Leptitox is a diet pill that appeared on the scene during the summer of 2019; so, at the time of this review (Feb 2011), it was still pretty new. Like a lot of other diet pills these days, you can only buy Leptitox online. However, the way the product is promoted and distributed is a little different from the way most alternative weight-management products are marketed. I’ll go further into this later on in this Leptitox review.
When you are considering buying a product to help you to lose weight, the main place to go for product information is normally the official website, presuming one exists and, in this case, it does.
However, the Leptitox official website is shockingly short of information. It provides two short paragraphs that don’t say anything useful and has the buying options below.
One of the most annoying things about the Leptitox sales page is it fails to disclose a single ingredient the pills contain. However, an alternative landing page has a video that provides a little more information. Again, this is something I cover in more detail later on in the review.
A Look at the Company Behind Leptitox
(and the Leptitox Story)
Leptitox is produced by Leptitox Nutrition. The company was allegedly founded by a fireman called Morgan Hurst, who developed the formulation to help his overweight wife, Grace.
Grace had tried every diet under the sun and given up hope of ever losing weight and Morgan was desperate to find a way to turn things around.
During a trip to a Malaysian island, he met a Malaysian fireman who gave him a list of secret herbs. On his return to the US, Morgan teamed up with a scientist called Sonya Rhodes, who tweaked the formulation and improved it.
It’s a good story, but when Morgan shares it via video he seems to be reading from something behind the camera. Would anyone need to do that if they were telling an important personal story? You’ll need to make up your own mind about that.
At the time of this review (Feb 2021), Leptitox was known to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) but the company was not accredited. It actually has two business profiles. One for Leptitox and another for Leptitox Nutrition.
The BBB rating on both pages was F. That’s the lowest rating a company can get from the BBB and is likely due to the fact there are quite a lot of customer complaints.
The original BBB profile page was created in 2019. That’s the same year the Leptitox website first went online. The “Leptitox” page provides a contact address in Englewood, Colorado. A lot of companies share the same address so it may be the address of a mail forwarding service.
The business is apparently owned by “Mr. Owner/Manager, Owner/Manager.” That’s tells you a lot, doesn’t it? At the time of this review (Feb 2021), Leptitox customers had filed 26 complaints.
Most of the complaints were about billing and shipping issues or problems getting a refund via the money-back guarantee.
The BBB page for Leptitox Nutrition was created in September 2020 and provides an Address in Denver Colorado. Although the page was still relatively new at the time of this review, it was already showing a few Leptitox complaints.
BBB Action Against Leptitox Unsupported Claims
Mr. Hurst makes many grand claims for Leptitox in his video presentation but provides no proof to back any of them up.
In October 2020, The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs referred Leptitox Nutrition to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after the company failed to provide proof for some of the claims it was making for Leptitox.
Several of the claims are about dramatic weight loss. The BBB also requested proof that Hurst had saved his wife’s life with a 5-second hack, along with a claim about leptin being the root cause of weight gain.
The BBB made this request on several occasions but never received a substantive written response.
At the time of this review, Leptitox Nutrition appeared to be still under investigation/awaiting investigation by the FTC.
Here’s a link to an archived page that provides further details of the BBB’s concerns: NAD Refers Leptitox Nutrition to FTC After Company Declines to Provide Substantiation for Dramatic Dietary Supplement Weight Loss Claims
How Affiliate Marketing Muddies the Water
Leptitox Nutrition distributes its products via ClickBank.
ClickBank is an online retailer that’s popular with affiliates. Its affiliate marketplace is a good spot for retailers who have products to sell to link up with online marketers looking for items they can promote to make money.
In the early days, ClickBank only sold downloadable, digital products. Now the ClickBank marketplace offers physical products like diet pills as well.
ClickBank affiliate commissions can be extremely high. With certain products, affiliates can get up to 90% of the money customers pay. It’s possible to make a great deal of money if you promote the right ClickBank products so the sites and reviews affiliates create can sometimes be deceptive. The responsibility for this lies solely with the affiliates, not with ClickBank.
Because the commissions are so high, Clickbank affiliates work very hard to promote their chosen products, often investing a lot of money in their ventures. This is great for the people distributing Clickbank products, they don’t need to worry about marketing because the affiliates do all of the work.
Of course, should they wish to do so, the product creators can make additional marketing efforts. Those who do so send their customers to their Clickbank order page so that Clickbank can process the orders. The Leptitox website does this.
