Leptoprin

Leptoprin is a dietary supplement marketed by "A.G. Waterhouse", a front for Basic Research of Salt Lake City, Utah. It was formerly known as Anorex (see anorexia). Despite the pharmaceutical-sounding name, the company that makes Leptoprin (and Leptopril) is not a pharmaceutical company.

The method of advertising the product is unique, and begins with a woman identified as "Mellisa Pace" asking the question "When is a diet pill worth $153 a bottle?" The ad goes on to claim that Leptoprin is "developed for the significantly overweight", that it is "much too powerful" for the "casual dieter".

There is also a less expensive "generic" version of the formulation called Leptopril, which is advertised as being developed by "Generix Labs". The two products are in fact exactly the same, being marketed to two different consumer personalities by the same company.

Analysis
While the advertisement makes this sound as if this diet aid is different from other over the counter diet products it is in fact not significantly different from other diet aids. Specifically, it is based on the ECA Stack.

Some of the statements made during the advertisement, presumably with the intention of impressing the potential buyer, are that the product is:


 * 1. Patented - what many people don't know is that any specific formulation of chemicals, vitamins, or herbs can be patented, regardless of whether they are effective. Many vitamin complexes have patented formulations, as do some herbal formulations.


 * 2. Backed by a published clinical trial - While this was published in a journal called Current Therapeutic Research (Volume 60, Issue 4, April 1999, Pages 220-227), the results of the trial were not clinically significant between the control group (non-Leptoprin) and the Leptoprin group. The trial did not determine that the product was effective for weight loss.


 * 3. Designed for the significantly overweight - While it may have been designed for the significantly overweight, the published clinical study did not support its efficacy for this group of people.

Ingredients
The ingredients of Leptoprin/Leptopril are:


 * Vitamin B6 25mg (1250% RDA)
 * Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) 324mg
 * Caffeine 200mg
 * Green Tea Extract (no amount listed)
 * L-Tyrosine (no amount listed)
 * Kelp 100mg
 * Ephedrine 20mg
 * Cayenne (no amount listed)
 * Rice flour base

The Ingredients of Leptoprin SF are:


 * Calcium (amino acid chelate) 132mg (33.3% RDA)
 * Leptoprin-SF 1493.5 mg A trademarked proprietary blend of the following:
 * Calcium phosphate
 * Commiphora Mukul Extract
 * Garcinia cambogia (HCA 125 mg)
 * L-Tyrosine
 * Acetylsalicylic acid 162.5 mg
 * Dipotassium Phosphate
 * Sodium phosphate
 * Disodium Phosphate
 * Phosphatidyl Choline
 * Scutellaria (root)
 * Bupleurum (root)
 * Epimedium (herb)
 * Rice flour base

There is nothing in the product that cannot be purchased less expensively in other brands or products. For this reason, many people believe this advertising campaign is deceptive.