Alpilean: A Dietitian Review — Lauren Twigge Nutrition (2024)

As a registered dietitian, I’m often asked about the best way to lose weight. From lifestyle change to 30 day challenges and all the way up to medications or surgeries, there are many different routes that people take in an effort to lose weight.

One hack for weight loss that has recently gone viral on Tik Tok is the “ice hack for weightloss". Some videos discuss targeted icing of the body to promote weight loss from specific areas while other videos focus on drinking some mystery ice beverage and we will focus on the latter. If you watch these videos online you will hear sketchy health claims, see progress photos of different people all claiming to have experienced the same results, and watch people pour a mystery powder over a glass of ice but never find truly find out what the “hack” actually is. Most of these videos also claim that their content keeps getting deleted because they “found the secret to weight loss” and the media doesn’t want you to know it…red flag.

However, if you’re like me and dive a little bit deeper than the Tik Tok videos featuring that mystery white powder poured over a glass of ice, then you will find that many of these video types link out to supplements like the Alpilean supplement. While the website stands strongly behind their product, let’s do an Alpilean review and see if it’s as ~cool~ as it’s cracked up to be.

Spoiler alert: it’s not.

Ice hack for weight loss. Alpine ice hack. Weight loss ice hack. Whatever you want to call it, many of these videos will ultimately lead to a supplement like Alpilean. Alpilean states that there is a shocking cause of belly fat… and sells capsules designed to support weight loss by addressing that cause- changing your bodies core temperature. The official Alpilean website (which is surprisingly difficult to find, I might add) states that their capsules are designed to rapidly dissolve belly fat in even the worst cases. They sell bottles of 30 capsules to last you 30 days, 90 days, or 180 days depending on the package you buy.

Alpilean supplements main goal is to raise the individual’s core body temperature and their efforts are based off of findings from the Stanford School of Medicine which states that human body temperature has decreased in the United States and that individuals with overweight or obesity had a slightly lower body temperature. The researchers propose that this change in body temperature could be related to a variety of factors including better modern medicine leading to lower inflammation levels, more accurate thermometers, lower metabolic rates, and living in more temperate home environments with air conditioning.

Interestingly, the researchers states that lower levels of inflammation is likely the best explanation for the observed lower body temperatures… which is interesting since we know that obesity is inflammatory. Yet, Alpilean took these findings and created a supplement designed to raise your internal body temperature which would increase your metabolism and “help you lose weight.”

Are their claims real? We will get more technical in the research section of this blog but they definitely over emphasize the role that body temperature plays in the current obesity epidemic. While it is true that your body will burn more calories to maintain a higher body temperature (our metabolism uses majority of the calories we consume), this does not mean that a slightly cooler internal temperature will directly lead to obesity… a fact that is supported by science. Even if your body did have to burn more calories to maintain a higher internal temperature, it will likely be a marginal difference in calories burned and you would likely be much more successful focusing on diet, exercise, or other lifestyle factors. You can also get your body to work harder to warm you up by keeping your house slightly cooler.

The ingredients in Alpilean are naturally sourced from alpine (which is where the name Alpine ice hack comes from) and plants that the site claims are designed to change the bodys internal temperature. The main 6 ingredients found in these supplements include:

• Golden Algae (fucoxanthin)- fucoxanthin is a xanthophyll that gives color to different algaes. After its consumed, it can function as an antioxidant in the body and may have an anti-inflammatory affect. Most of the research on fucoxanthin has been done on animals and human studies are lacking.

• Dika Nut (african mango seed)- These are the edible seeds of an African mango. They have been foods, oils, and weightloss supplements. Studies linking this seed to weightloss are thin and most of the health benefits are attributed to the fiber content of the seed… fiber content which would be lost when it’s powdered to add to a supplement.

• Drumstick Tree Leaf (moringa leaf)- Moringa leaf is a nutrient dense plant featuring vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Most research at this point does show that moringa leaf can be included in the diet as a source of phytonutrients and antioxidants but few of these studies link moringa leaf with weightloss.

