Phenocal Overview

What is Phenocal
Does Phenocal Work
Ingredients In Phenocal
Proprietary Blend
Dosage And Instructions
Side Effects Of Phenocal
Where To Buy Phenocal
Risk-Free Trial
User Reviews Of Phenocal
Recommendation

Note:  We are NOT affiliated with this supplement in any way, and we were NOT paid to write this Phenocal review.

With obesity continuing to be a growing epidemic, the ever expanding popularity of diet pills is to be expected.

However, there has been plenty of controversy regarding the safety and effectiveness of diet pills designed to burn body fat at an accelerated rate.

Some of them have soured the name of diet pills by pumping out inferior product that wields the potential for some pretty heinous side effects, while others work just as advertised.

One popular product that many people are turning to in order to attempt to lose weight is Phenocal.  In this review, we will look at Phenocal and determine if it is safe and effective.

What is Phenocal?

Phenocal is a diet pill that contains all natural, pharmaceutical grade ingredients that allegedly burn fat. Their proprietary formula is designed to:

• Reduce appetite
• Increase overall energy levels, and
• Make it easy to lose weight.

The company claims that this product is best consumed while dieting, as it should reduce hunger pains.

Related Article:  Top 3 Fat Burning Supplements

Phenocal is produced by a company called Pharmaxa Labs located in Florida.

However, another company named Health Web Shopping actually fulfills the orders and offers customer support.  On the company website no address is given, although they do offer a contact number, 1-888-675-0241, that goes directly to Health Web Shopping.

Does Phenocal Work?

Based on all the negative reviews, the simplest way to answer this question is that Phenocal doesn’t work as claimed so anyone looking for quick answer have everything they need to know.  However, let’s take a closer look at the ingredients listed in this product and the theory behind the claims that Phenocal makes.

Ingredients In Phenocal

Phenocal contains the following:

• Vitamin D3
• Vitamin B1
• Vitamin B2
• Vitamin B3
• Vitamin B5
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin B12
• Biotin
• Chromium
• Folic acid
• Fucoxanthin
• Bioperine
• A proprietary blend.

The proprietary blend contains green tea leaf powder, glucomannan, L-tyrosine, cocoa extract, phenylethylamine, hoodia gordonii, green tea leaf extract, garcinia cambogia, Yerba mate, coleus forskohlii, evodiamine, L-tryptophan, CLA, and 5-HTP.

Here’s a snapshot of the ingredients label:

B-Vitamin Complex

The first ingredients in Phenocal are B-vitamins.  People who are deficient in any one of these B-vitamins may suffer from a lack of energy.  Since adequate mitochondrial function requires B-vitamins, adding these into Phenocal may assist those who are deficient in this regard.

Chromium

Chromium is known to assist with moving blood sugar into the cells so it can be used as energy. It also has been shown to help people with type II diabetes.

Fucoxanthin

Fucoxanthin is an extract from brown seaweed that is often claimed to help burn fat.  However, more evidence is required before this conclusion can be drawn.

Bioperine

Bioperine has been shown to increase the absorption of a wide range of supplements.  Overall, this ingredient is common in a wide range of nutritional products and doesn’t really have any drawbacks.

Phenocal Proprietary Blend

Green Tea Leaf Powder And Green Tea Leaf Extract

Green tea leaf extract has been known to increase metabolism and is used in many diet pills.  However, the main ingredient that increases metabolism is caffeine and consumption of this drug comes with a wide range of side effects.

At the end of the day, there is little research on whether or not green tea extract is beneficial in promoting weight loss.

In addition, prolonged consumption of concentrated green tea extract has been reported to cause problems with liver function.

Since Phenocal doesn’t state how much green tea extract is in their proprietary blend, users don’t have any idea of how much caffeine they are actually consuming.

Glucomannan

This ingredient is a type of dietary fiber and is able to reduce hunger by allowing users to feel like they are full.  In addition, any type of dietary fiber has a potential to reduce cholesterol levels overall.  However, in one study, glucomannan supplementation did not promote weight loss in overweight and obese subjects.

In addition, when not consumed with enough liquid, glucomannan has a potential to cause blockages in the throat or intestines.

Not only that but, glucomannan may lead to pain in the abdominal region, dehydration, and reduce mineral absorption.

L-tyrosine

L-tyrosine has been included in a wide range of weight loss products, however, there is no evidence to demonstrate its effectiveness.

Cocoa Extract

Cocoa Extract contains countless flavanoids and antioxidants. In addition to the health improving properties of cacao, studies have shown that it promotes weight loss. Although, consuming dark chocolate or pure cacao is likely a better, tastier option.

