What Is in SodaSlim? The Five Named Ingredients

Caffeine Anhydrous - dried, concentrated caffeine

A small amount, at best

What it is. Dried, concentrated caffeine.

What our sources say. The one ingredient here that both NIH and FDA attach numbers to, which makes the missing number on this label the sharpest gap on the product. NIH says weight-loss dietary supplements with caffeine might help you lose a little weight or gain less weight over time, and that caffeine is safe for most adults at doses up to 400 to 500 milligrams a day, but that it can make you feel nervous, jittery and shaky. FDA cites 400 milligrams a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects, estimates that toxic effects such as seizures can be observed with rapid consumption of around 1,200 milligrams, and warns that pure and highly concentrated caffeine products can have serious health consequences, including death. Not one of those figures can be checked against this bottle, because no caffeine amount is published for it.

What the label prints beside the name. The name, and nothing beside it. No milligram figure, no percent daily value and no statement of how much caffeine one capsule carries. The amount is not published.

Green Coffee Bean Extract - an extract of unroasted coffee beans

A small amount, at best

What it is. An extract of unroasted coffee beans.

What our sources say. NIH is brief and specific: green coffee bean extract might help you lose a small amount of weight, and it seems to be safe at up to 200 milligrams a day for 12 weeks. Both halves of that sentence carry a number, and this label publishes neither an amount nor a course length to hold them against. Green coffee also contains caffeine, which is a second reason the total caffeine in a serving would be worth knowing.

What the label prints beside the name. The name. No weight, no extract ratio and no course length. The amount is not published.

Raspberry Ketone - a compound that gives raspberries their smell

Effects unknown

What it is. A compound that gives raspberries their smell.

What our sources say. The shortest entry in NIH's fact sheet, and the least encouraging. On whether it works: its effects on body weight are unknown. On whether it is safe: raspberry ketone hasn't been studied enough to tell if it's safe. That is not a weak finding, it is the absence of one in both directions.

What the label prints beside the name. The name. No weight, and no statement of source. The amount is not published.

Garcinia Extract - fruit rind containing hydroxycitric acid

Our two sources disagree

What it is. Fruit rind containing hydroxycitric acid.

What our sources say. The only ingredient on this label where the two sources we read do not line up. NIH's weight-loss fact sheet says garcinia cambogia has little to no effect on weight loss, and that it seems to be fairly safe, though it can cause headache, nausea, and symptoms in the upper respiratory tract, stomach and intestines. NCCIH's own page is less settled: it says it is unclear whether garcinia cambogia products help with weight loss, that some evidence suggests a modest effect while other evidence shows no effect, and that several cases of liver damage have been reported, some severe, though this appears to be uncommon. We print both rather than picking the one that reads better.

What the label prints beside the name. The name. No weight and no hydroxycitric acid percentage. The amount is not published.

Green Tea Extract - a concentrated extract of green tea leaf

A small amount, at best

What it is. A concentrated extract of green tea leaf.

What our sources say. NIH says green tea might help you lose a small amount of weight, and that green tea extract can cause constipation, abdominal discomfort, nausea and increased blood pressure. NCCIH describes the effect as modest and records the safety point that matters most for an extract in a capsule: although uncommon, liver injury has been reported in some people who used green tea products, primarily green tea extracts in tablet or capsule form. It also notes that green tea contains caffeine, which is the third source of caffeine on a label that publishes no caffeine figure.

What the label prints beside the name. The name. No weight, no catechin or EGCG figure, and no caffeine figure. The amount is not published.