Burn XT is a fat burner supplement sold by a brand called Jacked Factory. The brand describes this supplement as the “fastest growing fat burner supplement on the market,” and claims that it has a clinical study supporting its efficacy.
But is Burn XT clinically proven to cause weight loss? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? Does it cause side effects? And is Burn XT better or worse than popular fat burner supplements like Plexus Slim?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we review the clinical study on Burn XT to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to cause weight loss.
We'll also analyze the supplement's formulation to determine if it has unhealthy ingredients, discuss the risk of side effects, and compare Burn XT to other popular fat burners to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Burn XT is clinically proven to increase energy expenditure at rest
- Contains an active ingredient we recommend avoiding for health reasons
- We do not currently recommend Burn XT
Is Burn XT Proven to Work?
Burn XT was studied in a 2023 clinical trial published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, which is a peer-reviewed journal.
This is the gold standard of product research, and we commend Jacked Factory for funding legitimate clinical research.
The trial tested whether or not Burn XT could increase calories burned at rest, and what its effects on the mood of participants was.
Burn XT was shown in the clinical trial to increase energy burned at rest by around 150 calories per day, which equates to potential weight loss of around one pound every 23 days.
Our issue with the study design is that the researchers did not actually track weight loss, but rather tracked energy burned at 30, 60 and 180-minute post-ingestion intervals.
Just because a supplement increases energy burned for three hours does not necessarily mean it will continue to increase energy burned at the same rate for 24 hours, so it’s challenging to predict how much weight loss and fat loss Burn XT can cause.
Based on the results of this clinical trial, we consider Burn XT likely to be effective for at least some degree of weight loss.
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Burn XT are shown below:
Acetyl-l-carnitine is the first active ingredient, and we can’t find any clinical evidence that it causes weight loss.
L-carnitine, which is a similar substance chemically, was shown in a 2020 medical review to cause weight loss, but the researchers concluded that “2000 [milligrams] l-carnitine per day provides the maximum effect in adults.”
Even two capsules of Burn XT provide only 750 milligrams (mg) of acetyl-l-carnitine.
Green tea leaf extract is another ingredient that’s clinically shown to cause weight loss.
However, it’s an ingredient that health-conscious consumers may wish to avoid.
As we referenced in our review of Morning Complete, some research trials have found green tea extract to be toxic to the liver at high doses. We’d recommend that consumers speak with their doctor prior to using this ingredient.
Caffeine was shown in a meta-study published in the Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition journal to cause weight loss.
The two-capsule dose of 270 mg should cause more weight loss than the one-capsule dose, but may also cause greater anxiety, and may negatively affect blood pressure.
Capsimax is a trademarked extract of cayenne, and we consider the doses of 25 mg (one capsule) and 50 mg (two capsules) to be confusing, given that the Capsimax website suggests the effective dose is 100 mg.
Bioperine is a trademarked black pepper extract used to increase the absorption of other active ingredients in the formulation, and the two inactive ingredients should be safe and non-toxic.
Overall, we consider Burn XT likely to be effective for weight loss and fat loss based on a review of its ingredients and their respective doses.
However we don’t currently recommend this supplement due to our concerns over green tea leaf extract.
Does Burn XT Cause Side Effects?
Since Burn XT contains at least one stimulant, it may cause side effects in some individuals.
The clinical trial on Burn XT reported increased average systolic blood pressure, so patients with high blood pressure should speak with a doctor prior to using this supplement.
Stimulants can also cause jitteriness, anxiety and nausea in sensitive individuals. The caffeine dose in two capsules of Burn XT is equivalent to around 2.5 cups of coffee.
This supplement may be inadvisable for consumers with anxiety, although it doesn’t contain concerning stimulant doses like some fat burner supplements we’ve reviewed on Illuminate Health.
Overall, we do not consider Burn XT likely to cause side effects in otherwise healthy adults, although we consider stimulant-based fat burners to confer a greater risk of side effects than most supplement categories.
Burn XT vs. Popular Fat Burners
Here's how Burn XT compares to other popular fat burner supplements in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
Lipozene
Contains artificial dye, which is clinically shown to have negative health effects.
The health downside of artificial dye consumption is greater than the risk of green tea leaf extract consumption at the stated dose, in our opinion (particularly because Burn XT didn't cause any severe side effects in the clinical trial).
Winner: Burn XT
Plexus
This company sells a popular weight loss supplement called Plexus Slim, as we documented in our Plexus reviews article.
This supplement contains two inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy, however, neither are as large of a concern to us as green tea leaf extract.
Plexus wins from a safety perspective.
Winner: Plexus
Ikaria Lean Belly Juice
This is a ClickBank product which is questionably marketed, making it inferior from a health and safety perspective to Burn XT, which has clinical backing and is sold by a reputable brand.
Winner: Burn XT
Our Clean Weight Loss Picks
Ceylon cinnamon was described as "an effective anti-obesity agent" in a 2022 meta-analysis. The study authors concluded that effects were greater at doses at or over 3 grams daily.
Illuminate Labs Ceylon Cinnamon Extract is our standardized Ceylon cinnamon supplement which is third-party tested to ensure purity and potency.
Dietary fiber was shown in a medical review published in The Journal of Nutrition to cause 16 pounds of weight loss in 6 months when combined with moderate caloric restriction (750 calories per day below baseline).
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top fiber pick because it's certified organic, provides 7 g of fiber per serving and costs under $1.85 per serving at the time of updating this article.
Both of the products mentioned in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Burn XT Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Clinically shown to increase energy expenditure
- Clinically tested in peer-reviewed journal
- Free of unhealthy additive ingredients
- Likely to cause weight loss
- Only one stimulant ingredient
- Healthier than some competitors
Cons:
- Clinically shown to increase systolic blood pressure
- Stimulants can cause anxiety in some individuals
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Clinical study tested energy expenditure only at certain intervals and didn’t directly measure weight loss
