Does this bottle look familiar or what?!
Were you a fan of the original OxyELITE Pro? Well, it’s usually not available, and when it is, it’s at a hefty price tag of $150.
There is good news though: Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, a company known to push the envelope, has created what seems to be an OxyELITE Pro replacement / clone in the form of HydroxyElite.
The ingredients include DMHA, and the formula is surprisingly nearly as strong!
First let’s show PricePlow’s coupon-powered price comparisons and then get into the ingredients:
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HydroxyElite Ingredients
Look familiar? It’s a near-clone of Oxy Elite Pro, except an added 250mg of garcinia. Click Here for the best deal.
The ingredients are shown to the right. We dive into each one, but note that this is nearly an OxyELITE Pro clone, with an added 250mg of garcinia cambogia.
This write-up got long. The fact is, it’s hard not to like this formula. It’s modeled off of the best-selling fat burner for years, and for good reason – this fat burner does it all.
In this article, we’ll explore how the ingredients promote an all-encompassing mixture of fat burning effects:
- Two ingredients work to properly boost thyroid output
- One ingredient gives unrivaled focus and mood improvements, and seems to suppress appetite in most users
- One ingredient helps burn fat by unlocking your often-unused fat-releasing mechanisms
- Another ingredient prevents weight gain by inhibiting receptors that promote fat storage
- …and all with just 100mg of caffeine, so you don’t have the jittery side effects of too much stimulation!
It’s such a wisely put together supplement, we can’t blame Hi-Tech for bringing it back. Now let’s get into the science below.
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Bauhinia Purpurea L. (Leaf And Pod) Extract
This is a thyroid booster that helps converts your thyroid hormones into a more beneficial ratio. Before we talk about the studies behind it, you should first understand the two hormones at play and why improving the conversion from one to another is so beneficial:
Quick background on the T3 and T4 thyroid hormones
The quick background is that two of your thyroid hormones, T3 (triiodothyronine ) and T4 (thyroxine) are released by your thyroid and help regulate your metabolism.
You release far more T4 than T3 (about 20:1 ratio), but T3 is about 3-4x stronger than T4. Some of your T4 actually converts to T3, and that’s great because of all of the benefits:
T3 is what increases your basal metabolic rate (your resting metabolic rate) the most.[1] It also increases the rate of protein synthesis[2], increases the body’s glycogen breakdown rates during gluconeogenesis[3], decreasing insulin’s fat-storing effects, and stimulates cholesterol breakdown[4]… amongst other things like increasing mood-boosting serotonin!
Clearly, T3 is potent and we want it functioning at a high level if we’re on a diet. And although patients with serious thyroid problems can get synthetic boosts of T3, that’s far beyond what the vast majority of us want or need (if you have a legitimate thyroid disorder, see your doctor and do not mix supplements with thyroid medication).
So can we safely and naturally boost T3? Hi-Tech thinks so with HydroxyElite…
This is where bauhinia comes in
The effects of T3 and T4 thyroid hormones (credit wikimedia)
But if you want a natural boost in your conversion from T4 to T3, bauhinia purpurea is the ingredient to look to.
This is a flower that grows in South China as well as Hawaii, California, Texas, and Florida.
In an animal study, bauhinia extract increased T4 by 37% and boosted T3 by 83% in healthy animals.[5]
Another study then took animals, gave them drugs to significantly reduce their T3 and T4 levels, and then were able to use bauhinia purpurea to counteract and restore those levels![6]
We’re not sure why this isn’t used in more supplements — we have a feeling that it was actually this ingredient that did a lot of the “heavy lifting” while the others got the attention.
To summarize, this ingredient boosts T3 to T4 conversion, which in turn does a great deal to improve your resting metabolism, energy expenditure, overall fat burn, and even your mood.
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Bacopa (Leaf) (Bacopa Monnieri) Extract
Bacopa Monnieri, also known as water hyssop, is a type of perennial, and even though it’s normally used as a brain-enhancer (to reduce anxiety and improve memory formation), it is used as another thyroid booster in HydroxyElite.
This was added for pure synergy with bauhinia shown above. Reason simply being that it boosts your T4 levels, which then aids in the conversion from T4 to T3 that bauhinia plays.
An animal study showed that bacopa extract taken orally naturally increase T4 levels by approximately 42%.[7] T3 remained the same in that study, but that’s why we have bauhinia purpurea as discussed above.
We’re definitely fans of bacopa for the anti-anxiety benefits it brings, but this is a unique way of using it that few other companies have used (again, despite the massive popularity of OxyELITE Pro).
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2-Aminoisoheptane
This is the big one — known more frequently as DMHA!
2-Aminoisoheptane a neural stimulant with a similar structure to ephedrine (and adrenaline). It is an aliphatic amine, and with a structure like it has, it behaves just as expected when dosed reasonably: a feel-good stimulant that typically boosts focus, productivity, mood, and aerobic output.
