Lipozene is a weight loss supplement that’s available online and at Walmart. It’s very popular, having sold over 35 million bottles since the company's launch (according to the manufacturer). The product is manufactured by a company called Obesity Research Institute LLC.
In this article we’ll review the ingredients in Lipozene, as well as its sister supplement MetaboUp Plus, to give our take on whether the supplements are likely to be effective for weight loss. We’ll also share some marketing strategies the brand is engaging in that we consider ethically questionable.
Does Lipozene Work?
Lipozene only has one active ingredient: 1,500 milligrams (mg) of amorphophallus konjac, a fibrous plant native to Asia that's alternatively referred to as glucomannan.
We know from medical research that fiber supplementation generally aids in weight loss efforts, but the effectiveness is dependent on dosage. There's a big difference between adding 1 gram (g) of fiber daily and adding 20 g of fiber daily.
A clinical trial published in the Journal of Obesity found that konjac glucomannan did not promote weight loss in overweight individuals. The study participants were taking 3.99 g daily, which is more than 200% of the amount contained in Lipozene.
A more recent medical review analyzed whether glucomannan supplementation is effective for weight loss. The researchers examined results from nine different medical trials on this topic, and concluded that “The evidence from available randomized controlled trials does not show that glucomannan intake generates statistically significant weight loss.”
We don’t believe that Lipozene is likely to be effective for weight loss based on the available research.
This supplement also contains several additive ingredients we consider questionable from a health perspective.
The first is artificial color, which has documented toxicity concerns based on medical research.
Lipozene also contains the additive ingredient titanium dioxide which is banned in the European Union (E.U.) for use as a food additive due to toxicity concerns. We recommend avoiding this ingredient, and we consider the E.U.'s consumer protections to be superior to that of the U.S.
We do not recommend purchasing Lipozene because we cannot locate any medical data suggesting that its single active ingredient is effective for weight loss.
Questionable Marketing Practices
Lipozene’s website has an image of a seal of approval from a group called the “Obesity Research Institute.”
At first glance, a consumer may assume that the Obesity Research Institute is an independent trade group that certifies high-quality weight loss products. That's what we assumed when first noticing the seal.
However, the company that manufactures Lipozene is called the Obesity Research Institute LLC, and you can find that information in the footer of their site.
We find this marketing practice to be extremely questionable from an ethical perspective, because many consumers may believe that the Obesity Research Institute and Lipozene are separate entities.
If marketing material is designed to look like a third-party certification, we believe the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should investigate.
Lipozene also claims on their site that “Lipozene is clinically proven to help you lose weight." We cannot locate any clinical trials on Lipozene accessible on PubMed, which is one of the largest free resources for clinical trials in the U.S.
We consider it to be a huge red flag when supplement companies make claims of clinical efficacy without any clearly-accessible medical research backing those claims. We recommend that consumers avoid supplement brands making bold health claims without medical citations.
Lipozene Side Effects
Since the active ingredient in Lipozene is a type of dietary fiber, we don't consider it likely to cause any side effects, especially given the relatively low dose.
One of the research articles on glucomannan that we linked to above stated that glucomannan has a favorable safety profile, but also noted that there wasn’t enough long-term research to definitively say it’s safe for long-term use.
We believe that this is a relatively low-risk ingredient, but hope to see more long-term research emerge definitively proving its safety.
Consumers who eat a diet high in processed foods, which is low in fiber, may experience some digestive discomfort when they begin taking a fiber supplement, but that’s not unique to Lipozene. That experience can occur when increasing intake of any type of fiber, which is why we recommend that fiber is increased gradually in the diet.
Does MetaboUp Plus Work?
The other supplement sold on Lipozene’s site is called MetaboUp Plus.
This supplement contains two vitamins: Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12. We have not come across any medical studies suggesting that these two B-vitamins are effective for weight loss, or that any added vitamins are effective for weight loss. We'll consider both ingredients ineffective.
Caffeine is an effective weight loss ingredient, but as we discussed in our recent Green Tea Fat Burner reviews article, it's more effective at higher doses than the 120 mg in MetaboUp Plus. This is barely more than the caffeine dose from one cup of coffee. We'll consider this ingredient likely effective for weight loss, but we don't expect caffeine at this dosage to make any significant difference.
The product contains a proprietary (prop) blend of which green tea extract is the first ingredient. As this medical review summarized, while green tea extract may be effective for weight loss short-term, it may be a risky supplement because of the potential hepatotoxicity (liver-damaging) effects of high doses of polyphenols from green tea.
We recommend avoiding all supplements containing green tea extract until more safety data emerges on this compound, establishing safe dosing ranges for humans.
The second ingredient in the prop blend called guarana seed extract may be effective for weight loss based on a medical review, but we cannot say so definitively because Obesity Research Institute does not publish the individual dose of this ingredient. We'll consider this ingredient potentially effective for weight loss.
This supplement contains several ingredients which may be effective for weight loss, and it's free of questionable inactive ingredients. For this reason we consider the formulation of MetaboUp Plus to be superior to the formulation of Lipozene.
We do not recommend this supplement overall because we don't believe there is convincing medical data suggesting it will be effective for weight loss, and because we recommend that consumers avoid green tea extract entirely.
Lipozene Real User Reviews
Lipozene has been reviewed over 1,000 times on Amazon at the time of updating this article. It has an average rating of 3.6/5 which is relatively low.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser is from an anonymous user who claims Lipozene caused weight loss and helped them manage a medical condition:
"Lipozene really helps with exercise to keep weight down and that area intact."
The top negative review from a verified purchaser is from a user named "Rene" who claims the product caused no weight loss for them:
"I have notice no change in weight since I started use this product"
Our Clean Weight Loss Picks
There are food-based nutrients which have been shown in medical studies to be effective for weight loss.
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).
Supergut Fiber Mix is our recommended fiber supplement, because it contains three different types of fiber powder and no questionable additive ingredients. Interested consumers can check out Supergut Fiber Mix at this link to the product page on the brand's official website, where it retails for under $2 per serving at a subscription rate.
MCT oil is quickly absorbed by the body and increases metabolic rate, which causes fat loss. A 2015 meta-study on MCT oil documented more than one pound of weight loss over 10 weeks. This equates to potential annualized weight loss of 6 pounds per year with less than one tablespoon's worth of MCT oil per day.
Bulletproof MCT Oil is our top MCT oil product, because the only ingredient is MCT oil derived from coconuts. There are no questionable additives. Interested consumers can check out Bulletproof MCT Oil at this link to the product page on the brand's official website, where it currently costs only $15.50 for over a month's worth of product.
Coffee is one of the few whole food ingredients associated with weight loss in clinical trials. A meta-analysis published in the Nutrients journal found that coffee intake was associated with reduced body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference.
VitaCup Organic Instant Coffee Sticks is our top coffee product for weight loss, due to its convenience. No preparation or machinery is needed. The sticks can be mixed into hot or cold water (or other beverages) and consumed. The only ingredient is organic instant coffee; no questionable additives.
Interested consumers can check out VitaCup Organic Instant Coffee Sticks at this link to the product page on the brand's official website, where they retail for $1 per serving at a subscription rate.
