Hyper Shred by BSN

Hyper Shred by BSN is a dietary supplement marketed for people who undertake high-intensity exercises especially bodybuilders and athletes. It produces the best results when combined with a restricted diet and a regular exercise regimen. Still, it can be used by anyone to achieve weight loss.

Described by the manufacturer as a thermogenic metabolic activator, the Hyper Shred proprietary blend is composed of three different combinations of active ingredients.

These combinations are described on the product label as Thermodynamic Interfusion, Nootropic Stimulators, and Insulino-Composite.

Although Hyper Shred can help promote weight loss, that is not all it is intended to do.

This dietary supplement is designed to support the body especially endure and gain from intense exercises. The goals of the formulation are:

• To make energy available to the body when needed and to make energy utilization effective
• To improve mental focus as well as muscular strength and endurance
• To help maintain weight
• To burn the pockets of stored fats in the body in order to give the user a ripped, lean muscle mass

Hyper Shred is presented as capsules and the recommended dose is 1 capsule taken 30 – 45 minutes on an empty stomach before breakfast.

If needed, a second capsule may be taken 4 – 5 hours later. Those who tolerate the supplement well may take 2 capsules at once but no more. In addition, no more than 3 capsules of Hyper Shred must be taken in a day.

The ingredients categorized under Thermodynamic Interfusion are primarily responsible for the weight loss benefits of Hyper Shred. They work by increasing the body’s metabolic rate and suppressing appetite.

The ingredients placed under Nootropic Stimulators are responsible for improving cognition, attention, concentration, motivation, memory, and intelligence.

They provide the user with increased mental focus but more importantly, they maintain nutritional balance and keep the nervous and cardiovascular system functioning optimally by increasing the release and activities of hormones, neurotransmitters, and enzymes.

The ingredients classified as Insulin-Composite help maintain the right glucose control to support the body during weight loss.

The inactive ingredients of Hyper Shred are hypromellose, di-calcium phosphate, magnesium stearate, water, silicon dioxide, stearic acid, titanium dioxide, FD&C Red 40, black iron oxide and FD&C Blue 1.

Hyper Shred contains no food products obtained from milk, shellfish, fish oil, and soybeans. Therefore, it is safe for those who are allergic to or who cannot tolerate these food products.

The Ingredients of Hyper Shred

Thiamine

Each capsule of Hyper Shred contains 1.3 mg of thiamine.

Thiamine is also known as vitamin B1, a water-soluble vitamin and an essential nutrient that humans need to obtain from their diet or supplements.

Thiamine is central to a host of important biochemical reactions in the body. It primarily serves as a coenzyme especially for the enzymes involved in the metabolism of sugars and amino acids.

A deficiency of thiamine can lead to very serious complications. The major presentation of this deficiency is beriberi which affects both the neurological and cardiovascular systems. Edema or the retention of fluid in the body is one of the definitive presentations of beriberi.

Therefore, thiamine fulfills an essential support role in Hyper Shred. It supports energy utilization and metabolism. Although its weight loss potential is minimal, thiamine can prevent the retention of water in the body and so help shed water weight.

Riboflavin

Riboflavin is also referred to as vitamin B2. A capsule of Hyper Shred contains 1.5 mg of the vitamin which almost accounts for the body’s daily requirement.

Riboflavin is essential to the production of flavoproteins and the cofactors derived from them.

Because it is required for the breakdown of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, riboflavin plays a central role in human metabolism. Riboflavin is also needed for the production of other B vitamins such as pyridoxine and niacin in the body as well as the activation of vitamin A.

In Hyper Shred, riboflavin plays a supportive role. It keeps the body's metabolism going at its optimal rate, and it prevents nutritional deficiencies from setting in.

Niacin

Niacin is also known as vitamin B3 or nicotinic acid. Hyper Shred contains 11 mg of this B vitamin.

Like thiamine deficiency, niacin deficiency causes a severe disease, pellagra.

