ForsLean® is manufactured by a proprietary process and is a standardized extract from the roots of the Coleus forskohlii plant, the only known plant source of forskohlin.
Forslean has shown promising results in three areas:
1) enhancing lean body mass
2) promoting fat loss and promoting weight loss
The importance of maintaining or regaining lean body mass has recently come to light for two important reasons.
1) The increased recognition that lean body mass plays a vital role in any successful weight training regimen.
2) There is a growing awareness that lean body mass is proportionate to the overall health of an individual. Lean body mass is composed of muscle, vital organs, bone and bone marrow, connective tissue and body water. The percentage of lean body mass to fat not only determines the body's aesthetic appearance, but more importantly, it is also an index of physical fitness, health status, susceptibility to disease and premature mortality.
Because the body's metabolic rate is directly proportional to the amount of lean body mass, there is substantial interest in products that safely increase lean body mass because they are most likely to work. The use of ForsLean® may help to increase lean body mass and optimize body composition with one of the side effects being fat loss and/or weight loss. A sluggish metabolic rate is an undesired effect of many weight-loss regimens. The occurrence of a low resting metabolic rate is likely to contribute to the high rate of weight regain in formerly obese persons.
Weight management regimens should emphasize that healthy functioning of the body depends not so much on a lower fat content, but rather on obtaining a higher percentage of lean body mass. Again, it should be kept in mind that it is not only fat, but also lean body mass that is, or can be, lost through dieting. This fact often escapes our attention when we reduce our total body weight. The loss of lean body mass offsets any benefits derived from the reduction of body weight, and can potentially increase one’s chances for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and possibly some forms of cancer due to poor metabolic activity.
Why is Forslean Different?
Proof of Efficacy
ForsLean was tested in an open-field study with a population of six overweight women (BMI>25). The tested formula was in the form of two-piece, hard shell capsules; each capsule contained 250 mg of ForsLean®. The overweight, but otherwise healthy women, received one capsule twice daily for eight weeks. Participants were instructed to take one capsule in the morning and one in the evening, half an hour before a meal. Each participant was asked to maintain her previous daily physical exercise and eating habits. In addition, physical activity was monitored based on a questionnaire before and during the trial. During the eight week trial, the mean values for body weight and fat content significantly decreased, whereas lean body mass was significantly increased as compared to the baseline. Neither the systolic/diastolic blood pressure, nor the pulse rate was adversely affect during the trial. Indeed, a trend was observed of lower systolic/diastolic pressure during the course of treatment.
Dosage form/delivery
ForsLean® has been clinically evaluated at one dose, 250 mgs twice daily. This provides 50 mgs of forskohlin, the primary active compound in ForsLean®. Dosage has been in the form of a two piece, hard shell capsule.
Two new studies were undertaken to further explore the efficacy of ForsLean®, one in the US and the other in Japan.
The US study was performed at the University of Memphis, Exercise & Sports Nutrition Laboratory. Twenty mildly obese female subjects between the ages of 18 to 40 were recruited to participate in this study. The study was designed as a double blind, placebo-controlled investigation of ForsLean versus a similarly matched placebo for 12 weeks. After baseline testing, subjects were randomly assigned to ingest 2 capsules a day containing either ForsLean or the placebo. (one capsule in the morning and one in the evening, half an hour before a meal). Each active capsule contains 250 mg of ForsLean. Results suggest that ForsLean may help mitigate weight gain in overweight females with apparently no clinically significant side effects.
Analysis for the Japanese trial included the overall assessment of select parameters, blood pressure, body composition and individual serological and hematological profiles. Subjective questionnaires were used to determine the subjects’ perception of the treatment and quality of life/lifestyle aspects. Dr. Tsuguyoshi Asano, a prominent Tokyo based Japanese physician who specializes in Internal medicine and bariatrics, was the principal investigator in a 12-week study protocol including 20 overweight, but otherwise healthy, men and women who have a body mass index (BMI) 25-26. 250 mgs of ForsLean was administered twice a day in the form of a two-piece hard shell capsule. Each participant received a physical examination, and their blood biochemistry and body composition was analyzed at the inception and after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of the study. The results indicated that ForsLean was beneficial for weight loss without loss of lean body mass, and that there were no adverse effects on blood pressure.
Role of CAMP in optimizing body composition
The biochemical mechanism of maintaining or increasing lean body mass is related to the availability of cyclic AMP. ForsLean works by activating the cyclic AMP. By facilitating hormonal action, cyclic AMP may regulate the body's thermogenic response to food, increase the body's basal metabolic rate, and increase utilization of body fat (since thermogenesis is preferentially fuelled by fatty acids derived from body fat and/or food). These events also correspond to the build-up of lean body mass.
