Bromalite Colon Cleanse

by Barbara Bryant

Overview

Bromalite colon cleanse is marketed as a food supplement that will rid the body of harmful waste products produced through digestion and increase metabolism, thereby promoting weight loss. The description of what the product consists of is vague and it's not clear to what extent it removes digestive wastes or promotes significant weight loss.
Ingredients

Know what you're eating. Bromalite is not only the name of a colon cleanse product. The word's historical definition is digested food preserved within a deceased animal's alimentary canal or defecated at the time of its death. You won't learn this---or whether it's relevant---from the Bromalite web site or other sources because the list of ingredients doesn't contain the word "bromalite. The closest match is "bifidobacterium," a type of anaerobic bacteria, "commonly occurring in the feces," the Free Dictionary says. The manufacturer's site defines the product as a "digestive supplement." Other ingredients are food extracts, yogurt enzymes and B vitamins. But the Web site doesn't give---and, in fact, blacks out---how much of any ingredients the product contains.

Product Claims

Read the advertising information to learn what Bromalite is designed to do. The first and most-discussed claim on the product's Web site is that Bromalite colon cleanse will "burn fat and boost metabolism"---and spur weight loss---through the inclusion of "100% Pure Green Tea extract and EGCG" (EGCG is an ingredient in green tea). The site asks visitors to select how much weight they seek to lose; the range from which they can choose ranges from 5 to 200 pounds. The site also claims to rid the body of "toxic waste" in the lower intestine and colon, produced through digestion, and claims that the product will "remove ravenous parasites and worms living inside you" and "flush toxic wastes."
Potential Efficacy

Green tea has high amounts of healthy antioxidants and EGCG raise metabolism but it's not clear that they help significantly in weight loss. According to Colon Health Magazine, "Bromalite doesn't provide much proof that their product is successful in either ridding the body of. . .deadly parasites and toxins or able to cause significant weight loss." Although the site claims the product is "proven," it cites no clinical studies to confirm this, the magazine says. Although it may improve digestion, weight loss may represent loss of water, not fat. It's not clear how long a person is supposed to take the supplement, the Best Colon Cleaning site said. Diets in Review warns that "it is uncertain as to whether Bromalite will cause gastrointestinal side effects.