In Hyper Shred, niacin has the role of maintaining cardiovascular health by improving the body’s cholesterol profile. This vitamin reduces the levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol while increasing the levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) or “good” cholesterol.

Niacin can also function as an indirect thermogenic agent because it stimulates the adrenal gland to release more steroid hormones which then increase metabolism and promote fat loss in the muscles.

Pyridoxine HCl

Pyridoxine is also known as vitamin B6.

It is included in Hyper Shred for the two major roles it fulfills in the body: improving cardiovascular health by reducing homocysteine levels and contributing to the syntheses of monoamine neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.

By improving cardiovascular health, the pyridoxine in Hyper Shred reduces the stress placed on the heart by the intense exercise meant to help burn fat.

By increasing neurotransmitter levels, pyridoxine can improve mental focus (through dopamine and serotonin) and metabolic rate (through epinephrine and norepinephrine).

Cyanocobalamin

Cyanocobalamin is the most popular form of vitamin B12, the most peculiar of the vitamins.

Vitamin B12 is required for the normal functioning of the nervous system. It is also found in every cell of the body where it serves key roles in metabolism, energy production, DNA regulation, and fatty acid synthesis.

Vitamin B12 deficiency causes fatigue, depression and irreversible damage to the brain.

Therefore, this vitamin serves to help support normal body functioning. As included in Hyper Shred, it keeps cellular metabolism going and it reduces fatigue and depression which can reduce the amount of exercise a user is willing to get.

DL-Phenylalanine

Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid best known as the precursor of tyrosine and the neurotransmitters, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine.

It is included in Hyper Shred for its analgesic and antidepressant benefits. Phenylalanine can help improve mood, prevent fatigue and increase the drive to burn fat through exercise.

Chromium

Chromium is an essential but trace mineral. Its biological roles are few and debatable.

However, it is included here to prevent chromium deficiency which can reduce glucose tolerance.

Therefore, the chromium in Hyper Shred can improve glucose sensitivity and the body’s ability to utilize glucose. It helps drive blood glucose into cells where it is needed for energy instead of the muscles where it may be stored up to increase the body’s weight.

Caffeine

Caffeine is a white, crystalline, bitter, xanthine alkaloid and a common ingredient of weight loss supplements. It is also the most popular stimulant.

Caffeine abounds in nature. It is found in tea leaves and coffee and included in energy drinks as well as soft drinks.

Caffeine causes weight loss through different mechanisms. First, it unlocks the excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain. By blocking adenosine, an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, it increases the activities of neurotransmitters such as epinephrine and norepinephrine.

These excitatory neurotransmitters improve both mental and physical exertion and so help the body burn fat for energy.

Caffeine can also directly increase the rate at which the body burns fat. It encourages the utilization of stored fat for energy generation instead of releasing the glycogen stored up. In this way, it meets the body’s energy needs without depleting its glucose source.

Lastly, caffeine has a diuretic effect. It helps the body eliminate water instead of retaining it. Therefore, caffeine can help the body lose its water weight.

Caffeine is a very important ingredient of Hyper Shred. Each capsule of the supplement contains 180 mg of this thermogenic alkaloid. Therefore, Hyper Shred should not be combined with other caffeine sources, and care should be taken when other stimulants (drugs or supplements) are to be taken along with this supplement.

Bitter Orange Extract

After the Food and Drug Administration banned ephedra in 2004, manufacturers of weight loss supplements replaced it with bitter orange extract.

Bitter orange extract is commonly used in alternative medicine as a stimulant and appetite suppressant.

The active ingredients of bitter orange extract are a group of related compounds such as synephrine, octopamine, and N-methyltyramine. These compounds are chemically similar to epinephrine and share the same medicinal activities.

The bitter orange extract included in Hyper Shred contains 30% synephrine. Synephrine is a plant alkaloid primarily derived from bitter orange. It is claimed to promote weight loss through fat-burning but that claim is debatable.

Although bitter orange extract and its alkaloids have replaced ephedra, some experts claim that they are not safer. There are definite risks of cardiovascular side effects since black orange extract is a stimulant and its alkaloids act on adrenergic receptors.