Related Article: Affiliate Marketing: How It Affects the Weight-Loss Industry
Leptitox: The Promised Benefits
According to the label on the bottle, Leptitox customers can expect three benefits:
- Detox formula
- Appetite control
- Weight-loss support
How Does Leptitox Work?
The Leptitox website fails to provide a clear picture of how the pills work. It only says Leptitox tackles the root cause of weight gain–allegedly leptin resistance.
Leptin is a hormone. Your body products it within its fat. Higher levels of body fat, generally increase leptin production.
The brain responds to high leptin levels by reducing hunger. When leptin is low, it has the opposite effect.
Some people are unfortunate enough to become leptin resistant. That’s not a good scenario because they can eat more than they should without getting a signal that tells them to stop.
Customers who arrive at the Leptitox website via a ClickBank affiliate link are more likely to find themselves on a special landing page that features a long promotional video. It’s tells a long and boring story and is very slow to get to the point. To make matters worse, it’s not possible to skip forward.
At 60 mins+, the video should be called Leptitox the Movie but if you can stick with it for 30 minutes or so you get a rundown of some of the ingredients and find out how the pills are supposed to work.
The Leptitox video presentation begins by saying people gain weight because of foreign chemicals in their blood and then promises a simple water hack that can remedy the situation.
The hack is not explained later in the video but Leptitox users will need a glass of water to swallow the pills. Perhaps that’s the connection.
Morgan (or the actor who plays Morgan in the video) eventually points out we have endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) all around us, such as BPA plastics, TBT (present in paints, vinyl products, and pesticides), and PFOA (Teflon cookware). He states these chemicals increase leptin resistance.
However, although there are studies that show such chemicals may influence leptin levels, the relationship requires further research.
Personally, I try to avoid such chemicals as much as I can. Especially BPA. It can play havoc with a man’s testosterone.
If chemicals are the problem, it makes sense to try and avoid them but Morgan’s argument appears flawed. There were plenty of overweight people in the world before these chemicals were a part of everyday life.
For instance, research suggests Roman gladiators were fat vegetarians. None of them ate their food from plastic containers.
But can pills like Leptitox reduce leptin resistance? According to a reliable source, there is not enough research to support using supplements in this way. (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/leptin-supplements)
Leptitox Ingredients
The Leptitox video states the formulation provides 22 natural plant extracts and nutrients. However, the original formulation (as given to Morgan in Malaysia) only has 11 ingredients:
- Marian Thistle (Milk Thistle)
- Apium Graveolens Seeds
- Jujube
- Grape seed
- Brassicas
- Alfalfa
- Chanca Piedra
- Taraxacum Leaves
- Barberry
- Turmeric
- Yellow dock
Back in the US, Sonya Rhodes added a further 11 ingredients to the mix.
How Good Is the Leptitox Formulation?
This is the part of the review where we take a closer look at the abilities of the ingredients and see if they can enable Leptitox to do the things it’s meant to do. It’s going to be tough. The formulation is a proprietary blend. Some of the ingredients are not disclosed and none of the inclusion rates are provided.
I would never buy any brand of supplement unless I knew everything that was in it. I don’t like the idea of buying blind. How do you feel about buying blind? If you like to know exactly what you are putting in your body, Leptitox won’t be for you.
Let’s take a look at the original 11 ingredients and see what potential they may have (presuming adequate inclusion rates).
Marian Thistle (Milk Thistle)
Milk thistle is a popular detox ingredient. People often use it to protect and improve liver health It also has therapeutic potential in several other areas.
Bodybuilders who are using steroids sometimes use milk thistle supplements to help protect their livers. Other people use it to help them recover after a night out.
Milk thistle is also reputed to boost breast milk production in lactating mothers but it’s unclear if this is the reason behind its name.
Although milk thistle appears to have value as a detox agent, there is insufficient proof that it can support weight loss.
Further Information: https://www.livestrong.com/article/485404-milk-thistle-benefits-in-weight-loss/
Apium Graveolens Seeds
Apium graveolens is celery. The seeds or leaves are sometimes used for medicinal purposes. Among other things, celery seeds are a diuretic. This makes them useful for lowering blood pressure. (https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-benefits-of-celery-seed-88621)
I’m never keen to see diuretics in diet pills because their ability to cause water-loss may confuse people into thinking they have burned fat when the only weight they have lost is water.
