ECA Stack™ is a popular dietary supplement among bodybuilders. It is marketed by a company called Nutrasport. The letters of its name represent its ingredients namely Ephedra (Ma Huang), Caffeine and Aspirin. Ephedra was banned for some time by the FDA due to numerous cases of serious health complications and deaths associated with it. In this product, ephedra is combined with caffeine, another potentially harmful ingredient. As bodybuilding ingredients, ephedra and caffeine together is said to aid in fat reduction while retaining muscle mass.

As a result of the reported severe health cases caused by ephedra, its allowable dosage has been reduced to 10 milligrams or less. This ingredient is said to increase levels of the neurotransmitter Norephinephrine which burns fat. Caffeine and aspirin on the other hand, keep the levels from going down.

With the ban of Ephedra lifted and its dosages in formulations now regulated, many new dietary supplements have come out in the market which include it as an ingredient. We would like to point out straightaway that we discourage everyone from using any product that contains ephedra. This substance is the herbal form of Ephedrine. It has several names including Ma Huang as used in Metabolife, and Mormon Tea or Desert Tea as used in Xenadrine.

The combination of Ephedra, Caffeine and Aspirin makes for a product that is able to maximize the body’s capacity to burn fat. As previously mentioned, Ephedra increases the levels of the fat burner Norephinephrine, while caffeine and aspirin work to maintain these fired-up levels.

Aspirin and caffeine are both known to cause unpleasant side effects. Some scientists have warned against the long-term use of aspirin as it results in the thinning of blood, dizziness, and dimness of vision. Meanwhile caffeine, particularly when taken in the form of coffee, tea, or soda, may cause nausea, nervousness, and insomnia.

The combination of these three ingredients can be potentially very dangerous thus we strongly discourage anyone from using dietary supplements that contain these substances.

The website which features this product does not provide usage instructions. We find this to be grossly negligent especially since the ingredient involved has been identified as potentially toxic. ECA Stack™ is advertised as “guaranteed to get rid of figure-destroying fat without diet or exercise or it costs you absolutely nothing!” At the same time the site does not accept returns of their Ephedra-based products and states that prices on these products may change without prior notice. We think these policies are confusing and somewhat misleading.

Positives

• None

Negatives

• Contains Ephedra
• Contains Caffeine
• Contains Aspirin
• No testimonials published online
• Website will not accept returns of their Ephedra product

Considering all the negative press and the bad safety record of Ephedra or Ephedrine, as well as all the people who have suffered medically due to this substance, we strongly believe that it is best to completely stay away from any product that contains this ingredient. Also, everyone should be wary of companies which continue to use Ephedra in their supplements.

Fortunately, there are still many dedicated and responsible manufacturers which produce products that are safe, healthy, effective, and natural with no side effects. Look for health products made by these companies. In particular, choose a dietary supplement which contains Hoodia and a patented fat burner.