November 2005
JavaFit: Strange brews
CAFFEINE PLUS Three of the five JavaFit coffees contain extra stimulants.
JavaFit is “the high-energy, fat-burning, appetite-suppressing gourmet coffee that helps you stay fit.” So touts the Web site
for this new family of brews, which contain added nutrients and herbs, and in most cases extra stimulants as well.
Two types of JavaFit, Burn and Burn Extreme, contain citrus aurantium, or bitter orange, which is similar to the banned ephedra. A third type, Energy Extreme, contains green-tea extract, another stimulant. Both Extremes pack an extra dose of caffeine.
In general, stimulants can rev up your metabolism and boost your exercise capacity. But bitter orange has been linked to increased risks of heart attack, irregular heartbeat, and stroke. Too much green-tea extract can cause jitters, headaches, insomnia, and gastrointestinal upset. Consuming stimulants together with caffeine or, as the manufacturer recommends, before exercising might compound at least some of those hazards. No study that lasted longer than eight weeks has evaluated whether JavaFit with added stimulants is safe to drink regularly.
Two other JavaFit brews have no extra stimulants. Lean contains an herb-mineral combination that purportedly fights body-fat accumulation, but a 2004 review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition said the evidence, at least for the herb, is “not compelling.” The fifth type, Complete, incongruously combines coffee and vitamins.
CR's take: There are better, safer ways to lose weight.
Two types of JavaFit, Burn and Burn Extreme, contain citrus aurantium, or bitter orange, which is similar to the banned ephedra. A third type, Energy Extreme, contains green-tea extract, another stimulant. Both Extremes pack an extra dose of caffeine.
In general, stimulants can rev up your metabolism and boost your exercise capacity. But bitter orange has been linked to increased risks of heart attack, irregular heartbeat, and stroke. Too much green-tea extract can cause jitters, headaches, insomnia, and gastrointestinal upset. Consuming stimulants together with caffeine or, as the manufacturer recommends, before exercising might compound at least some of those hazards. No study that lasted longer than eight weeks has evaluated whether JavaFit with added stimulants is safe to drink regularly.
Two other JavaFit brews have no extra stimulants. Lean contains an herb-mineral combination that purportedly fights body-fat accumulation, but a 2004 review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition said the evidence, at least for the herb, is “not compelling.” The fifth type, Complete, incongruously combines coffee and vitamins.
CR's take: There are better, safer ways to lose weight.
