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Cellucor Super HD Review

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Cellucor SuperHD Claims

The Cellucor SuperHD baseline philosophy is that while we all generally focus on our bodies when trying to lose weight—what we eat (or don’t eat), as well as some type of regular exercise or workout routine—they say it’s more.  Stopping here for a second; because if you are not moving your body, getting a sweat on, pumping up your heart and doing it regularly, then you’re not committed to losing weight. Period. So you might as well stop reading this now—and I say that in all honesty, as a near 60-year-old who knows for absolute certainty that healthy eating cannot stand alone in this journey; you have to move your butt and move it almost every day.  But Cellucor claims weight loss involves the body and the mind. “You don’t just love how you look when you lose weight; you also love how you feel.” [2]  Okay. What does that “mind” part even mean?   Cellucor SuperHD says you need to see yourself at all angles in high definition (HD). It’s pretty clear to me at this point in my research that this supplement is absolutely about:

1. Having more energy
2. Being focused and motivated
3. Perhaps most importantly, about the workout: hitting the gym, pool, road, or wherever you do your exercise (I swim).

Cellucor claims:

SuperHD contains ingredients for: energy to help you hit the gym hard; focus to motivate you to stick with it; and thermogenic power to help turn your body into a fat burning furnace. Put each of these together and you’ve got a ‘feel good’ weight loss product. [2]

So how does Cellucor SuperHD give you energy, promote fat loss, increase metabolism and curb appetite? And provide results?   It’s all in the ingredients, folks.

Cellucor SuperHD Ingredients

The first ingredient I want to talk about is niacin, or vitamin B3. An essential nutrient, B3 is found in lots of foods—and I suggest that’s the way you should ingest it; through food.   But anyway, in one capsule of Cellucor SuperHD you get a whopping 10 milligrams. “Whopping,” because the directions say you take two doses of Cellucor SuperHD a day at first and once you get acclimated, can start taking three a day, which means 30 milligrams of niacin. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is 14 to 16 milligrams for an adult. [3]  And, since niacin is found in all kinds of foods—especially protein-rich foods that are part of any healthy eating plan, like eggs, chicken, tuna, turkey, avocado, mushrooms, asparagus, peaches, broccoli, and many more—the 30 milligrams you get from three doses of Cellucor SuperHD, in conjunction with any of these foods, could cause you major trouble.   I can personally attest to this: I unintentionally overdosed on niacin from a vitamin pack many years ago and found myself flushed, dizzy, and sweaty, with a racing heart and intense stomach cramps; it was frightening. So I’m just saying: watch it with the niacin. (You’ll see shortly that I am not the only person to share these symptoms.)   And on the topic of B-vitamins, in Cellucor SuperHD, you get 150 percent of B-6 in one dose (remember, you’re supposed to take up to three a day), and a staggering 4,167 percent of B-12. That sounds like a lot. Too much? We’ll see.   Before we get to the proprietary blends, a quick reality check: if any one of these ingredients is not a good mix for you, this is not your supplement. And I suspect that it’s not for many, many overweight people looking for help in eliminating the fat; the Cellucor SuperHD side effects could be dangerous for some and uncomfortable for many. We’ll hear more about that when we talk about the science.   Cellucor SuperHD says it has a multidimensional formula with ingredients to help you look and feel your best. That sounds great. So what are we talking about here? Its Thermosculpting Blend includes Slimpro, “a naturally derived ingredient that helps the body trigger the feeling of satiety to control appetite.” [2]   Direct from Slimpro’s website:

Slimpro® (patent-pending) a fish peptide enriched with BCAAs, works naturally with the human physiology by increasing CCK and GLP-1 which further sends messages to the brain to control hunger, eating and nibbling.   It is derived from the Northern Blue Whiting fish (Micromesistius poutassou) caught by Compagnie des Pêches Saint Malo… The flesh is produced and frozen, two hours after fishing, from the lean fish fillets, on board the vessel. It is obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis to provide a complete traceability and reproducibility, warranting safe use.  Slimpro® consists of peptides amminogrammes and is enriched with BCAAs which are quite relevant to human nutrition. [4]

