Another MLM GLP-1 supplement, another day.
Lifevantage Mindbody GLP-1 System
Lifevantage is just another multi-level marketing company that came out with a GLP-1 supplement “system” to try to use the ends of the extremely popular and successful GLP-1 agonist drugs.
The problem with all these GLP-1 supplements, is that they do NOT work like real GLP-1 drugs. Not even close in both function and efficiency.
Lifevantage makes some very bold claims about the Mindbody GLP-1 System:
The fact that they would say people lost weight but not muscle is a huge red flag. It is practically impossible to achieve fat only weight loss without muscle unless you have liposuction.
Not the little asterisks at each point, leading to the ever-present disclaimer from the FDA that precludes Lifevantage from being sued for these claims. Remember that the FDA only reviews supplements if someone is harmed by them. Companies can make almost any claims they want as long as they have the disclaimer:
While GLP-1 agonist drugs are very powerful at slowing digestion and curbing appetite, there are no supplements or foods that come close.
The Lifevantage Mindbody GLP-1 System claims to have research behind it, and to the untrained eye, that research looks fascinating. Unfortunately for Lifevantage, my eye is trained, and I’m not impressed. Here’s why:
The 12-week study involved 60 people, divided into three groups. One group received no supplement or training. They were the control group.
One group had the GLP-1 system, plus a commercial protein powder.
The latter group had the GLP-1 system, a commercial protein powder, as well as diet and exercise advice.
In the results, we see that both intervention groups lost weight. But wait… Lifevantage didn’t mention the control group at all. How can we see how effective the system is without comparing it to the group that received no intervention?
We can’t!
Another huge flaw was that this study was not blinded. The intervention groups knew they were receiving the supplements, which puts the study at huge risk of bias. Chances are that these people also made changes to their diet and activity patterns (and one of the groups was even advised to do so) that could have skewed the results. It may also cause the placebo effect, with participants in both groups saying the supplement “reduced cravings” and “less emotional eating.”
Lifevantage also did an in vitro study on the Mindbody GLP-1 System, which showed a 150% increase in GLP-1 production. Are you a cell? In vitro studies do not show the effectiveness of a product in real people, and just because a cell study showed more GLP-1 production does not mean that this will happen in a person and have the desired weight results.
Lifevantage Mindbody GLP-1 Blend has a blend (of course, much of it is proprietary) of herbal ingredients that are the usual suspects in many of these types of GLP-1 supplements.
Literally none of these ingredients have been shown to be as effective as GLP-1 agonists.
If it was, we wouldn’t have to invent Ozempic.
Fiber and protein increase the production of GLP-1 in our gut. Your best bet is to steer clear of expensive supplements from MLM companies, all of which have aggressive sales models that take advantage of vulnerable people (mostly women). Please do not feed the monster.
Read: here are my problems with MLMs and their coaches.
What is Lifevantage Protandim NRF2?
Protandim is a herbal nutritional product that contains milk thistle, bacopa, turmeric, ashwangandha and green tea and this combination is supposed to increase the antioxidant activity of the body.
That sounds great, but I’m skeptical. How do these readily available, staple plants do all the fantastic things Protandim says they can?
That is:
Gene “detox”
Reduction of oxidative and cellular stress
Regulation of “survival genes”
Supporting the body’s ability to “repair and rejuvenate its own cells”
These are some strong claims. We know that oxidative stress can lead to accelerated aging and can lead to diseases such as cancer. But remember that these things are complex and multifactorial.
Protandim NRF2 Synergizer “is clinically proven to reduce oxidative stress in humans by 40% in 30 days… it has been shown to increase levels of superoxide dismutase by 30% and catalase by 54%. When subjects supplemented with Protandim Nrf2 Synergizer for 30 days, the age-related increase in lipid peroxidation was reduced to the level of a 20-year-old.”
Sounds scientific! DISMUTE THO.