Some people use celery seeds as a weight loss aid but the seeds are not generally associated with leptin resistance. Some research also raises concerns about using the ingredient long-term.
A 48-year-old man with no history of thyroid disease was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism after eating 4 g of dried celery leaves per day for 45 days. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5403020/)
Jujube
Jujube is a small edible fruit that’s rich in Vitamin C. The fruit makes a healthy snack but extracts taken from it are not normally associated with weight loss.
You may need to be careful about using Jujube if you are using medications. It’s known to present unfavorable reactions when combined with certain drugs. (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/jujube#downsides)
Grape Seed
Grape seeds are high in antioxidants that can help prevent oxidative stress and disease. Extracts from the seeds also appear to help protect the liver but, once again, we are looking at an ingredient that is not normally used for weight loss.
Brassicas
“Brassica” is not a plant. It’s a family of plants. Broccoli and cauliflower are members of the brassica family. So are cabbage and turnip, so there is no way to be certain what we are looking at here.
Alfalfa
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), is a nutrient-rich plant that has a long history of use as animal feed. Although it’s part of the legume family, alfalfa is also considered a herb.
The seeds and leaves of the alfalfa plant are often used in supplements and are an excellent source of Vitamin K.
Alfalfa is associated with several health benefits, including controlling cholesterol and managing the symptoms of menopause, but further study is necessary all around.
Chanca Piedra
Chanca piedra is a medicinal herb that is used for treating kidney stones. Herbalists also use it for treating various problems in the digestive organs, urinary tract, and liver. However, although chanca piedra appears to work well for some people suffering from kidney stones there is insufficient proof to support its value in other areas. (https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-441/chanca-piedra)
Taraxacum Leaves
Taraxacum is the botanical name for dandelions. The leaves of the plant are an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K. Some people eat dandelion leaves as part of a salad. Others steep the leaves in water and use them to make herbal tea.
As well as being nutritious, dandelion is a potent source of antioxidants. As you are probably aware, antioxidants neutralize free radical toxins in the body, reduce oxidative stress, and encourage good health.
Dandelion is often deemed liver-friendly. Unfortunately, the belief is based on animal studies. It’s unclear if it is equally beneficial for humans. Nevertheless, the lack of research has not prevented dandelion from becoming a key ingredient in many detox formulations.
Although some researchers speculate dandelion may be capable of supporting weight loss, there is no scientific grounding to support the theory. It’s largely based on the plant’s ability to improve carbohydrate absorption.
Dandelion also has a longstanding reputation as a diuretic and research shows the reputation is built on solid ground. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3155102/)
Diuretics have the potential to cause confusion when they are added to weight loss supplements. They encourage the body to retain less water. That’s why using them often entails a more frequent need to pee.
When the body is carrying less water it becomes lighter. It’s very easy to mistake this type of weight reduction for fat-loss. Obviously, it is not. As soon as you stop taking the diuretic, water levels will quickly normalize and any weight that was lost will return.
Barberry
Barberries are the fruit of the Berberis vulgaris shrub. The berries have several beneficial compounds. The most notable one is berberine. It’s an antioxidant that has possible potential as a natural treatment for acne.
Barberries also provide Vitamin C and zinc, both of which are necessary for a strong immune system.
Research suggests barberry may have value as a treatment for obesity and metabolic syndrome but scientists are still trying to understand the processes involved. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6233907/)
Turmeric
Turmeric is a popular cooking spice that’s a key ingredient in many types of curry. If your curry looks yellow, it probably contains a quantity of turmeric.
Turmeric also has a long history of use as a medicinal herb and most of the health benefits associated with it are due to the curcuminoids it provides. The most important one is curcumin.
Curcumin is a natural anti-inflammatory compound. It’s also a powerful antioxidant that offers many benefits to the body and brain.
Curcumin may lower the risk of heart disease, help prevent diabetes, and might ward off depression and Alzheimer’s disease as well. It’s a much-studied compound that appears to offer value in a surprisingly diverse number of areas. (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric)
But can curcumin help you to lose weight? A systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 studies suggest that it can. (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2019.00649/full)
That’s good news but it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that there is no way no know how much curcumin Leptitox provides. There’s another problem as well.
Turmeric is only around 3 percent curcumin. That’s not a lot and, to make matters worse, the body has difficulty processing curcumin. Most of the curcumin you consume does not get absorbed.
However, when curcumin is combined with black pepper extract or piperine, the body finds it significantly easier to absorb.