• Bigarage Oranges (citrus bioflavonoids)- another source of antioxidants that could help lower inflammation and has been shown to be helpful with conditions like type 2 diabetes when coupled with a healthy eating patter.

• Ginger Rhizome (ginger root)- ginger is a very common dietary supplement and ingredient in dishes and herbal medicines. There have been actually been some human reviews on gingers role in weight loss showing that ginger, as part of a healthy diet, can help decrease body weight. One of the study that they include as support for their claim does state that ginger (along with red pepper and turmeric) havn’t been assigned appropriate doses and periods of use to drive results… meaning we don’t know how much you need to take and for how long you need to take it to see the weight loss. One of the other studies they include is a pilot study done on 10 men… so, better than a study on mice, but a very small study.

• Turmeric Rhizome (turmeric root)- Finally, turmeric (which is actually a relative of ginger) is also a very common ingredient in herbal medicines and is known to have an anti-inflammatory effect in the body. It’s not actually the turmeric itself but rather the active ingredient curcumin found inside the turmeric that is responsible for the positive health benefits that we see. Many of the recommendations that I read surrounding turmeric recommend adding turmeric to your diet over taking it as a supplement.

While there may be some research behind these ingredients and their role in inflammation and other health benefits, there are not a lot of studies done on humans and even fewer done on these ingredients role in weight loss and altering internal body temperature of humans themselves.

Many of the studies that their website includes as the supporting research were studies done on mice and unfortunately cannot be directly related to humans. Additionally, most of these ingredients target and lower inflammation in the body which, as you will read later, has actually been hypothesized by the Stanford researchers as one of the drivers behind the reduction in body temperature. Seems to go against the goal of Alpilean?

Most importantly, remember that this capsule contains a proprietary blend. This means that we don’t know how much of each ingredient is even present in each pill and if it’s at the doses shown in research to have some health benefits… and it’s likely not. So while they may have studies of ingredients at high doses in animals, those results likely will not be replicated here with one pill per day.

Alpilean makes a lot of claims on their website that simply are not supported by research… including the studies that they cited on their own website. We have already reviewed some of the claims behind the ingredients but the main one we should focus on is their ultimate claim to enhance weight loss by simply changing the bodies core temperature without any need for diet or lifestyle change. This point is very debated in research. In fact, the three studies that their website links out to (which are not clickable or searchable) don’t really prove their claims either…

• 2020 Study #1: The website uses this study to support the claim that all skinny people have a normal body temperature. This study analyzed 677,423 human body temperatures and found that there was a decrease in overall temperature. Interestingly, this study hypothesized that there should be an increase in body temperature because of the increase in body weight in the United States… which is not what was observed. Researchers hypothesize that the decrease in body temperature is attributed to lower inflammation, ambient living temperatures, and more.

• 2018 Study #2: The website uses this study to support the claim that body temperature affects how you metabolize fat. This study simply states that body temperature is associated with obesity markers but the researchers states that a higher temperature was observed in obese patients… which directly contradicts what Alpilean is trying to sell.

• 2009 Study #3: Finally, the website uses this study to support the claim that “for every drop in inner temperature, your metabolism slows by 13% or more.” This study is more specific than the websites claim and states that “a one degree C increase in core temperature, by increasing metabolic rate 10–13%, would lead to an increase in caloric expenditure of 100 to 130 Kcal/day.” Seeing that approximately 3500 calories is one pound lost, a 1 degree C increase in temperature resulting in 100 calories expenditure increase may not be where our focus needs to go to really drive weightloss.

My main takeaway from this is that, even if these pills did change your body temperature, that change would result in a very marginal change in calorie output.

In a nut shell- not really.

There is some research supporting that individuals with a higher fat mass tend to have a lower core body temperature. However, there is also research that shows this not to be true and other research that states that while obesity may be related to internal body temperature, that relation is weak and tends to disappear when other factors are taken into account.

Point being, it’s not as simple as saying a low core body temperature is what’s causing the obesity epidemic… in fact, low core body temperature may just be a result of the weight instead of a driver behind the weight itself. With that, slightly increasing your internal body temperature may not pack the punch they say it will.