If you’ve used it in the past and you’re here with interest in HydroxyElite, then chances are that you love it. It’s the make-it-or-break-it ingredient in the formula, and most users (but not all) do indeed love its effects.
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Cirsium Oligophyllum (Whole Plant) Extract
When OxyELITE Pro first came out, it was a bit tougher to find quality research on cirsium, with only a few products having it – but HydroxyElite is certainly one!
There are two main effects from circium, the first of which is most important:
- It helps you burn bodyfat by exciting the beta-adrenergic receptor (discussed a bit below).
- It boosts the expenditure of energy by increasing the action of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1)
What is the Beta-2 Adrenergic Receptor?
Click the image to see a more detailed flowchart of how Noradrenaline stimulates the beta-adrenergic receptor (image courtesy of PathwayMaps)
Your body is meant to save fat for emergency situations. After all, it doesn’t know if you’re ever going to be out of food, or if you’re going to be in that dreaded “fight or flight” situation.
When you’re in a fight or flight response situation, your body releases epinephrine, which then provides you an incredible boost of energy to get done what you need to get done.
That epinephrine binds to your beta-2 adrenergic receptors, which causes a massive chain reaction that ultimate ends in releasing fat for energy use. The process is known as lipolysis, and it’s when you break down triglycerides into fatty acids and glycerol. It’s a long and complex biological process, so you can read the sources on how it works.[12]
Cirsium boosts beta-2 activity
Cirsium oligophyllum comes in because it boosts beta-2 adrenergic activity just a bit.[13] Nothing insane, but it “tricks” your body into a mild flight or fight type of response, and gets your body to mobilize that fat for energy use.
Cirsium Oligophyllum’s Effects on Brown Fat Tissue
But you have to work out!
The thing is, some of that fat that’s been mobilized can reattach. Unlike the thyroid boosters discussed above, which boost your resting metabolic rate, this one needs a bit more of your help.
Once that fat’s been released, you need to get active. We always recommend a sound exercise program that involves at least some resistance training, and this is one reason why.
It’s also why one of your HydroxyElite doses should be taken pre-workout, if at all possible (disregard this recommendation if you work out late at night – it’s best not to take this anytime after say 4 or 5pm because the DMHA will keep you up).
However, unlike many other beta-2 boosters, with cirsium, some of that fat can still get burnt without working out, thanks to the way it works on UCP1:
The UCP-1 Connection
On top of that, the entire process of thermogenesis gets kickstarted due to UCP1 (uncoupling protein 1) getting a boost from cirsium, which was shown in that same study discussed above.[13]
When activating UCP1, it actually does burn some of the fat on its own, because it has thermogenic properties (which heat you up and output your energy as that heat), and its expressed in brown adipose tissue.[14,15]
All in all, we didn’t know exactly how great of an ingredient this was when we first used Oxy Elite, and now we do.
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Rauwolscine Extract (Leaf And Root)
Rauwolscine is a form of yohimbine, and exerts similar effects, but is more potent. This is why it’s last on the list in the proprietary blend — it’s strong.
Also known as alpha-yohimbine, rauwolscine works to prevent fat storage by acting as an alpha-2 adrenergic antagonist.
Whereas beta-2 receptors promote fat burn (which is why we stimulate them above with cirsium), alpha-2 receptors promote fat storage, so it’s best to inhibit them a bit. And that’s exactly what both yohimbine and rauwolscine have been shown to do.[16,17]
The two studies cited above are on rauwolscine specifically, but there is admittedly a bit more research on yohimbine. However, the molecule is very similar in structure, and the research on rauwolscine shows that it definitely behaves similarly.
Start with one cap to assess tolerance
So with that said, some users are extremely sensitive to yohimbe/yohimbine, so if you’re not sure of your tolerance, it’s best to start at the minimum dosage (one capsule).
The big picture comes together
At this point, you should be starting to see the big picture. HydroxyElite does a little bit of everything!
You have caffeine for energy and to “start the engine”; bauhinia and bacopa to synergistically work on the thyroid; the stims to boost focus, mood, aerobic output, and suppress appetite; cirsium to induce beta-2 fat burning; and rauwolscine to prevent fat storage through alpha-2 inhibition.
It is modeled off of the top selling fat burner for a reason – it works both “on paper” and in real life.
But one more thing was added beyond what was in OxyELITE Pro, so let’s see if this is actually better than its “mentor”…
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Garcinia Cambogia Extract (fruit rind) (250mg), Standardized to 60% Hydroxy Citric Acid
The good news here is that this is a total bonus ingredient. Thanks to everything written above, this is a rock star product with or without garcinia.
(-)-Hydroxycitric acid is the main isomer from garcinia, and this has been standardized to 60%, meaning you get 0.6*250mg = 150mg of hydroxy citric acid.
