Forskolin 250 is a herbal supplement with significant science behind it for testosterone boosting and fat-burning. We’ve tried it in a mini-trial and can report it works….
What we like: Body fat % improvements in men; Increased leanness; All-Natural supplement
What we don’t like: Not clear if it offers benefit to women
Weight loss supplements are often portrayed in the media as placebos, with no medical justification that they work. The claim made is that supplements only offer benefits by focusing the mind of the user on the job in hand, be it weight loss, fat burn or muscle growth for example. The implication is that the more money you spend, the more focused your mind miraculously becomes and the better the results you see.
It’s undoubtedly true that when you start taking a supplement you’ve spent money on, you’re more likely to train and diet harder and get better results as a byproduct. You start to subconsciously will the supplements to work. However, in our blind trial testing, we’ve seen improvements compared with placebo when WeightWise volunteers took specific fat burning supplements containing a range of natural thermogenic ingredients. The trial volunteers did not know what pill they were taking each day, yet some supplements displayed measurable benefit over placebo in terms of the body fat percentage change.
Forskolin 250 is a 100% natural herbal root extract that can allegedly encourage the breakdown of fat. In our Forskolin 250 review below we specifically examine its performance as a fat burning supplement. However, it’s worth noting the particular advantages of taking natural-only supplements compared with lab-made (and often illegal) tablets.
- People have consumed natural ingredients (e.g. herbal extracts) for millennia, so any long term side effects or health risks are well known and usually minimal.
- Natural ingredients are often cheaper to buy and can therefore be optimally selected and combined (“stacked”) by the manufacturer within tablets to accentuate or strengthen the performance for the particular outcome you’re trying to achieve.
- Herbal supplements are almost always compatible with a vegan diet – not something you’re likely to be following if you’re trying to gain muscle mass with a high protein diet. Still, if you’re vegan and looking to shed fat, then it’s something to consider.
Interestingly, many natural herbal supplements may not have been initially taken for their weight loss benefits – in fact, over the centuries, people have traditionally struggled to obtain food. Losing weight would not have been on their agenda at all. It is only in modern times (late 20th century onwards), with the over-eating of processed food so commonplace, that the additional fat-burning benefits of certain herbs are becoming evident and scientifically demonstrated.
Forskolin 250 – Introduction and Composition
Unless you’re a professional health freak like the BDAWeightWise team, you probably haven’t previously heard of the plant extract Forskolin. You’re even less likely to have encountered the plant it comes from – Coleus barbatus (often mislabelled as Coleus forskohlii). Coleus barbatus is a plant from the mint family which grows in India and can reach heights of 2m tall – don’t worry, it’s unlikely to provide that kind of response in you (joke), but there is substantial medical and pharmacological evidence that Forskolin itself can increase muscular size and burn fat as a result.
Bioactivity of Forskolin
Forskolin 250 is a bioactive compound which also has a more glamourous scientific name of “labdane diterpene”. These are natural compounds that can provide antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory effects – these are the traditional reasons why Forskolin was first eaten as a root in olden times. On top of this there is genuinely exciting research showing that Forskolin 250 may prevent some cancers. Whilst interesting research, these effects are not related to fat burn in any way. So what benefits does Forskolin have which may be of interest to people looking to get lean?
Forskolin and cAMP for Fat Burn
More recently, there has been a range of studies looking at the effect that Forskolin 250 has on intracellular signalling molecules in the body. These molecules activate specific processes inside a cell after being triggered by an external hormone such as epinephrine (adrenaline). With Forskolin 250, this signalling molecule is called Cyclic Amp (or cAMP), and this has been shown (in some Nobel-prize winning research) to break down fat within cells. There is also evidence that cAMP can cause a release of growth hormone, which is a natural anabolic steroid. Increased cAMP from Forskolin 250 can therefore increase muscle size and subsequent energy burn which can lead to improved leanness.
Previous Forskolin 250 Trial Results
How do we know all this – well there have been numerous trials conducted on Forskolin 250 at centres of medical research throughout the world
Forskolin 250 – Trial 1 – University of Kansas, 2005
In a 2005 controlled trial of 30 volunteers (15 taking Forskolin and 15 taking placebo), Forskolin 250 on the body composition of overweight and obese men was investigated by a team at the University of Kansas in the USA. The trial ran for 12 weeks and was randomized and ‘double blind’, meaning that there was no way that any of the testers could know whether they were actually taking Forskolin 250 or not. It’s worth noting here that the 250 in ‘Forskolin 250’ stands for the amount of the Forskolin extract used in each dose, taken twice a day.
The trial found that the testosterone levels in the men were significantly higher at the end of the 12 weeks compared with the placebo group. There was also an associated increase in lean body mass, which is the type of mass increase you want.
The Forskolin was therefore deemed to have favourably changed the composition of the body. While no effect on weight loss was mentioned in the paper, the percentage of body fat did reduce due to the addition of that lean mass. The Forskolin 250 was therefore recommended as a potential therapeutic supplement for treating obesity.
Forskolin 250 – Trial 2 – Consortium of USA, Japan and Taiwan Academic and Commercial Institutions, 2015
In a second trial, held more recently in 2015, 14 volunteers (both male and female) in the BMI range of 25-30 (i.e. overweight but not obese) were give 1000mg of Forskolin in a day (500mg in the morning and 500mg at night). This is a much larger dose than the previous trial, but over a shorter period of 6 weeks (vs 12 previously).
