Real Dose Weight Loss Formula No1: Review of Research

Update 1/31/21. Real Dose Weight Loss Formula No. 1 is a weight loss supplement that claims its ingredients are “based only on the results from human studies.” That statement alone made me want to review Formula 1! Furthermore, Real Dose also says that their products use the exact same amount of the ingredients that are used in research.  Both of these are bold statements that I don't see many supplement companies making, so let's review Real Dose Formula 1 and see what we can find out.

 

Who Makes Real Dose Formula No 1?

Real Dose Weight Loss Formula No. 1 is a product of Real Dose Nutrition LLC located at 2031 16th Street Boulder, CO 80302. To contact Real Dose Nutrition, call (800) 928-5580 if inside the US (or if outside the US,

+1-307-222-6725). In my review I found 2 different websites for the company:

• RealDose.com

• RealDoseWeightloss.com

According to the Better Business Bureau,  while Real Dose Nutrition is not a BBB accredited business, the company has a BBB rating of “A.” It appears that the person in charge of the company is Dr. Steven Sisskind. While he is listed as the “Chief Medical Officer” on both the BBB website and the Real Dose website, in a press release, dated June 10th 2013, Dr. Sisskind is called “the creator” of Real Dose Nutrition Formula No 1.

Real Dose Formula No.1 has also been sold on Amazon but it may be unavailable.

 

Real Dose Weight Loss Formula No 1 Ingredients

According to the product website (Realdose.com), 1 capsule of Formula No 1 has these ingredients:

Ingredient	Amount	% DV
Proprietary blend	300 mg	N/A
Dolichos biflorus (seed) extract
Betel (Piper betle) (leaf) extract
Decaf green coffee bean extract (Svetol)	133.33 mg	N/A
Siberian Rhodiola rosea (root)	113.33 mg	N/A
Pepper (Piper nigrum) (fruit)	5 mg	N/A

N/A = Not applicable. No daily value established.

Real Dose Formula No 1 is non-GMO and free of gluten, dairy, eggs, or soy.

 

Real Dose Formula No 1 Research

As far as I can see from the Real Dose website, Formula No. 1 has no published peer-reviewed research to show that it helps people lose weight. Also, I'm not aware of any published research that used the entire unique blend of ingredients that are in Formula No 1 weight loss pills.

That said, as I understand the premise behind this supplement, the idea here is that because there is weight research on 2 of the ingredients ―and Real Dose Formula No. 1 uses the same ingredients, in the same amounts used in research―that the same weight loss benefits should be seen with this product. It's an interesting idea. Let's now take a look at the research on the ingredients in the product and see what that research says.

To their credit, RealDose.com not only lists the research on the ingredients, it also links to those studies also, so I will list those studies for each ingredient below.

 

Dolichos Biflorus (Seed) Extract

There are 2 studies listed in support of Dolichos biflorus. They are:

1. Study title: Efficacy of an Herbal Formulation LI10903F Containing Dolichos Biflorus and Piper Betle Extracts on Weight Management. This was an 8-week study involving 50 overweight people. The participants were put on a 2000 calorie per day diet and exercised 30 minutes per day.

The people received either a placebo or 300 mg of a supplement called “LOWAT” ― a product of Interhealth Neutraceutical Inc. LOWAT  is a blend of both Dolichos biflorus seed extracts and  Piper betle leaf (which is also in Real Dose Formula No 1).  If you read the study in the link above, they call LOWAT  “LI10903F” so don't be confused.

Results. Those who received the LOWAT supplement lost significantly more weight (an average of 5 lbs) compared to those who didn't get the supplement. Significant decreases in ghrelin and increases in adiponectin (hormones that play a role in how much we weigh) were also seen in those who received the LOWAT supplement.

 

2. Study title. Efficacy and Safety Evaluation of a Novel Weight Management Herbal Formulation LOWAT. The Real Dose website states that this study was presented at the 51st meeting of the American College of Nutrition in October 2010. This is a study of the effects of the LOWAT supplement in rats. It may be a fine study but since it's not peer-reviewed (and a rat study), I'm inclined to discount it.

 

Real Dose Formula No 1 contains 300 mg of the proprietary blend of both Dolichos biflorus seed extracts and  Piper betle leaf. I believe the proprietary blend used is the LOWAT supplement.  The LOWAT blend is in other products and is a standalone supplement itself.  For example, here is the LOWAT supplement on Amazon.

 

Decaf Green Coffee Bean Extract

The Real Dose website references 2 studies to support the use of green coffee bean.

1. A study titled: Svetol, green coffee extract induces weight loss and increases the lean to fat mass ratio with overweight people.

 

2. A study in French which is the same study as study #1. This is likely the original investigation that was also translated into English. I'm not sure why the Real Dose website lists the study in both English and French.

