The Ripper

We take an in depth look at The Ripper to find out whether this supplement is as strong as it looks and more importantly if it is safe.

The Ripper Pros

• Minimal side effects. Ingredients profile looks safe.
• Some customers will like the “heavy metal” inspired packaging.
• May help improve exercise performance and muscle recovery.

The Ripper Cons

• Probably not effective for weight loss.
• Incomplete ingredients profile.
• Contains flavourings and additives.

Watchdog Rejected Diet Pills

The Ripper Review

The Ripper is a weight loss powder that you add to water in order to make a weight loss drink. It is available in various flavours including Lime Ripper Razor, Pineapple Shred or Pink Mango.

With skull motif artwork decorating each tub of The Ripper, this supplement looks more like a heavy metal album cover from the 80s than a weight loss supplement. It certainly has a distinctive style and will appeal to metal fans or anyone who is looking for something strong and powerful for weight loss.

That said The Ripper does not seem quite as dangerous as the advertising suggests.

It contains a range of vitamins for general health including vitamin C, plus Vitamin B12 and Pantothenic acid, which are known for being involved with the metabolism and healthy hair and skin.

There are also two proprietary blends. These are the Extreme Muscle Fuel and the Ripper Shred Matrix.

Extreme Muscle Fuel contains 200mg of caffeine –plus Beta Alanine a non essential amino acid which means it is made by the body. Beta Alanine is often taken in supplement form to improve physical performance and improve muscle mass and there is some evidence that it is effective.

This part of the formula also contains Raspberry Ketones and Taurine – most well known as an ingredient in the Red Bull Energy drink. Extreme Muscle Fuel is the principle ingredient at 3055mg per serving.

The Ripper Shred Matrix is minimal by comparison. At 106mg per serving, this formula contains Acetyl L Carnitine – an amino acid known to improve mental performance, green coffee bean extract, green tea extract, cinnamon and olive extract.

Green coffee bean extract is popular with supplement manufacturers and has been touted everywhere for its so called fat burning capabilities although it lacks any real evidence. However, green tea has known benefits to health and weight loss and their may be some good effects from cinnamon and olive extract although at such low levels, may not be very effective.

Overall, The Ripper looks pretty good. It does not look as dangerous as the advertising suggests and does not contain any of the dangerous stimulants such as synephrine or similar.

The Ripper comes from supplement company Cobra Labs. Interestingly the company appears to be based in New Zealand although the website is based in the USA and is aimed at American customers. All supplements are manufactured in the USA in Houston Texas.

Other supplements include The Curse – a pre work out powder available in various flavours, including Tropical Storm and Green Apple Envy.

What Does The Ripper Claim To Do?

According to the product advertising, this supplement is:

Designed for hardcore users only, this full strength formula goes to work within minutes of the very first dose.

It comes with a powerful description:

This is fat burning you can feel…This is what it feels like to plug into lightning !!

There are five key points to the supplement:

• The Ripper by Cobra Labs is a highly potent and fast acting new fat burner.
• This is fat burning you can feel!
• Full strength formula mixes in seconds
• Full 30 day supply
• Blend designed to burn fat and help control food cravings

There is very little product information. There are no explanations about the ingredients work and no links to any clinical evidence.

So What Is The Ripper and What Are The Ingredients?

The Ripper is a fat burning supplement in powder form. You add the powder to water to make a weight loss drink.

Each serving is equal to one 5g scoop.

• Vitamin C (45mg): Important essential vitamin which means that you can only obtain it from diet – the body does not manufacture vitamin C. Crucial for health and resistance to disease. Vitamin C deficiency leads to scurvy.
• Vitamin B12 (25mcg): Naturally present in many foods, primarily meat, fish and dairy products, vitamin B12 has several roles, including aiding in releasing energy from consumed food, and keeping the nervous system healthy.
  Source:http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Vitamin-B.aspx
• Pantothenic Acid (4mg): Vitamin B5 as Pantothenic Acid is important for metabolism, healthy blood, skin and hair.
• Chromium Picolinate (100mcg): Chemical compound that contains trace essential mineral chromium. There is some evidence that it can enhance the action of insulin so it is sometimes taken as a treatment for diabetes. At high quantities, dangerous but here in accordance with US guidelines
  Source:http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Chromium-HealthProfessional/

Extreme Muscle Fuel (3055mg):

• CarnoSyn Beta Alanine: Patented Beta Alanine supplement, which comes from reputable supplements manufacturer Natural Alternatives International. Beta Alanine is a non-essential amino acid (made in the body) that is also taken in supplement form and via diet. Some research indicates that it can slightly improve physical exercise and delay muscle fatigue. Clinical testing into CarnoSyn shows that between 3.2g to 6.4 g daily may improve physical performance. Amounts contained here are possibly inadequate.
  Source:http://www.carnosyn.com/
• Taurine: Acid which is present in the human body and the major constituent of bile. It is an important acid, with many biological roles. Early clinical research suggested that taurine improved mental performance. More recently, this claim has been disputed and more evidence is needed to prove it Ingredient in Red bull.
  Source:http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/TAURINE
• Guarana Extract: South American berry that contains high levels of caffeine so a well-known stimulant. This part of the formula contains 200mg of caffeine in total so the equivalent of two cups of coffee.
• Raspberry Ketone: Much touted weight loss ingredient that is believed to boost fat burning. However, it lacks human clinical testing and any real evidence. May contain a chemical similar to synephrine, which is a stimulant.