While it may impact weight slightly, core temperature is likely not the culprit behind weight gain and we should instead be focusing on facts we know to be true: calorie consumption is on the rise, we are more sedentary than we used to be, we aren’t eating enough fruits and vegetables, and more.

I have many hesitations with these capsules including some of the following:

1. They claim to find the secret to weightloss: anybody who claims to find a “secret” or that “they found something others don’t want you to know” is probably scamming you. Sorry. This ice hack challenge is also very difficult to get more information on… getting the link out to Alpilean itself took me almost an hour.

2. Not focused on healthy habits… at all: Any weight loss approach that throws lifestyle change to the side is likely not going to be a sustainable weight loss approach. Even weight loss surgeries encourage their patients to adopt healthy eating habits and consistent exercise routines to support their results.

3. Little to no research provided to support their health claims: The main study behind this supplement is the loose Stanford findings. Beyond that, they have linked out to 3 studies that really don’t support the claims they make and then many of the studies behind their ingredients are done on mice or very small groups of people.

4. Tons of contradicting research: Studies like this one andthis one show conflicting findings on your bodies temperature and weight and even show that internal body temperature doesn’t always differ between obese or normal weight individuals.

5. Incredibly expensive: While they do run sales on their website, the prices are typically one 30 day bottle for $99, 3 bottles for $177, and 6 bottles for $354. Thats pretty pricey for something that I don’t think is clearly supported by research.

6. A proprietary blend: As with many supplements on the markets, these capsules contain a proprietary blend meaning we don’t actually know how much of each ingredient is in the capsule. This could be dangerous for a variety of reasons, including possible medication interactions, but it also makes it difficult to assess whether or not these ingredients are even present in effective doses.

7. Pushes the '“because it’s natural then it’s safe” idea: just because something is natural does not mean it's automatically safe to consume. While this supplement is likely fine, it is always something you should run by your doctor… especially since we do not know exactly how much of each ingredient is present. Water is natural but if you drink too much of it, you can die.

While your health journey is always your own decision, the ice hack for weight loss probably won’t give you the cool results it claims it will. It’s true that your metabolism uses majority of your calories and that your metabolism works to maintain your body temperature, but there are other things that you can do (like lifting weights) that can boost your metabolism and have other health benefits without a $354 price tag.

Supplements like Alpilean are too expensive, not strongly supported by human research, and minimize the role that lifestyle habits play in healthy weight loss. While they do have anecdotal testimonies and convincing photos online, this would not be the weight loss supplement that I recommend based on current evidence.

I have and always will support people on their weight loss journeys, and as a dietitian I acknowledge that the weight loss journey will look different for every individual. Different rates of weight loss and different interventions needed to lose the weight should be expected. While some can modify their weight with consistent lifestyle changes, others rely on medications or surgeries to help them along their way. That’s ok, every body is different.

However, my main recommendation with ANY approach that you choose for weight-loss is that there absolutely needs to be lifestyle change to support it. Even if you opt for medications or surgery as the best fit for you, you should be eating a calorie appropriate and nutritious diet as well as exercising regularly to support and maintain results that you achieve. You need to learn about these healthy habits and incorporate them into your life consistently to support your health, not just your weight loss.

Remember that weight and health are not synonyms for one another… you can lose weight and really sacrifice your health in the process. This is why I always recommend taking a sustainable approach in weight loss and start with evaluating where you are at, making small improvements from that, and continuing to adopt healthy habits as you see results.

Check out some of my other deep dives like:

• 6 substitutes for chia seeds

• Chia seeds: a dietitian review

• Brekki overnight oats: a dietitian review

• Should you buy non-hom*ogenized milk?

Disclaimer: please note that I am a registered dietitian but I am not YOUR registered dietitian. This information is meant to be educational and should not be used as personalized medical or nutrition advice. This blog may contain affiliate links and any purchase made through my links gives me a small commission and supports Lauren Twigge Nutrition.