Red Pepper and Black Pepper

Red pepper contains a set of compounds known as capsaicinoids and of these, capsaicin is the most important.

Capsaicin is an irritant that can produce a burning sensation when it interacts with the sensory neurons.

It increases the body’s temperature and it is also a thermogenic agent. However, it does not cause weight loss. But it does the next best thing: it prevents the body from regaining lost weight.

To prevent the body from putting on the lost weight, capsaicin changes the preferred energy source of the body from carbohydrate to fat.

In addition, capsaicin improves satiety by suppressing appetite. Therefore, it reduces fat intake and the weight that would have been gained from eating more calories than the body needs.

Black pepper contains piperine, an alkaloid with similar activity to capsaicin. However, the weight loss benefits of piperine are lower.

Piperine also increases the body’s temperature and it may promote food metabolism by increasing thermogenic heat. This phytochemical also has anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic benefits in humans. Therefore, it can support the joints and prevent intense exercise from wearing out the joints and fatiguing the muscles.

Bacopa

Bacopa monnieri is most commonly known as Brahmi, a perennial herb native to the wet soils of India but now grown in marshy grounds all over Asia and America.

Bacopa is an important herb in Ayurveda medicine where it is used to treat ulcers, epilepsy, asthma, anemia, leprosy, and inflammations.

Bacopa contains alkaloids, saponins, and flavonoids but it is mostly associated with its bacosaponins such as bacosides A & B. These bacosides have been shown to improve the activities of antioxidant enzymes in the body. The result of this antioxidant enhancement is the improvement of memory and cognitive functions.

Therefore, the bacopa in Hyper Shred is meant to increase mental focus and not contribute to weight loss, and this is why it is classified under Nootropic Stimulators.

Toothed Club Moss

The active ingredient of toothed club moss is huperzine A, an alkaloid whose chief role is to block the enzymes that break down acetylcholine in the body.

In the brain, acetylcholine plays a central role in cognitive functioning and memory formation.

Huperzine A is already proven to provide measurable benefits for improving mental focus and cognition.

Banaba Leaf

Banaba is the name given to Lagerstroemia speciosa in Philippines. It is a small, ornamental tree native to Asia.

The chief ingredient in banaba is corosolic acid. Corosolic acid is responsible for the ability of banaba to mimic insulin and reduce blood glucose levels, and these are the roles banaba play in Hyper Shred.

In addition, banaba can help control blood pressure and cholesterol levels and also serve as an analgesic.

Is Hyper Shred an Effective Weight Loss Supplement?

BSN Hyper Shred is not a dedicated weight loss supplement. It is best described as a nutritional supplement with thermogenic activity.

This means that weight loss is not its sole focus but one of its effects. It is really meant to support the active lifestyle and intense exercise workout undertaken by bodybuilders and athletes. It complements a certain kind of restricted diet and high-performance activities.

These multiple roles give Hyper Shred both an advantage and a disadvantage.

People who simply want to lose some weight may find Hyper Shred too intense. On the other hand, if taken according to directions, its weight loss effects are relatively quick and sustained.

Hyper Shred does come with its limitations. For example, it should not be taken for longer than a stretch of 8 weeks and then a break of 1 – 2 weeks should be allowed before resuming the supplement.

Furthermore, Hyper Shred does contain potent stimulants like caffeine and synephrine. These may interfere with drugs being taken for serious indications. People taking drugs that affect the central nervous system and also drugs for heart disease and diabetes should consult with their physicians before starting on Hyper Shred.

Indeed, care should be taken when combining Hyper Shred with any medication. It contains piperine which is known to inhibit enzymes (cytochrome P450 and P-glycoproteins) required for the breakdown and transportation of drug molecules and their metabolites.

Hyper Shred is just a weight loss supplement with too many caveats. And it is only right for a select group of users: those who undertake high-performance sports and physical activities that require muscular strength and endurance.