Ripper Shred Matrix (106mg):

• Acetyl L Carnitine: L Carnitine is an amino acid type substance that is present in the body’s cells and may have many beneficial effects. In this form (Acetyl L Carnitine), it appears to help increase mental performance. However evidence suggests it may improve exercise performance too:
  Source:http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/carnitine-lcarnitine
• Green Coffee Extract: Much touted ingredient, which is high in chlorogenic acid and believed to inhibit glucose into the blood stream. There is very little evidence that it helps weight loss despite the hype.
  Source:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2943088/
• Green Tea Extract: Green tea has proven benefits for health and may help weight loss too. It is rich in antioxidants and can increase the speed of the metabolism leading to fat burning. When combined with caffeine some evidence suggests effects of both ingredients are enhanced.
  Source:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18326618
• Cinnamon bark Extract: Well known culinary ingredient that may also have advantages for weight loss. The problem is that the many clinical tests have not been consistent. It may help reduce cholesterol levels. It may help prevent fat storage when taken at high levels. Then again, it may not. Requires further evidence.
  Source:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14633804
• Olive Leaf Extract: Generally good for health but no special relevance to weight loss or fat burning

So What Does All This Mean?

Although there is 5g in each serving, the active ingredients add up only to 3,161mg. This is normal with powdered supplements and the added ingredients include flavourings (natural and artificial) colourings, bulking agents and milk ingredients.

This will not suit you if you are trying to keep away from artificial sweeteners and flavourings.

However, the ingredients profile does not look too bad. You may notice the stimulant effect thanks to the caffeine, which is probably the equivalent of 2 cups of coffee.

You may find that the combined ingredients give your exercise performance a slight boost but it is unlikely to feel like plugging into lightning as the advertising claims.

Most people will find there is nothing here that will suppress the appetite or really help weight loss.

Does The Ripper Have Any Side Effects?

Cobra Labs does not warn against side effects and this supplement does look pretty safe. However, there may be side effects that may affect some people.

Potential side effects may include:

• Flushing and tingling sensation on skin
• Jitteriness
• Insomnia if taken too close to bedtime.
• Upset stomach
• Nausea

Any The Ripper Reviews From Customers?

There are some customer reviews for The Ripper.

Many customers are pleased with the boost to their exercise performance:

“Great Boost for exercise. Good fat burner with no come down” is a typical comment.

A couple of customers have mentioned the flavour. This customer reported:

Great taste, works perfect

Some customers feel that although it helps exercise, this supplement does not help weight loss:

Good as a pre workout boost but do not fool yourself thinking this will make you lose weight

So Does The Ripper Work?

We feel that The Ripper may help increase your exercise performance but results are unlikely to be as extreme as the advertising suggests.

Beta Alanine (CarnoSyn) appears to increase carnosine – a substance contained in muscles, which helps manage acidity. When you exercise, this acid can build up and create the burning sensation that you can feel after a hard work out. Because carnosine is made up of beta Alanine and another amino acid L-histidine, taking Beta Alanine as a supplement may help delay muscle fatigue and as a result increase performance.

Research indicates Beta Alanine is most effective as a pre workout for exercise such as weight lifting or other high intensity anaerobic exercise.

Will this help you build muscle and lose weight? If you combined it with intensive training, it might maximise your own efforts.

Where Can I Buy The Ripper?

Cobra Labs The Ripper does not seem to be available to buy from the product website, which is for trade enquiries and retailers only.

However, the supplement is available from third party sellers online including Amazon both in the UK and USA

1 x 150g tub of Lime Ripper Razor (30 servings or one month’s supply) costs £20.25 (including delivery to UK addresses)

You can also find Pineapple Shred flavour (150g or 30 servings) for £29.00 including delivery.

Prices vary depending on the seller.

You can also buy The Ripper from Amazon USA.

1 x 150g tub (30 servings) of Lime Ripper Razor costs $18.47 plus shipping to US addresses.

There is also a Pink Mango flavour Ripper being advertised on Amazon for $22.92 including free shipping.

http://www.cobralabs.com/index.php

What About A Guarantee

The Ripper is not covered by a guarantee.

Watchdog Verdict

Cobra Labs The Ripper is not as dangerous as it looks! Despite the lurid advertising style and the talk of plugging into lightning, we like that this supplement seems very safe and should not cause too many side effects.

We also like that it comes with some genuine positive feedback comments and that people seem to like it. In our opinion, if you are serious about training and feel that you need a little extra to boost your training, The Ripper may help you.

The principle ingredient – a patented Beta Alanine supplement seems to be effective for muscle health and may help improve your performance and recovery. This will be the major effect because the ingredient quantities of the other ingredients seem minimal beyond the 200mg of caffeine which will perk you up.

However, this supplement is just too specialised for most people. There is nothing here that will really help weight loss and unless you are already working on your gym and fitness in a serious way, we cannot see it doing very much.

The Ripper isn’t going to help you if your exercise is gentle jogging, swimming or walking. It is not going to suppress your appetite or help support a weight loss diet. It will probably help you train and build muscle but this is not the same as weight loss.

Therefore, it is an easy decision. Although The Ripper has some good points and may suit some users, it is just too specialised for us to recommend for general weight loss. It is an easy decision. We reject The Ripper.

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