healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range
Healthy liver function
So, for natural weight loss, along with eating a healthy diet according to your Nutritional Type plus exercising, I urge you to consider BioTHIN with Irvingia that includes fucoxanthin to help jumpstart your weight loss efforts.

The king of Ancient health foods – Pomegranate

The pomegranate has been a staple of Asian diets since ancient times. The rich ruby fruit was mentioned in Egyptian papyrus scrolls dating back to 1550 BC. And in ancient Greek myths, the pomegranate represented life and regeneration.
Its traditional use dates back more than 3,000 years. Modern science is actively rediscovering its potential for a more healthful life. Recent studies reveal a surprising host of benefits for consuming pomegranate.

Pomegranates contain powerful antioxidants that help quench free radicals in your body. One study suggests that pomegranate shows triple the amount of antioxidant activity of either green tea or red wine.
Other studies suggest that pomegranates contain bioflavonoids to help maintain healthy capillary walls.
BioTHIN with Irvingia™ is enhanced with pomegranate extract standardized to 40 percent punicosides, which are the most powerful antioxidants in pomegranate.
Research suggests other benefits from pomegranate:

• Contributes to tissue health
• Supports heart health
• Supports healthy blood lipid levels that are already within the normal range
• Supports the immune system
• Helps maintain proper oxidative balance in your body

As if that’s not enough, BioTHIN with Irvingia™ includes another plant that’s just now becoming popular in weight management – though it has existed for a long, long time.

Ginger – The Ancient Spice

Ginger root offers many health benefits. Sought after for more than 5,000 years by the ancients of China and India for its health-promoting properties, ginger remains highly in demand by spice traders.
Today, it continues to be a component of a full half of all traditional herbal products.

Research suggests that it may have the ability to help offset some of the less desirable effects of a high-fat diet.

With 12 different antioxidants, ginger provides powerful free radical protection.

In addition, ginger…

• Supports optimal cell division
• Supports cardiovascular health
• Promotes a healthy immune response
• Supports digestive system health
• The Indian Fruit that May Help Assist Your Battle of the Bulge

Garcinia Cambogia (also known as “gambooge”)

Gambooge is a small fruit resembling a miniature pumpkin. Naturally found in India and parts of Asia, it has a long and popular history as a condiment. The dried rind is used as a flavoring in many dishes.

Preliminary research suggests that its biologically active compound, hydroxycitric acid (HCA), can inhibit the body’s ability to store lipids and fatty acids.* This natural extract may also inhibit conversion of excess calories to body fat.

And it may suppress appetite by signaling your brain that enough food has been eaten, possibly through its effect on neurotransmitters.* When you get a dose of Garcinia in BioTHIN with Irvingia™, you receive it in its preferred, active form – standardized to 50% HCA.

The Wonders of Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has been used for centuries as an energizing tonic and elixir, which is why we put it in the BioThin with Irvingia.

ACV is a completely natural product resulting from a two-step fermentation process of apples, from which it retains all the nutritional benefits of the apples plus gaining the extra acids and enzymes from fermentation. While the research is only preliminary, there are four suggested ways ACV may help you lose weight:

#1. ACV May Increase Satiety

The same hormonal reflex that sends a “full” message from your digestive system to your brain (discussed when talking about Hoodia earlier) is also triggered by ACV*. Scientists think that satiety – or feeling “full” – occurs more quickly with acetic acid (the ‘sour’ part of ACV).

A preliminary Swedish study suggested that higher intake of ACV before meals was associated with significantly lower glycemic responses and an increased satiety score.

#2. May Suppress Appetite

Preliminary evidence suggests that pectin, the water-soluble fiber in apples and ACV, may absorb water and make your stomach feel a little full before beginning your meal.

#3. May Improve Digestion

Improving your digestion means fats stay in your digestive tract for a shorter time, with less absorption of those fats into your system. A number of other health benefits you may receive from ACV include:

• Helps support bone health through minerals
• Helps maintain healthy lipid levels that are already within the normal range.
• Helps maintain healthy heart and circulatory system.
• Support healthy immune response.
• Aids in normal detoxification of your body.

Many people don’t care for the taste and smell of apple cider vinegar by itself. We solved that problem for you by adding it to our all-natural weight-loss formula, BioTHIN with Irvingia™ without its taste or smell!

Cayenne – The Fiery Catalyst that May Help Burn More Calories

Capsaicin in fiery cayenne pepper may
deliver metabolism-boosting benefits. The powder from the cayenne pepper has been honored as both a food and for its health-promoting properties for over 9,000 years.
A substance in cayenne pepper, capsaicin, gives cayenne its hot and spicy taste.

Scientists believe that cayenne may act as a Health-promoting catalyst when combined with other herbs

Some animal and human studies suggest that cayenne may increase the body’s production of heat for a short time.

This increase in body heat may possibly burn more calories and increase metabolism.

Additionally, research is ongoing about whether cayenne can help regulate blood sugar and break down carbohydrates after a meal.

What else might both ginger and cayenne do for you? They’re reported to:

• Support cardiovascular health
• Support digestive health
• Help regulate normal detoxification
• Help promote a healthy immune response
• Provide energy
• Now These Eight Amazing Plants and Herbs Can Be Yours

You don’t need to struggle alone with weight management any longer. And you don’t need to expose your body to alternative, potentially dangerous weight loss options.

Now you can say goodbye to those fad diets. Instead, BioTHIN with Irvingia™ may help you reach your weight-loss goals when used in combination with exercise and a healthy diet.

Plus, BioTHIN with Irvingia™ gives you so much more than ‘just’ support for weight loss. It can also give you nutritional benefits – antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that all contribute to your optimal health.