ProbioSlim is a weight loss supplement sold by a brand called Force Factor. The brand describes this supplement as containing "advanced weight management ingredients" as well as a trademarked compound called LactoSpore for optimal gut health.

But does ProbioSlim contain ingredients proven to cause weight loss? Does LactoSpore enhance gut health? Does ProbioSlim contain any unhealthy ingredients? And why was Force Factor sued and banned from a specific type of advertising?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in ProbioSlim to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to be effective for weight loss and digestive health, and whether or not it's healthy.

We'll also analyze the brand's gummy formulation, and explain why the manufacturer has been sued at least three times, and banned from a specific type of product promotion.

Key takeaways:

• Contains two ingredients we recommend avoiding for health reasons
• Manufacturer sued over alleged false advertising
• We do not currently recommend ProbioSlim

ProbioSlim Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in ProbioSlim are shown below:

LactoSpore is a patented version of probiotic strain Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856.

A clinical trial published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine tested whether LactoSpore caused weight loss in overweight individuals.

The trial participants lost 8.6 pounds over the course of the three-week trial, but they were eating a significantly reduced-calorie diet, which alone can cause weight loss.

This was a very poorly-designed trial in our opinion. The way to test whether or not LactoSpore causes weight loss would be to have two trial groups consuming the exact same diet, with one of them taking LactoSpore and the other taking placebo pills. This would isolate the effects of LactoSpore. 

Green tea extract is effective for short-term weight loss, as we documented in our analysis of Lipozene ingredients.

However, this compound can cause liver injury when taken at high doses according to Health Canada. This is especially concerning in regard to supplements like ProbioSlim, where the dose of green tea extract is not published.

Papaya extract was shown in a 2019 medical review to be effective for weight loss, but the doses used in the clinical trials were higher than the dose of all ingredients in ProbioSlim combined.

There is one inactive ingredient in this formulation that we consider to be unhealthy.

Titanium dioxide is a colorant that was banned in the EU for use as a food additive, due to toxicity concerns.

Overall, we consider ProbioSlim to be potentially effective for weight loss due to the inclusion of green tea extract.

We consider it likely effective for supporting optimal gut health, given that probiotics are well-established in clinical research to improve the gut microbiome.

We don't currently recommend this supplement due to the our concerns about potential long-term health effects of green tea extract (at an unspecified dose) and titanium dioxide.

Why Was Force Factor Sued?

Force Factor has been sued multiple times.

In 2014, the brand was sued over claims that one of their supplements boosted testosterone levels, according to the Boston Business Journal.

The lawsuit alleged those claims to be misleading.

In 2018, Force Factor was sued in a class-action lawsuit related to their BCAA supplement, according to Truth in Advertising.

The brand had claimed that the active ingredient in this supplement increased muscle synthesis, and the plaintiffs alleged that scientific evidence proved that the supplement actually decreases muscle synthesis.

In 2020, Force Factor settled a lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for over $1 million, according to Legal Newsline. 

The lawsuit alleged that the company was using deceptive marketing practices and hiding the true deadline of cancelling a free trial, and Force Factor is now banned from using negative option marketing.

We recommend that consumers be wary buying from supplement brands with so many legal actions taken against them, especially when governmental organizations are included.

ProbioSlim Gummies Ingredient Analysis

The active ingredients in ProbioSlim Keto Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies are shown below:

LactoSpore is included at a much lower dose, and the "Super Fruit" blend dosages are comically low.

The dose of each "Super Fruit" ingredient is 100 micrograms (mcg).

According to the USDA, one single grape has a dose of 4.9 grams (g), which equals 4,900,000 mcg.

This means that one single grape has a dose 49,000 times higher than the "Super Fruit" ingredients in ProbioSlim gummies. 

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is included at a dose of 500 mg.

As we documented in our keto gummies review article, the effective dose of ACV for weight loss appears to be around 15,000 mg according to clinical studies, or 30x the amount in this supplement.