A wide range of physical attributes was recorded over the entire trial, including BMI, body fat percentage and body weight. Body fat measurements were performed using computerized tomography (i.e. a CAT scan).
After 6 weeks, the results clearly showed a reduction in visceral body fat from 132cm2 at the start to 114.9cm2 at the end. The placebo group’s body fat went up in the same period!
Again body weight was not lowered by taking the Forskolin 250, and therefore we don’t believe it is worth pursuing weight loss specifically with this supplement (look at specific slimming pills for this). Forskolin 250 is purely for body fat burn applications. It can also be useful in men looking to raise testosterone levels naturally (similar to Tribulus in this respect).
Our Experience With Forskolin 250
At our BDAWeightwise fitness club, we regularly run our own trials of supplements in order to try and determine as scientifically as we can whether they offer any benefits to mind or body. We always try to enrol as many participants as possible and distribute the supplement and a placebo in equal quantities between the volunteers. Getting a significant number of volunteers is always a challenge so that a definite trend in the data can be discerned.
For this trial, we purchased four tubs of 30 x 250g capsules from pureforskolin250.co.uk and then used our own capsule making equipment to ensure that the Forskolin pills looked identical to our sugar placebo. The participants were therefore not aware whether they were taking supplements or a placebo.
Our trial conditions
For our Forskolin 250 investigation we were slightly disappointed to only get five volunteers (one female and four male) with BMI in the 24-26 range – i.e. overweight, but not dangerously so. These were people engaged in multiple weekly gym sessions and already on a hypocaloric diet of around 2000 calories per day. We asked them to try and stick as closely to that level of calorie consumption for a four week trial on Forskolin 250.
We decided to run the trial at 500mg of Forskolin per day, which equated to 2 x 250g doses. We instructed the participants to take one capsule in the morning and one in the evening, and continue their diet and gym sessions as usual.
We split the trial so that two of the volunteers (both male) were on Forskolin 250 and three were on placebo.
Our Trial Results
We measured BMI, body fat percentage and overall weight at the start and end of the four-week trial. As always with a trial of this nature, we are looking for differentiators in the data between the supplement group and the placebo group – nothing else is important for this analysis.
The results were fascinating in our opinion. All participants in our trial lost weight and body fat over the 4 weeks. Regarding weight change, the Forskolin 250 group lost an average of 4.1% weight from their starting point and the placebo group 4.0% – this is a very similar number and there is no apparent benefit here from taking the supplement.
| Volunteer | Dose Type | Weight Change (%) | Body Fat Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Forskolin 250 | -4.2 | -3.5 |
| B | Forskolin 250 | -4.0 | -3.1 |
| C | Placebo | -4.2 | -3.0 |
| D | Placebo | -4.1 | -2.9 |
| E | Placebo | -3.6 | -2.5 |
Our body fat measurement showed a slightly different differentiation between the supplement and placebo groups. Our two Forskolin 250 participants reduced their body fat by an average of 3.3% in the four weeks, whereas the placebo group reduced by 2.8%. This indicates a positive benefit in terms of fat burn from taking Forskolin 250 under typical calorie-controlled diet conditions.
Shortfalls of our trial data
It must be repeated that our trial was limited in scope and so is not overly meaningful in terms of science from a statistical point of view. It was also challenging to determine whether participants stuck to the exercise and diet plan they had agreed on at the start. For example, we have reason to believe that one placebo-taker (volunteer E) was not exercising as much (they missed several sessions at the gym). As a result, their weight/fat burn was reduced, skewing the placebo results downwards.
However, according to our results, there is still a clear increase in fat burn from taking Forskolin 250. The mechanism itself is difficult to quantify, but our participants A and B both reported feeling more ‘lean’ as a result of taking their supplements. We can only think that the conclusions of the larger University of Kansas trial described above are correct – improved testosterone and body composition from Forskolin 250.
In terms of performance with women, a 2005 trial showed that Forskolin 250 can reduce weight gain by reducing feelings of fatigue and hunger. No positive results on weight loss or fat burn were reported. For this reason, we would not recommend Forskolin for women as we have no explicit data showing it is effective for them.
Side Effects When Taking Forskolin 250
None of our trial participants reported any side effects when taking the Forskolin 250 supplements, and funnily enough one of the placebo takers did! They complained of headaches and restlessness. Most likely this was the placebo effect itself in action. Quite amusing. I have also taken Forskolin 250 myself over many months with no adverse side effects and improved leanness.
In terms of long term use and side effects reported in the literature, there is not much noted, but some users have commented that their heart raced slightly and they suffered some red flushing of the face.
Conclusions and Final Thoughts
Whilst there are numerous herbal ‘wonder drugs’ reported in the media, many of them do not have the scientific research to back up the wild claims which are made. Perhaps the results were seen in animal testing but do not translate into humans etc. With Forskolin 250, both the scientific literature and our tests seem to back up the claims, and we are fans of this root extract for improving body leanness.
PROS
- Increased testosterone levels in men
- Fat burn and leanness improvement from muscle growth
- 100% natural herbal extract - no side effects or long term health worries
- Our trial results matched medical findings
CONS
- Uncertain impact for women
- Not a 'stacked' product with multiple benefits - does one thing well