So Slimpro is the secret sauce, apparently.   Oh, and there’s also dandelion root and greet tea extract in this “thermosculpting” blend. Green tea is often found in diet supplements and is quite common as part of healthy eating for weight loss, as it boosts metabolism naturally.   And what about dandelion root? Not enough science to back up any claims, but it’s largely used for appetite and as a laxative. [5]  The Cellucor SuperHD Sensory Impact Blend contains amla fruit extract—known as Indian Gooseberry—which has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years. According to WebMD, it seems to reduce total cholesterol levels—including the fatty acids called triglycerides—without affecting good cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL). There’s “insufficient evidence,” WebMD says, but all that means is it hasn’t been studied widely in the Western world, and they add that, save for pregnant women and people with liver, heart or blood disorders, it’s “likely safe.” [6]  The blend also has Toothed Clubmoss, a natural source of Huperzine A, an active compound that may help support memory, and concentration, says Cellucor. This one is a little trickier than gooseberry. WebMD agrees it is used for memory, but says there’s simply no research to back it up and cautions people about drug interactions. [7]  Oh, and then there’s the caffeine. Specifically, anhydrous caffeine.  Let’s get something straight right away: caffeine anhydrous is not coffee as you know it. It’s a concentrated powder measured to be safe in milligrams, which are very small amounts. There are 160 milligrams in each dose of Cellucor SuperHD. If you take three doses a day—which they say is do-able—that’s 480 milligrams.   The Mayo Clinic states:

Up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults. That’s roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee, 10 cans of cola or two “energy shot” drinks. [8] (emphasis added)

Folks say things like, it’s the same as a couple of cups of coffee; that’s bunk. More like a few full actual 8-ounce cups of espresso—and I’m talking full cups, not the 2- to 3-ounce demitasse cups in which espresso is usually served. Watch it here, folks. This is a lot of buzz, and for some could be dangerous. And if you are a coffee drinker as well…geez. We’ll hear more about this in a moment.  As supplements go, Cellucor SuperHD is pretty cheap at about 50 cents per capsule or $29.99 for 60. [2]

The Science (or Lack Thereof) Behind Cellucor SuperHD

I could find no objective, peer-reviewed trials or studies specific to this exact supplement. There’s no shortage of studies on various of its ingredients, though.   For example, what you need to know about powdered caffeine anhydrous: the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says watch out. With Cellucor SuperHD, three capsules is equal to almost 500 milligrams of caffeine powder, or more than seven cups of coffee. [9]  And about Vitamin B12: the RDA, even for older people like me who need to maintain recommended levels, is only 25 to 100 micrograms. Not milligrams—micro-grams. Cellucor SuperHD capsules contain 250 micrograms each. At the regular dosage of 2 capsules per day or the ok-with-them 3 per day, we’re talking 750 micrograms. Even one dose is more than four thousand times what is recommended. And doses this high could potentially be dangerous. The warnings on the Mayo Clinic page about B12 are voluminous. [10]   Even Cellucor SuperHD itself, while not pointing to any studies, provides an explicit—and scary—warning to potential users right on its label (which a lot of people don’t even read, I suspect). Cellucor SuperHD says its product is for healthy adults only.   It also cautions right on its label that if you meet any of the following, do not take it:

• If you are taking any medications at all, even any generic over-the-counter ones, including antidepressants, blood thinners, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs like aspirin), or any dietary supplement, or prescription drug. Any. [2]
• And, if you or anyone in your family is being treated for or may have or may in the future be treated for any medical condition. [2]

Any medical condition? Wow. They include on that list—which is by no means all-inclusive—high or low blood pressure, diabetes, anxiety, cardiovascular, psychiatric or seizure disorders, cardiac arrhythmia, stroke, heart, liver, kidney or thyroid disease, or difficulty urinating due to prostate enlargement. [2]  Cellucor SuperHD also cautions that it should not be used “in combination with caffeine or stimulants from other sources, including but not limited to, coffee, tea, soda, or other dietary supplements and medications.” [2]  Oh, and make sure you stop taking it weeks before a surgery and “immediately discontinue use and contact a medical doctor if you experience any adverse reaction.” [2]  In other words, if you feel like you’re having a heart attack, stop taking it and call your doctor—or maybe 911. Am I overreacting? Let’s see.