The inactive ingredients in ProbioSlim gummies are shown below:

Citric acid can cause whole-body inflammation when it's manufactured from a fungus, which is the case over 90% of the time in food processing, according to a medical review published in the Toxicology Reports journal.

Natural flavor is a broad categorical term that fails to describe the specific flavoring agents used. Without this information, we cannot assess the safety of this ingredient.

To the credit of Force Factor, they improved the healthiness of this formulation since our initial publication of this review, replacing refined sugar (which is clinically associated with increased risk of obesity), with stevia leaf extract.

Overall, we do not consider ProbioSlim Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies likely to be effective for weight loss, because we cannot identify any active ingredients in this formulation that we consider effectively dosed for weight loss.

We don't currently recommend this supplement due to our concerns over its potential efficacy, and due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above.

Questionable Health Claims on Brand Site

There are a number of questionable and uncited health claims on the ProbioSlim website.

On one of the marketing pages, the manufacturer claims that one serving contains as much acetic acid as one tablespoon of ACV:

Acetic acid is the active chemical component in ACV that's thought to cause its weight loss effects. However, this dosage claim appears to be inaccurate. 

According to Bragg, one of the largest ACV manufacturers, one tablespoon of ACV contains 750 mg of acetic acid. Force Factor's gummies contain only 25 mg of acetic acid, or 30x less than what they're claiming in this sales pitch.

The product page claims that "super fruits" in the formulation "support healthy digestion."

We certainly haven't seen any clinical studies suggesting that fruit dosed at 0.002% of one single grape supports digestion, and this claim is not currently cited.

On the ProbioSlim capsule product page, the brand claims that the supplement will boost energy and vitality without any clinical citations or proof for this claim.

ProbioSlim vs. Popular Weight Loss Supps

Here's how ProbioSlim compares to other popular weight loss supplements in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:

Apple Cider Vinegar

This natural compound is clinically shown to cause weight loss.

It also is much healthier than ProbioSlim.

Winner: Apple Cider Vinegar

Alli

This over-the-counter (OTC) drug is clinically proven to cause substantial weight loss, as we documented in our Alli weight loss review article.

We consider this medication more likely to be effective, and safer, than ProbioSlim.

Winner: Alli

Xyngular

Like ProbioSlim, this brand sells a weight loss supplement with green tea extract, citric acid and natural flavors.

We consider Xyngular to be the (slightly) better choice from a potential efficacy standpoint, because it also contains fiber, which is clinically shown to be associated with weight loss.

Winner: Xyngular

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 free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

ProbioSlim Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Some research-backed ingredients
  

Cons:

• Manufacturer has been sued 3x in last decade
• Contains green tea extract
• Brand makes questionable health claims
• Both formulations contain questionable additives
• Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
• Gummy supplement very poorly formulated for weight loss
• Less healthy than competitors

Conclusion

We don't currently recommend either ProbioSlim capsules or gummies.

The capsule formulation contains some research-backed ingredients, but it also includes green tea extract without an ingredient dose, which is concerning to us given the documented risk of liver injury with high dosage intake of green tea extract.

This formulation also contains titanium dioxide, which is an ingredient we recommend consumers avoid.

The gummy formulation contains one effective active ingredient that appears to be vastly underdosed, and several questionable additive ingredients including added sugar, which is a strange choice for a weight loss supplement.

For consumers intent on purchasing ProbioSlim, we consider the capsule formulation to be more likely to be effective for weight loss.

Force Factor, the manufacturer of ProbioSlim, has been sued three times in the past decade, and recently settled with the FTC over allegations of deceptive marketing practices.

The brand is banned from a specific type of marketing, which is a red flag in our opinion.

There are a number of questionable and uncited health claims on the ProbioSlim website, including an assertion that their gummies provide the same acetic acid content as a tablespoon of ACV, while their gummies appear to provide 30x less acetic acid.

We consider apple cider vinegar, Alli and Xyngular to all be better choices for weight loss than ProbioSlim.