Essentially what the company says this supplement does is reduce cell damage from living life. Lipid peroxidation is simply the process where free radicals (which we don’t want many of) are created from fatty acids in the body. Superoxide dismutase is an enzyme that neutralizes free radicals. Catalase is another enzyme found in the body that neutralizes free radicals.
So yes, these things are good to have.
Lifevantage Protandim Research.
I went to look up the research on Protandim since it sounded so amazing.
What I found was not so surprising. SHOCKER.
One thing to remember about ALL MLM products: if there was something spectacularly innovative and life-changing, the FDA would sell it, not an MLM.
I promise you.
So for this survey:
The vast majority of studies done on Protandim have been done in rats and in cells in lab dishes. And while I don’t think animal studies are useless, they are preliminary. We’re not rodents, genetically, socially, and physically, and we can’t just extrapolate the results of animal studies to humans doing actual human research to back it up.
In other words, a company like Lifevantage can and does claim that their products have been researched at Harvard and other great institutions, but if that research was only done on animals or in a lab, I’m not impressed. Sorry. It’s a huge leap – not to mention disingenuous and misleading – to use these studies to market a product, but so many companies do just that.
The 2006 human study that Protandim mentioned above is only half true: yes, there was a 40% reduction in oxidative stress in the study subjects – using the TBARS test (which is not considered a reliable indicator.) The methodology was also confusing.
Another human study done in 2016 on Protandim supplementation in athletes found that the supplement had no effect on TBARS or performance. The trial was also not randomized or controlled, two serious points against it.
And as for anti-aging, while Protandim may have increased lifespan in male rats by 7%, why haven’t these results been replicated in humans?
Maybe because they can’t.
I can tell you though that looking at all the studies that have been done on Protandim, there is not many results showing that supplements are beneficial for the aging process, disease prevention, mental acuity or oxidative stress and related problems. It’s all well and good to say that your supplement increases X or Y in the body, but what effect does that increase have?
Probably nothing, since we’re all still aging, and Protandim hasn’t released any convincing evidence to the contrary. And believe me, they had a lot of time.
Protandim’s other products are no better.
Lifevantage Protandim NRF1.
NRF1 Synergizer is the same old thing – it combines L-carnitine, quercetin, alpha lipoic acid and Q10 and they claim that NRF1 gives you energy (“Boost ATP!”) and more mitochondria.
None of these claims have been proven in any research.
In fact, L-carnitine is readily available in food and our body makes it on its own. It has a reputation among powerlifters for increasing endurance, but these not supported by science.
Lifevantage Protandim NAD Synthesizer.
Their NAD Synthesizer takes advantage of the recent popularity of the Sirtfood diet – the one Adele used to lose a ton of weight (reviewed here).
Protandim claims that the combination of theacrine – a compound found in tea, plus niacin, copper, wasabi and olive leaf improves cell signaling pathways and increases sirtuin activity by 94%.
According to Protandim, the NAD Synthesizer:
Improves mood and motivation
Improves focus and concentration
Enhances mental and physical energy
Supports healthy longevity and autophagy
Supports the body’s inflammatory response
Maintains cholesterol levels that are ALREADY in the healthy range
But as you probably guessed, there is absolutely no research to prove the effectiveness of this supplement for any of the above claims.
Wasabi? Pass the spicy tuna rolls!
In other words, Protandim looks like a total garbage fire.
In 2017, Lifevantage was served with a warning letter from the FDA for the claim that Protandim can cure certain diseases. They were supposed to remove all these claims, and they did. However, the lifestyle of the product depends on its supposed effectiveness in improving health and reducing the risk of disease, and therefore the company’s marketing still implies that Protandim may have an effect on these things.
Because MLM.
Bottom line:
Lifevantage and Protandim seem to make a lot of claims that they cannot support. They use scientific jargon supposedly to convince potential customers that the company knows their stuff, but it seems like a complete scam… they are selling supplements that are not supported by human research.
