Hardcore

Hydroxycut Hardcore is the stimulant-heavy member of the Hydroxycut line and a long-running mass-retail staple sold at Walmart. Each two-capsule serving delivers 265 mg of caffeine, 200 mg of green coffee extract (Coffea canephora robusta, standardized to 45% chlorogenic acids) and 50 mg of yohimbe bark extract (6% yohimbine), plus smaller amounts of L-theanine, cayenne, L-tyrosine and other amino acids, mostly inside three proprietary blends. After a three-day ramp-up, the label calls for two servings a day. That adds up to 530 mg of caffeine, well above the 400 mg a day the FDA cites as not generally associated with negative effects for most adults.

The "2X the weight loss" claim rests on the green coffee ingredient. Hydroxycut cites two studies in which people on reduced-calorie diets lost 10.95 lb versus 5.40 lb over 60 days and 3.7 lb versus 1.25 lb over eight weeks. A 2011 meta-analysis found green coffee trials small and at high risk of bias. Caffeine can modestly raise energy expenditure and training intensity, which is likely most of what users feel.

Safety history matters here. According to NIH's LiverTox database, Hydroxycut products containing ephedra were withdrawn in 2004, and Hydroxycut products were withdrawn again in 2009 because of liver injury. LiverTox notes that reformulated products have continued to be implicated in cases of acute liver injury. Yohimbine can also raise heart rate and blood pressure. The label itself warns of restlessness, tremors, anxiety, palpitations and trouble sleeping in caffeine-sensitive people.

It's inexpensive at around $24 for 60 capsules, but at the full dose a bottle lasts about two weeks. The capsules contain gelatin and artificial dyes (Red 40, Blue 1).