D4 Thermal Shock is a fat-burning supplement by Cellucor.
It aims to improve energy levels and fat loss while dieting.
Cellucor is most famous for its pre-workout supplement C4 Extreme, which was crowned pre-workout of the year by bodybuilding.com in 2014.
Ingredients Label
Active Ingredients
Amla Fruit Extract
The Amla plant and its fruit have been shown to significantly reduce blood glucose levels, which may lead to lowering body fat and increasing lean mass (1).
It also has strong antioxidant properties.
Caffeine
Caffeine can boost metabolic rate, as well as energy levels.
This makes it a great supplement to burn extra fat while keeping energy up while dieting (2).
The effective dose is 200-500mg.
White Willow Bark Extract
White Willow is a tree whose bark has similar effects to aspirin (3).
More research needs to be done, but it is thought to prolong the effects of other ingredients.
This could potentially increase the effectiveness of the rest of the formula.
Octopamine HCl
Octopamine is a compound related to Synephrine, another fat-burning compound.
It has shown some evidence for fat-loss effects, including the reduction of fat gain and increases in fat oxidation (4, 5).
It is banned by The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), so beware if you are a competitive athlete.
Evodiamine Sclareolide
Evodiamine Sclareolide is a compound found in the Evodia plant and fruit.
It has not shown convincing promise as a fat burner, but is noted to make animals feel hotter (6).
This may be added to give the “feeling” that the fat burner is working, but in fact this effect does not burn much extra energy.
Passion Flower Extract
Passionflower is a plant that has historically been used to reduce anxiety (7).
This may be a good addition to combat the anxiety side-effects sometimes experienced by Yohimbe, which is also included in this formula.
Tyrosine
L-Tyrosine is an amino acid that reduces the production of stress hormones.
It has been shown to improve mood and cognition under stressful conditions (8).
The effective dose is 500-2,000mg.
Yohimbe Bark Extract
The bark of the Yohimbe tree contains a compound called Yohimbine.
It has been shown to significantly reduce fat mass in both obese and fit subjects (9).
And it’s regulated in Australia and New Zealand too which is nice.
The effective dose is about 14-22mg, and is taken in a fasted state.
Who Takes It?
Anyone wanting to boost fat-loss, as well as mood and energy levels could benefit from using D4 Thermal Shock.
How to Take
Take 1-2 capsules in the morning and 1-2 mid-afternoon, daily.
Begin with 1 capsule at a time first, to assess tolerance.
Side Effects
- Yohimbe Bark Extract can cause anxiety and interact with other medications.
- White willow may be stressful to the kidneys in high doses – do not take if you have pre-existing kidney damage.
- Octopamine HCl is banned by WADA.
Pros
- A mixture of fat-burning and mood/energy ingredients are included.
Cons
- Yohimbe Bark Extract may trigger anxiety
- One ingredient is banned by WADA
- Many of the ingredients are not well-researched or proven to be effective.
Conclusion
It is difficult to say whether or not D4 Thermal Shock would be a great fat-burner.
Many of the ingredients are not well-researched, and individual ingredient amounts are unknown.
We also recommend that competitive athletes stay away from this product due to Octopamine HCl being banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
