Advantra Z®

Citrus aurantium (CA), a small evergreen shrub yielding fruit similar to the common sweet orange, is prized for its clinically-supported thermogenic properties. Also known as bitter orange, CA encourages the body to burn fat and build lean muscle mass, and boosts physical performance without adverse cardiovascular effects, making the compound a boon to athletes and individuals looking to safely increase energy levels and lose weight. The branded CA ingredient Advantra Z® has been shown to deliver these benefits in several proprietary, published and ongoing clinical trials.

Numerous in vivo human studies suggest Advantra Z raises metabolism without increasing blood pressure (BP) or heart rate (HR). In a study conducted by researchers from the McGill Nutrition and Food Science Center at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Canada, taking Advantra Z led to an increased thermogenic response and a measurable increase in metabolic rate (MR) in lean men and women. In the three-day study, seven healthy, lean, fasting individuals were asked to rest for 30 minutes, then assayed for 20-minute baseline resting MR (RMR) using indirect calorimetry. After the 20-minute RMR assay, subjects’ MRs were monitored under one of the following three conditions: following consumption of a 392-calorie mixed meal comprised of two nutrition bars, over a period of 336 minutes; following intake of five Advantra Z capsules over a period of 300 minutes; or subsequent to ingestion of a 392-calorie mixed meal comprised of two nutrition bars and five Advantra Z capsules over a period of 336 minutes. CA caused an increase in RMR when consumed alone and in conjunction with the nutrition bars; no changes in pulse pressure or BP were reported. The researchers concluded CA has thermogenic potential, is well-tolerated and does not cause tachycardia (abnormally rapid heartbeat).

Replication of the trial, this time in obese subjects, further showed Advantra Z possibly stimulates certain beta-adrenergic receptors in charge of lipolysis and thermogenesis, without affecting blood pressure. CA was found to exhibit sympathomimetic behavior in obese subjects, increasing RMR and thermic response to a mixed meal. In addition, the BP of obese test subjects given CA remained stable, leading researchers to conclude the compound does not appear to be associated with unfavorable effects, especially for individuals with hypertension.

Additional human clinical research on CA thermogenesis includes a proprietary study in which CA increased resting MR without affecting cardiovascular indices of BP or HR in mildly obese subjects. Fourteen women and nine men who were fasting at baseline and had not exercised in the previous 24 hours were administered three capsules of Advantra Z or placebo on the first day of the trial, then given four capsules of either randomized treatment on the second day. After ingesting the capsules, subjects were asked to sit quietly for one hour.

Researchers measured MR at 50 minutes, and BP and HR at 60 minutes. In subjects given CA, MR increased by 8 percent between the first day and the second day of treatment, whereas individuals given placebo showed no increase in MR. Oxygen uptake increased by 30 plus or minus 50 mL/min in individuals administered CA, as compared with individuals given placebo, who experienced no change in oxygen uptake. No changes in BP, HR, or resting energy requirement were observed in either group.

And the ability of CA to increase MR without affecting BP was illustrated by a clinical trial held at Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal that used indirect calorimetry to assess whether CA increased MR.¹ Thermic response to Advantra Z was higher in men when taken without food, and higher in women when taken with a meal, possibly due to diminished sympathetic nervous system response to meals in females. The researchers also found Advantra Z had no effect on BP.

In addition to demonstrating the compound’s thermogenic effects, several clinical trials have also been conducted specifically to illustrate the safety of Advantra Z with regard to the cardiovascular system. One such trial involved independent laboratory testing to determine which synephrine isomers are present in Advantra Z.² According to the results of the testing, Advantra Z contains the stable p-isomer of synephrine but is devoid of the potentially harmful compound m-synephrine, a potent vasoconstrictor used in commercial nasal decongestants and to treat hypotension and associated with high BP. Advantra Z was also shown to be have no adverse effects on BP in a study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco.³ Ten healthy adults took single doses of 46.9 mg CA synephrine (as Advantra Z), a multi-component formulation including 5.5 mg CA synephrine (as Xenadrine EFX® [XEN], from Cytodyne), and placebo, with one-week washout periods between treatments. XEN supplementation produced increases in systolic and diastolic BP—possibly due to caffeine and other stimulants in the formulation—whereas treatment with ADV—an eight-fold higher dose of CA synephrine—did not affect BP.

Manufactured by Zhishin LLC, Advantra Z is a multi-bioflavonoid, Koshercertified extract of CA standardized for 5-percent, 6-percent, 10-percent and 30-percent synephrine as well as guaranteed amounts of N-methyltyramine, hordenine, octopamine and tyramine in each effective potency. Advantra Z is protected by several U.S. and Canadian patents for uses including stimulating thermogenesis, reducing weight, increasing lean muscle mass to total body mass, improving athletic performance and suppressing appetite. Nutratech is the exclusive worldwide licensee for Advantra Z.

References

1. Gougeon R et al. Obes Res. 13, 7:1187-94, 2005.

2. Allison DB et al. Int J Obes. 29:443-46, 2005.

3. Haller CA et al. Am J Med. 118, 9:998-1003, 2005.