Phenylethylamine

Phenylethylamine is a thermogenic supplement that has been shown to promote fat burning in one study by encouraging the body to resort to its fat stores for energy.

However, these positive benefits don’t come without negative consequences.  Phenylethylamine has been shown to increase heart rate and systolic blood pressure, while increasing tension and confusion in subjects.

Hoodia Gordonii

The goal of adding Hoodia Gordonii in this formula is appetite suppression, however, it hasn’t been shown to be effective in clinical trials.  In addition, this shrub may be slightly toxic, making its use in Phenocal questionable at best.

Garcinia Cambogia

This tropical fruit is a popular addition in many supplements that are designed to promote weight loss.  The active ingredient in Garcinia Cambogia is hydroxycitric acid (HCA). HCA has been shown to increase fat burning and reduce appetite by reducing an enzyme named citrate lyase.  However, the overall weight loss results haven’t been astoundingly amazing by any regards.

Garcinia Cambogia often results in side effects like dizziness, headache, dry mouth, and digestive problems.  In 2009, the FDA advised people to stop taking supplements that contain this ingredient because it has been shown to cause serious liver problems.

Yerba Mate

Yerba Mate have been shown to increase metabolism by stimulating the muscles, organs, and vascular system.

However, there are studies that indicate that this ingredient increases the risk of cancer and is possibly unsafe.

Yerba Mate has the potential to cause other side effects like insomnia, increased urination, headaches, and irritability as well.

Coleus Forskohlii

This herb has the potential to facilitate fat loss, as it increases testosterone.  However, there are no long-term studies that indicate it is effective for promoting fat loss.

Considering its potential effect on the endocrine system, women who are consuming Phenocal should be aware that they may be increasing their testosterone profile, potentially causing undesirable side effects.

Evodiamine

There aren’t many studies on evodiamine and there is no clinical proof that it assists in weight loss on any level.

L-tryptophan

L-tryptophan has been widely used in fat loss supplements, although there is no good research backing up its usefulness in this regard.  According to one study, L-tryptophan does not promote weight loss so including this ingredient in Phenocal doesn’t appear to offer the results that are claimed.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)

CLA is naturally found in dairy and meat products.  CLA is known to reduce fat deposits throughout the body, while improving immune system function.

5-HTP

5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin.  By increasing serotonin levels, Phenocal claims to reduce obesity and improve mood.

Since many of the ingredients found in Phenocal haven’t been shown to be effective in regards to weight loss in clinical studies, it should be no surprise that this product doesn’t offer much, as indicated by user reviews which are discussed below.

In fact, just looking at some of the side effects of the ingredients in the Phenocal formula, people who choose to consume this supplement may be endangering their health.

Phenocal Dosage And Instructions

According to the instructions on the bottle, Phenocal requires three pills in the morning and three pills at night in order to be effective.  The morning pill regimen should be taken with water, 15 minutes before breakfast.  The second dosage of the day should be taken four hours after lunch, again with water.  For people who don’t enjoy taking a mountain of pills every day, this product certainly isn’t the best choice.

Side Effects Of Phenocal

Just given the ingredients that are in Phenocal, users may end up with a wide range of side effects.  From abdominal pain to intestinal blockages, and possible toxicity, using this supplement may not be a good idea.

Other Phenocal risks include a rapid heart rate, insomnia, and headaches due mainly to the caffeine.  (Source)

To be fair, MOST fat burners contain some variation of caffeine.

The ingredients in Phenocal may also cause nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle spasms.

However, the notion that Garcinia Cambogia causes liver toxicity has been proven FALSE. (Source)

Where To Buy Phenocal

Phenocal can be purchased on Amazon and through a multitude of affiliate marketers on the Internet.  However, if you’re looking to buy it in a store I’m afraid you’ll be a bit out of luck.

I checked with all of the major retailers like GNC, Walmart, Vitamin Shoppe, Walgreens, and CVS, and none of them sell Phenocal.

On Amazon, Phenocal costs $49.99 and went taken as directed, only last 25 days.  In other words, this product costs $2 a day.

Related Article:  14 Best Weight Loss Pills At Walmart

Phenocal Risk-Free Trial?

The manufacturer claims that they offer “an unconditional risk-free 60-day refund” for users who aren’t satisfied with this product.

However, it has been reported that the company makes it very difficult to get a refund.

According to the ripoffreport.com, people who want a refund for Phenocal need to return the empty bottle by mail with a tracking number and insurance AND include the original packaging of the product in order to be eligible for a refund.