Word on the Street about Cellucor SuperHD

Cellucor SuperHD reviews are overall good. Maybe I have this stuff all wrong? Of 1,795 reviews on Amazon.com, almost half give it a 5-star rating. [11]  Choosing a few glowing reviews first:   “christine knox” (June 2017, 5 stars) says,

“This product is a game changer. If you are looking to lose weight BUY THIS PRODUCT. It has changed everything. It gives me a steady boost of energy that can take me through my day, motivate me for my workouts and simply just make me feel a little better everyday in my weight loss journey. I actually feel the difference in my waist line when I take it. The only problem; it lasts for hours and sometimes I find it difficult to get sleep.” [12]

“Sandy Jack” (April 2017, 5 stars) loves it, but adds some advice and cautions:

“You have to eat healthy and work out for this to work. If you are just taking it and expecting a miracle to happen it’s not. I went from 245 down to 200 by dieting and using Cellucor. I did take a break from it since it gave me a little anxiety but overall great product.” [13]

And here’s another 5-star reviewer, “priscilla” (March 2017), who says she lost weight but couldn’t sleep at night. (I suppose some people will make that trade-off?)

I lost 4 pounds the first week of using this product! It did make me stay up during the night was the only down side …but (does) what it is supposed to do! [14]

As you can see, even the folks who give Cellucor SuperHD 5 stars also add warnings and negatives. Five-star reviewer “V” (September 2017) does caution,

“If you’re allergic to caffeine or have a heart and/or anxiety problem this is not for you!” [15]

At the other end, the reviewers who gave it 1 star complain it is dangerous. Which is why we need to read labels, folks!   “Steven Sawyer” (September 2017, 1 star),

“Definitely started messing with my heart so I stopped immediately.” [16]

More scary-side-effects reviews include, but are in no way limited to, ones like “Asia M. Williams” (June 2017, 1 star):

I was excited to burn fat. I took one pill this morning and the jitters was too much. I was working out and i had to stop my knees felt weird as well as my overall body. If i can give it 0 stars i would. Not a good product for the body. Will be returning it. [17]

“FLgal61” (June 2017, 1 star) says,

“Beware. I was using this for several months and it worked ok; gave me energy, etc. Then it started causing heart palpitations and headaches, which was pretty scary. So I stopped taking it immediately.” [18]

An anonymous-but-verified “Amazon Customer” (June 2017, 1 star) says,

The side effects are incredibly strong. I only took one and I’m at the office and I’m burning up sweating out of control and shaking like crazy. My heart is beating through my chest. So uncomfortable. I’m drooling-what the heck. This stuff is not safe. [19]

I’m not certain, but for this reviewer these effects could have been a combination of the caffeine and the niacin. Still, cautionary tales all.   And just for a little balance, a 3-star reviewer provided some perspective. And reinforces what I said at the top: this supplement may be for people hitting the gym on a regular basis and are otherwise pretty healthy—but even then, it’s dubious. “Madi” (March 2017) says,

This fat burner is pretty great. I’ve started using it as a replacement for my preworkout and as long as I go to the gym and put in a solid workout I love it. But beware of taking it if you aren’t going to work-out afterwards. I notice a heavy shift in my mood and I am noticeably more irritable and down. It does have a disclaimer that it can lead to mood swings and depression so really pay attention to that. Otherwise, as long as you eat and drink before, and work-out after, I have amazing workouts, less of an appetite, and am more focused throughout my day. [20] (emphasis added)

And “T. Grady” (comment on above review) concurs,

Would like to echo this. I could tell it increased my heartrate and gave me a noticeable ‘pump’ during my workouts but I definitely experienced mood swings and depression when I took it. Won’t have this effect on everyone so I didn’t want to leave a negative review because of that. [20]

In other words, just as Cellucor SuperHD itself says, if you have any medical issues—or, in this case, mental, emotional or psychological issues, including anxiety, depression, or any mood problems—do not take this supplement. Or, if you have any health issues whatsoever, or take any medication or supplement—from aspirin to other vitamins—this is not for you.

The Bottom Line: Is Cellucor SuperHD Worth a Try?

Risky. Unless you’re a super healthy person who works out regularly. Simple. And even then, check with your doctor. I don’t care what bodybuilders or gym rats claim. I’m not one, and likely you are not either.