Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to weight loss supplements.
Burn Evolved is a weight loss supplement sold by a brand called SCULPTnation. The brand describes the supplement as a “nuclear bomb for fat loss” that can “torch body fat.”
In this article we’ll review every ingredient in Burn Evolved based on medical research to give our take on whether the supplement is likely to be effective for weight loss, and whether we consider any of the ingredients potentially harmful.
Ingredient Review
Epigallocatechin is the first active ingredient in Burn Evolved and this may be incorrectly labeled because we have never seen this ingredient listed in this manner. A structurally similar compound is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and we believe this is the ingredient that the brand was trying to reference because it’s sourced from green tea extract.
A clinical trial published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that EGCG at 150 milligrams (mg) daily reduced abdominal fat in overweight individuals. The dose in Burn Evolved is twice that high, so it may be effective for weight loss, but we can’t tell conclusively until the brand clarifies what ingredient they’re actually referring to.
Apple cider vinegar is included at a 300 mg dose. This is an effective weight loss ingredient that we consider underdosed in this formulation, because medical research shows the effective apple cider vinegar dose to be around 15,000 mg, which is 50x the amount in Burn Evolved.
Capsimax is a patented cayenne fruit extract that was found to cause a small but statistically significant amount of weight loss in a 2018 clinical trial at the same dose as that in Burn Evolved.
Caffeine is an effective weight loss ingredient at high doses, but we have not come across any medical studies suggesting that 100 mg of caffeine is effective for weight loss. This is only equivalent to the amount in one cup of coffee.
Grains of Paradise seed extract is an effective weight loss ingredient. It was found to cause a 0.5% body fat reduction over the course of four weeks in a clinical trial when used at the exact same dose as in Burn Evolved.
We consider the final two active ingredients to be underdosed and ineffective. Yohimbine hydrochloride is included at a dose of 6 mg. A medical study found that this ingredient caused weight loss at a daily dose of 20 mg, but that’s nearly 4x the dose in Burn Evolved. Rauwolscine is included at only a 3 mg dose.
Overall we consider this supplement likely to cause modest weight loss, given that we consider two of the ingredients to be effectively dosed and another (epigallocatechin) to be potentially effective but the manufacturer may have listed the wrong form so it’s impossible to conclude.
We don’t recommend this supplement overall because we consider only two of the seven active ingredients to be effective, and thus consider it to be a cost-ineffective weight loss option, but we are not concerned about the safety of consumers taking this supplement.
Burn Evolved has a better formulation than the majority of weight loss supplements we review on Illuminate Health, and has no questionable additive ingredients. Its inactive ingredients are non-toxic and safe.
Burn Evolved YouTube Review
A YouTube channel called “KH Performance Lab” has one of the most popular reviews of Burn Evolved. The creator goes into detail explaining why he doesn’t believe the supplement is likely to be effective, and the video appears unsponsored:
Questionable Health Claims on Website
Burn Evolved’s website makes a number of uncited health claims that we consider highly questionable.
The company claims that their supplement can help increase levels of brown adipose tissue (BAT), which can cause “burning fat from the inside-out.” As we documented at length in our review of another weight loss supplement Exipure, higher percentage of brown adipose versus white adipose tissue is associated with lower body weight, but we haven’t come across any medical studies suggesting that dietary supplements can shift the brown-to-white adipose tissue ratio.
Further, we certainly haven’t come across any studies suggesting that Burn Evolved can do so, because this supplement has never been studied in a clinical trial.
Burn Evolved’s website also states that older fat burn supplements caused fat to “mobilize” into the bloodstream and then “[find] a new home somewhere else on your body” while body fat is “launched into your bloodstream to be incinerated” with their supplement. There are no citations for these claims and we find them highly questionable and unscientific.
Weight loss is simple thermogenics: calories ingested versus calories expended. Most weight loss supplements work either by increasing metabolic rate (calories expended) or reducing appetite (to reduce calories ingested). We strongly disagree with the claims being made by Burn Evolved.
We recommend that consumers avoid supplement brands making bold, uncited health claims if the brand has not funded any clinical trials of their product in a legitimate medical journal (which this company has not).
Our Weight Loss Supplement Recommendations
There exist several weight loss supplements with significant clinical backing in terms of both efficacy and safety.
We recommend dietary fiber as a safe and effective weight loss supplement, especially when combined with caloric restriction.
A landmark medical study found that moderate caloric restriction (750 calories per day below baseline) combined with dietary fiber intake (a minimum of 20 grams per day) caused an average weight loss of 16.03 pounds over 6 months. That’s a potential pace of 32 pounds per year of weight loss in overweight individuals simply by adding fiber to a moderately-restricted-calorie diet.
The fiber supplement we recommend is SuperGut Fiber Mix. It contains a clean and effective formulation: a blend of three different types of unflavored dietary fiber and zero additive ingredients. It can be mixed into liquids or foods. Interested consumers can buy SuperGut fiber at this link.
We recommend using two fiber mixes per day, which provide 16 grams (g) of total fiber. Diet should provide the remaining fiber necessary to meet the 20 g minimum threshold.
Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil is another dietary supplement which has been shown in clinical trials to cause weight loss.
MCT oil is quickly absorbed by the body and increases metabolic rate, which causes fat loss. A meta-study on MCT oil documented weight loss of 1.12 pounds over 10 weeks. This equates to a potential annualized weight loss of 5.84 pounds with MCT oil supplementation.
We recommend Bulletproof MCT Oil as our top MCT oil product, because it has a clean and effective formulation. The only ingredient is MCT oil derived from coconuts, and the product has no questionable additives. Interested consumers can buy Bulletproof MCT Oil at this link.
The effective dose range of MCT oil for weight loss (based on the medical review) is 1.7 g to 10 g per day. Bulletproof's MCT oil provides 14 g in one tablespoon, so around two-thirds of one tablespoon should be a maximally-effective dosage.
