Leanbean is a weight loss supplement for women, sold by a company called Ultimate Life LTD. The brand describes their supplement as "The unique supplement made for women."
But is there clinical evidence that men and women require different weight loss strategies, or is this just marketing? Does Leanbean contain ingredients shown in research studies to cause weight loss? Does it contain any questionable additive ingredients? And which retailer sells Leanbean for the best price?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Leanbean based on clinical studies to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to be effective for weight loss.
We'll share our thoughts on whether women require a distinct weight loss strategy to men, discuss the potential for side effects, and explain where users can find Leanbean for the best price.
Ingredient Analysis
Leanbean has updated its formulation since we initially published this article. The new active ingredients are shown above.
Vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and choline are easily obtainable from food, and we can't find any clinical evidence that these vitamins cause weight loss at the doses used in this supplement.
Glucomannan is a purified flour from the konjac plant.
A 2014 meta-study on glucomannan supplementation for weight loss analyzed nine clinical trials and concluded the following:
"The evidence from available RCTs does not show that glucomannan intake generates statistically significant weight loss."
Cabbage palm extract is the next-listed active ingredient, and we're concerned that the brand may be using the wrong ingredient listing here.
Euterpe oleracea, which is the botanical name listed on Leanbean's Supplement Facts label, is not cabbage palm. This is the botanical name for an entirely different plant traditionally called açaí (as documented in this article published in the Exotic Fruits journal).
The botanical name for cabbage palm is Sabal palmetto.
Green coffee extract is clinically shown to cause weight loss, as we documented in our article on herbs for weight loss.
Most of the doses used in clinical trials on green coffee extract for weight loss that we surveyed were far higher than the 40 milligram (mg) dose in Leanbean.
One good thing about this supplement is that its inactive ingredients, shown below, should be safe and non-toxic:
Overall, we consider Leanbean potentially effective for weight loss, however this is a below-average weight loss formulation compared to other brands we've reviewed on Illuminate Health.
We're unable to identify any active ingredients in Leanbean that we consider to be effectively dosed for weight loss.
Woman-Specific Weight Loss?
Much of Leanbean's marketing suggests that men and women require unique weight loss strategies.
As stated in the intro section, this product is marketed explicitly to women, and the brand's website describes the supplement as a "powerful supplement for women" and "tailored to women."
But we have not come across any convincing medical research suggesting that men and women require different weight loss strategies.
Weight loss is a simple thermodynamic process: calories consumed versus calories burned. This biological truth does not vary based on sex.
While men and women have differing hormone types and levels, that doesn't necessarily mean that they require different weight loss strategies, and we haven't seen any proof of such.
At the time of initially publishing this article, Leanbean linked to a Scientific American article on their homepage which found that men suppress food cravings better than women.
While this may be true, this failed to prove that dietary supplements for weight loss affect men and women differently. Leanbean has since removed that article and marketing claim from their homepage (perhaps in response to our criticism).
Does Leanbean Cause Side Effects?
Leanbean doesn't appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it challenging to determine whether or not the supplement is likely to cause side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients.
Green coffee bean extract contains caffeine, but the dose in Leanbean is so low that we don't consider it likely to have any effect (the caffeine dose should be far lower than the dose from half a cup of coffee).
There are no active or inactive ingredients in this supplement that we consider to be unsafe at their stated doses, and from a safety perspective, this formulation is superior to most weight loss supplements that we've reviewed on Illuminate Health.
Overall, we do not consider Leanbean likely to cause side effects in otherwise healthy adults.
The FAQs page on Leanbean's website makes no mention of potential side effects at the time of updating this article.
Where to Buy Leanbean
At the time of updating this article, Leanbean's website (linked here for convenience) appears to be the only official distributor of this supplement.
While there are some supplements branded "Leanbean" on Amazon and Walmart currently, none of these appear to be from the official manufacturer.
So while we don't recommend purchasing Leanbean overall, for consumers intent on doing so, purchasing through the official brand website seems like the safest option.
Leanbean appears to be unavailable to customers in the US at the time of updating this article. This seems to be a recent change.
Leanbean vs. PhenQ
PhenQ is another popular weight loss supplement, so consumers are often curious about which of the two is better-formulated.
We published a PhenQ review article that included an Ingredient Analysis section.
While we don't currently recommend either supplement, we consider Leanbean to be a better weight loss supplement than PhenQ for two reasons:
- Leanbean has no unhealthy additive ingredients
- Leanbean doesn't make questionable clinical claims of efficacy
To summarize, we don't consider either Leanbean or PhenQ likely to cause weight loss, but we believe Leanbean provides a healthier formulation, and is sold by a more reputable manfuacturer.
Our Clean Weight Loss Picks
Ceylon cinnamon was described as "an effective anti-obesity agent" in a 2022 meta-analysis. The study authors concluded that effects were greater at doses at or over 3 grams daily.
Illuminate Labs Ceylon Cinnamon Extract is our standardized Ceylon cinnamon supplement which is third-party tested to ensure purity and potency.
Dietary fiber was shown in a medical review published in The Journal of Nutrition to cause 16 pounds of weight loss in 6 months when combined with moderate caloric restriction (750 calories per day below baseline).
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top fiber pick because it's certified organic, provides 7 g of fiber per serving and costs under $1.85 per serving at the time of updating this article.
Both of the products mentioned in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Pros and Cons of Leanbean
Here are the pros and cons of Leanbean in our opinion:
Pros:
- Green coffee extract can cause weight loss
- No unhealthy inactive ingredients
- Unlikely to cause side effects
- Better formulation than PhenQ
Cons:
- Green coffee extract may be underdosed
- We're unable to identify research backing for 5 out of 6 active ingredients
- Supplement Facts label includes incorrect botanical name of one active ingredient
- Woman-specific weight loss supplements may be unscientific
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
- Not currently available to US customers