Piperine is the alkaloid that provides black pepper with its unmistakable smell. Research show it can increase curcumin absorption by 2,000 percent. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9619120/)
That’s amazing but Leptitox might not contain any piperine. It is possible piperine may be one of the 11 unlisted ingredients but there is no way to know.
Yellow Dock
Yellow dock (Rumex crispus) is a herb that’s native to Europe and Asia. The leaves are often used in tonics that aim to provide improvements in digestive health. It may also be beneficial for the liver and skin.
Herbalists use yellow dock to treat a wide variety of ailments but, in most cases, there is little proof to support its ability to work.
The ingredient is also known to have the potential to present a number of side effects. Especially when it’s used over long periods of time. For instance, the oxalic acid in yellow dock may cause some people to experience diarrhea. More worryingly, when used long-term, yellow dock can cause blood calcium levels to become dangerously low
Yellow dock also has the potential to produce unfavorable reactions if it’s combined with certain drugs. It’s not one of the more popular supplement ingredients and there’s probably a good reason for that. (https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-benefits-of-yellow-dock-89534)
How to Use Leptitox
You have to sit through the video for a long time before you find out how to take Leptitox but the dose is two capsules, taken once per day.
Important Usage ConsiderationsIf you are pregnant or nursing a child, please don’t take any kind of supplement without getting clearance from your doctor first. If you have an existing medical condition of any kind at all, it would also be unwise to use supplements without checking with your doctor first. Certain supplement ingredients can present interaction issues when combined with medication. It doesn’t matter if the medication has been prescribed by a doctor, a dentist, or another medical professional. If you are taking medication, don’t use it with supplements without asking a doctor first. *Information on the Diet Pill Ninja website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. |
Does Leptitox Have Honorable Customer Reviews?
Although some customer reviews heap praises on the product, the number of bad reviews far outnumber the good.
Let’s take a look at a few of the things former customers are saying:
Does Leptitox Cause Side Effects?
A few customers mention minor stomach problems but side effects don’t appear to be an issue with this product.
However, the manufacturer does not provide a full list of ingredients so I strongly suggest against taking Leptitox without a doctor’s approval.
The Best Place to Buy Leptitox
According to Morgan, Sonya Rhodes suggested they should be selling the product for over $900 per bottle. However, he’s such a swell guy, he is only asking $59 for a single bottle of Leptitox (price right at the time of this review).
Shipping is free and, as is the case with many other supplements, there are discounts and perks for customers who wish to dig deep and order multiple bottles of pills.
After the Sale (What Happens Next?)
Leptitox has a 60-day money-back guarantee but a lot of customers complain about difficulties getting a refund. There are also complaints about the Leptitox customer services department giving people the run-around and making things harder than they need to be.
Leptitox Review: Diet Pill Ninja Conclusion
I don’t like this product or the way that’s it’s marketed. Unless you are willing to sit through the entire sales video you will have no idea what the pills contain, how many to take, or what they are supposed to do. Even then, you will only get a partial list of ingredients. Nobody should be encouraged to buy an edible item without knowing exactly what it contains.
Looking at the formulation, I think Leptitox may have value as a detox formula. Some of the ingredients may offer weight-loss support as well. However, there is no information about the quantities involved. The Leptitox formulation may not be strong enough to offer any detox or weight loss benefits at all.
The marketing video is very annoying. Morgan makes lots of claims that diet and exercise do not work. He even suggests these things may have negative repercussions.
The video also uses a lot of sneaky marketing tactics such as trying to instil a sense of urgency by stating the wisdom of buying Leptitox immediately, before the diet pill manufacturers have the site taken down.
The fact that the BBB has taken such offense to the Leptitox marketing claims is no small thing. Nor is it good that the company behind the product has chosen to ignore the BBB’s requests for supportive information.
Then there are all the customer complaints and negative reviews. A lot of people are reporting problems. That’s not good either.
In my opinion, Leptitox is a product that is unlikely to offer much if any weight-loss support and may be more trouble than it’s worth. Like the BBB, I am not impressed by all the unsupported claims.
So, what is a good alternative to Leptitox?
There are plenty to choose from. For instance, if all you need is a cheap fat-burner, Now Foods Green Tea Extract is a good option.
If you don’t mind paying a little more, Phentaslim offers a more far-reaching level of support. It’s an established product, produced by a reputable company and backed by a money-back guarantee.
Click Here to Read My Phentaslim Review