Related Article:  Free Trial Supplement Scams: The Ugly Truth

In other words, realize that there are multiple stipulations in order to actually receive a refund.

User Reviews Of Phenocal

When looking over user reviews, it is hard to find anyone who has anything good to say about this product.  On Amazon, 44% of all users gave Phenocal a 1 star rating.

What’s interesting to note is that when I ran a search for Phenocal reviews, many of the so called unbiased review sites I came across looked suspiciously familiar.

Specifically, I’m talking about 3 particular sites that all rank on the first page of google when you type in “phenocal reviews”, which you’ll see below look vaguely familiar to each other.

Here’s the first one:

Here’s another one:

and yet one more:

The fact that they all link to Phenocal and they ALL use the discount code “Rev10”, leads me to believe that they are probably all owned by the same person.

Phenocal Reviews on Amazon

All BS aside, the legit reviews on Amazon paint a wide picture.

Some of the people who use Phenocal have noticed that they have a reduction in hunger.  One of the positive comments that many customers state is that their energy levels have increased.  B-vitamins are known to improve the production of mitochondrial function, which helps with energy production.  However, these individuals are likely deficient in B-vitamins and should instead take a simple B-vitamin complex.

As a side note, Pharmarax Labs also creates another product called Flexoplex Joint Supplement that also has horrible reviews.

As a result, it would probably be a good idea to shy away from any products made by Pharmarax labs.

Lastly, we’ve had a few people leave their own personal Phenocal review on Supplement Critique.

2 of them said they had positive results:

And one guy actually said he GAINED weight from taking it:

Phenocal Recommendation

All in all, Phenocal is possibly unsafe and ineffective.

First, it appears that at least half of users don’t notice any improvement in their weight loss goals or even worse, gain weight from using this product.

Second, some of the ingredients in Phenocal have limited research and may not be safe to consume over the short or long term.

The problem is that if you are anything like me, you probably only want to consume something that has enough verifiable research about it available to warrant giving it a try.

Finally, this product is overly expensive and appears to depend on marketing ploys, while the process of receiving a refund requires users to jump through hoops.

People who are looking to lose weight and do so safely shouldn’t depend on diet pills to accomplish this goal.  Since the leading cause of obesity has been shown to be excessive sugar consumption, start eliminating sources of sugar, especially hidden ones from one’s diet.  Then, as depressing as it sounds, begin to reduce calorie consumption overall. Of course, accompanying a healthy diet with exercise is the final key to slowly reducing body fat.

Assuming you choose the right one, there’s NO reason you can’t effectively lose weight.

Have You Used Phenocal?  Leave Your Review Below!

Ask A Question

User Questions and Answers

Does Phenocal really work, or is it another scheme to make money and why is it so high? l wanted just 1 bottle to try, but they want to sell you 5 bottles of it at $199.00 tell me the truth. -Jeannie

I haven't tried it myself, but from most of the feedback I've seen, it doesn't work. I can't speak to their pricing structure, but overall I would not recommend it.- Rob

I can't swallow pills will I be able to take Phenocal -Rhonda

It's often okay to open up a capsule and take the contents inside, but not if it's a time release capsule. Check with Phenocal directly to make sure it's not time release. If not, you should be fine taking it that way. Here's the contact number from their website: 888-675-0241.- Rob

I ordered Phenocal and have not received it? -Lorraine

SupplementCritique.com is a review website. You'll have to contact Phenocal directly to check on your order.  Here's the contact number from their website: 888-675-0241.- Rob

Author: Rob Miller

Rob Miller founded SupplementCritique.com over 7 years ago, and has been the chief editor ever since. He has a diploma in Advanced Dietary Supplements Advisor, and worked at GNC for 3 years. He KNOWS supplements, both inside and out. Rob currently resides in Jupiter, FL, with his wife of 4 years.  Learn more about him in his Bio here. Follow him on Twitter , Facebook, LinkedIn, or find him on Google +. View all posts by Rob Miller

Medical Reviewer: Helen Okoye, MD

Dr. Helen Okoye is an American Public Health Physician, Health Care Executive, Researcher, Entrepreneur with a Doctor of Medicine Degree (MD), an MBA in Healthcare Management, and a Masters in Epidemiology/Public Health). Her specific responsibilities for Supplement Critique including reviewing previously published articles for accuracy and relevancy. Her expert opinion was featured on NBC News for the President’s physical exam. Learn more about Dr. Okoye here. Follow here on Twitter and Instagram.