 

The keyword in this study is “Svetol” which is a specific extract of green coffee bean. There is some weight loss research on Svetol although it's less than I'd like. See the review of Green Coffee Bean and weight loss,

For those who want to compare prices, here is  Svetol on Amazon.

Siberian Rhodiola Rosea

The Real Dose website lists two studies for Rhodiola Rosea:

1. Rhodiola rosea: A Phytomedicinal Overview. This is a review article that shows that Rhodiola Rosea may help recovery from exercise and play a role in mood.  That is likely why this herb is in Real Dose.

2. Standardized Rhodiola rosea: A Unique Phytomedicine. A Current Phytochemical Quality Overview.  This appears to be a paper that was presented at a meeting titled, The Proceedings of the 8th International Congress Phytopharm, in 2004. Phytopharm is a pharmaceutical /nutraceutical company. Since this paper was presented, it may not be peer-reviewed.

Real Dose Formula No 1 contains 113.33 mg of Rhodiola rosea. At least one study noted that 100 mg of this herb helped mental and physical fatigue.

 

Pepper (Piper nigrum)

The Real Dose website cites 2 studies in support of this ingredient. They are:

1. A study titled, Piperine derived from black pepper increases the plasma levels of coenzyme Q10 following oral supplementation. This study showed that 5 mg of Piper nigrum (pepper) increased levels of coenzyme Q10 in healthy males. Real Dose Formula No 1contains 5 mg of pepper.

2. A study titled Piperine, an alkaloid derived from black pepper increases serum response of beta-carotene during 14-days of oral beta-carotene supplementation.  Basically, pepper increased the absorption of beta carotene.

This is why pepper is in the product. It's not because of any metabolism-boosting or weight loss effect, but rather because pepper appears to enhance absorption of other things. Here, the pepper increases the absorption of the 2 active ingredients in Real Dose Formula No 1.

 

Summary of studies

If I look only at the studies listed on the Real Dose website, here is how they look to me:

•  A published human study of Dolichos biflorus and weight loss

• A presented study on Dolichos biflorus and weight loss in rats

• A published human study of green coffee extract and weight loss (listed in both English and French)

• A published review article of the effects of Rhodiola rose (no weight loss effects mentioned)

• A presented paper on Rhodiola rosea and stress levels  (no weight loss effects mentioned)

• A published paper on how pepper raises coenzyme Q10 levels

• A published paper on how pepper helps beta carotene absorption

 

Based on the research presented on the product website, the ingredients in Real Dose Formula 1 that have human weight loss evidence are:

• Dolichos biflorus (specifically, the LOWAT supplement)

• Green coffee extract (specifically, the Svetol supplement)

Here is LOWAT on Amazon and Here is Svetol on Amazon for those who want to compare prices.

It's possible that the unique blend of ingredients in Real Dose Formula No 1 works better than either /both of these ingredients, but since there appears to be no published peer-reviewed research on Real Dose Formula No 1 itself, I can't know for sure.

 

Real Dose Formula No 1 side effects

I'm not aware of any side effects from using Real Dose Weight Loss Formula 1 and I think in healthy people it's pretty safe.  With any new supplement you've not taken before, it's wise to start with less than is recommended to see how you respond. This will minimize any side effects that you, personally, may have.

 

How to Return Real Dose Formula No. 1

The product website states that Real Dose weight loss supplements have an “Unconditional 365 Day You Must Be Thrilled!” Money-Back Guarantee. Giving people 1 year to return a product is actually quite generous ―and rare.

According to the Real Dose website, people just have to call customer service and ask for a refund. Return the product with a copy of your sales receipt. Customer service can be reached by calling these numbers:

• In the US: 1-800-838-4854

• Outside the US : +1-307-222-6346

To get a refund, the product should be shipped to this address:

RealDose Nutrition LLC
22100 E 26th Avenue #100 Aurora, CO 80019

According to Google, this address corresponds to a company called “At Last Fulfillment” which  I assume is the company that actually ships Real Dose products to consumers.

 

Does Real Dose Formula No 1 Work?

First, let me say that I appreciated the emphasis on research that I saw on the Real Dose website. It's not often I see supplement websites that link to research. I thought that was refreshing.

While there is not a lot of research on the ingredients, it's possible some people may notice weight loss from Real Dose Weight Loss Formula No. 1 especially if they also exercise and eat fewer calories. How much weight loss might occur if someone were to only take the supplement, I do not know.

I personally think that if the product is going to work, that has more to do with its 2 main ingredients ― Dolichos biflorus and green coffee extract― than the other ingredients, but I admit I could be wrong on this.  It could be that the combination of ingredients in Real Dose Formula No 1 enhances the weight loss effects of these 2 ingredients but without human trials, I can't say for sure. Real Dose Formula No 1 is expensive with a 30 day supply costing $67 on the product's website.

Here is Dolichos biflorus on Amazon (the LOWAT supplement) and here is green coffee extract on Amazon for those who want to compare prices.

 What do you think?