The Full HydroxyElite Label, courtesy of Hi-Tech Pharma
The bad news is that this ingredient simply has not lived up to the hype. It performs admirably in rat studies, but unfortunately did not cross over to humans.
Still, its mechanisms might help, and it certainly won’t hurt having it in there, but its likely that this ingredient was added for marketing and label recognition purposes. We’re fine with that, because like mentioned, Hydroxy Elite is a wonderful formula regardless.
The mechanism
(-)-Hydroxycitric acid works by inhibiting citric acid lypase, an enzyme that is required to create fatty acids. And it works in rats — oral consumption reduces rats’ food intake and body weight to a significant degree.[18]
Failure to do much in human studies
Yet sometimes, research just doesn’t cross over from rats to humans — at least not enough to create significant changes.
What about that one successful study?
Thanks to Dr. Oz mentioning this one time too often, this is one of those ingredients that fell into the wrong hands (shady internet marketers), who ultimately helped front studies that confounded results.
For instance, many of the studies cited on those slimy looking “free trial” pages have garcinia mixed in with a slew of other supplements that we already know work… so the research cannot be trusted.
When you remove those studies, you’re left with the truth – this just doesn’t do much for humans when their diet was no different.[19,20,21]
So why is it here? Blame Dr. Oz.
The likely reason this is in here is for label recognition. As is often the case, the ingredients that actually work (such as those mentioned above) have daunting names and get zero mainstream press.
And then the ones like garcinia that get shilled on TV by your favorite talk show hosts do next to nothing (yet are also safe). At this point, several dieters have heard of garcinia, and it gets a huge amount of search volume on Google.
But we don’t mind…
The reason we’re cool with this is because we believe in the philosophy of “sell ’em what they want, but give ’em what they need“. And as long as the primary ingredients in the proprietary blend are as good as they are and in solid dosages, we are quite allright with Hi-Tech doing a little bit of “keyword stuffing” on the other parts of the product — just so long as it isn’t overly expensive.
So yes, garcinia is in HydroxyElite. But no, it doesn’t do anything. And ultimately, we don’t care, because the product doesn’t need to rely on it whatsoever.
Overall, this is an incredible formula, and if you liked the original OEP, you should definitely get it while it lasts:
Hi-Tech Hydroxy Elite – Deals and Price Drop Alerts
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Disclosure: PricePlow relies on pricing from stores with which we have a business relationship. We work hard to keep pricing current, but you may find a better offer.
Posts are sponsored in part by the retailers and/or brands listed on this page.
Update: This product has received some special attention in our “Best Fat Burner for YOU” buyer’s guide, where we talk about other high-energy supplements as well.
Any HydroxyElite Reviews?
So far, the users who have come back to us have told us that they’re loving this product. Several Amazon reviews stated that this was the only thing that could hold a candle to the original OxyELITE (for obvious reasons), but Amazon took those pages down.
You can also compare prices below, and sign up for price drop notifications through PricePlow:
Below is an older rant regarding Hi-Tech’s lawsuit against the FDA. This is from before the switch to 2-aminoisoheptane / DMHA
Is Hi-Tech Crazy or What?
If you thought your favorite supp company had balls, then take a look at what Hi-Tech is up to…
Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals is no stranger to drama with the FDA. They’ve been at each other’s throats for years (Hi-Tech was one of the leaders in the fight regarding ephedrine in the early 2000s).
We are mildly amused that they are manufacturing this product, and are honestly impressed with the balls it took to do this.
In fact, as we write this, Hi-Tech is suing the FDA for the right to sell it!
Hi-Tech also had some issues with the FTC, but it was their claims and lack of proper yohimbine warning that got them in hot water![23] They ended up winning that court case, with little to no updates from the media, however.
With everything said, Hi-Tech definitely has some valid points in their FDA lawsuit, which you can read in the link above. We’ll be sitting with our popcorn watching.[24]
Interestingly, they were never sent a warning letter over the stimulant, so they’re letting it rip, and consumers are loving HydroxyElite in the meantime!!!
Our stance
We believe that you have the right to make an informed choice, and we feel that we’ve presented both sides of the research quite well, and link to them both. It is our opinion that you have the right to do with your body as you choose, so long as you get what they say they’re giving you and the research is made available somewhere.
As time has gone on throughout the course of Hi-Tech’s lawsuit against the FDA, a serious amount of evidence has shown that it is an ingredient found in nature (in geraniums). The ‘studies’ that the FDA cited to take away OxyELITE Pro were simply dishonest – so if you’re concerned about its basis in nature, read the link above, and you’ll see that it’s been found time and time again – even if in scant amounts.
So, once again, if you already liked the original OxyELITE formula, and you want something very similar, and you have a doctor’s approval and a clean bill of health, then by all means, give it as shot, and start at the lowest dosage.
But if you’re on the conservative side, then you may want to look at the other products on our best fat burners page.
