Shakeology is a weight loss shake sold by Beachbody, a popular health and nutrition brand that recently rebranded to BODi. The brand describes Shakeology as "Your Daily Dose Of Dense Nutrition" and claims that the shakes are "formulated to help reduce cravings and support healthy weight loss."
But do Shakeology shakes contain ingredients proven to cause weight loss? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? Why do we have concerns about the manufacturer's study? And is Shakeology better or worse than popular meal replacement shakes like Ka'Chava?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we examine the clinical trial on Shakeology to determine how much weight loss these shakes cause.
We'll also analyze the ingredients in Shakeology to give our take on whether or not the drinks are healthy, pick the healthiest flavor, and compare the brand to other popular meal replacement shakes to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Shakeology is clinically shown to cause weight loss
- There are some ingredients we consider to be unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend Shakeology
Is Shakeology Proven to Cause Weight Loss?
image source: https://www.bodi.com/
Beachbody funded a clinical trial published in The Journal of Nutrition to test the effects of Shakeology on weight loss in overweight adults.
After 12 weeks, participants drinking Shakeology shakes lost an average of 4.85 pounds, which equates to a potential annualized weight loss of 21 pounds.
However, we consider this study to be poorly-designed.
Instead of comparing the effects of Shakeology to a shake with similar nutritional value, the effects of Shakeology were compared with the effects of a shake with low protein and low fiber.
We know from medical studies that fiber intake predicts weight loss, and higher protein intake is also associated with weight loss.
So by comparing Shakeology to a lower-fiber and lower-protein shake, the study was designed to make Shakeology appear to be superior, while we cannot identify anything proprietary to Shakeology that suggests it's better than any other high-fiber and high-protein shake.
It's also notable that Shakeology only caused slightly more body weight loss by percentage (2.5% vs. 2.3%) than the placebo shake.
That said, we consider Shakeology likely to be effective for (short-term) weight loss given the results of this trial.
We commend the brand for publishing research in a legitimate, peer-reviewed medical journal, which is the gold standard of product research.
Is Shakeology Healthy?
The Supplement Facts label for the "Café Latte Whey" flavor of Shakeology (which is one of the bestselling flavors) is shown below:
image source: https://www.bodi.com/
Vitamins and minerals compose the majority of the ingredients in this shake, and a medical review published in the International Journal of Preventative Medicine found that multivitamin supplementation may slightly increase the risk of some types of cancer, and has no benefit on a population level.
We haven't seen any research studies suggesting that consuming synthetic vitamins and minerals supports weight loss.
Added sugar is included at a dose of 5 grams (g), which is a strange choice for a weight loss shake in our opinion, given that a 2019 medical review found that added sugar, when consumed in excess, increases the risk of obesity.
Many Americans already consume too much added sugar from diet, so we recommend avoiding supplements containing added sugar.
Aside from the vitamins and minerals, there are a number of other ingredients in Shakeology shown below:
image source: https://www.bodi.com/
Whey protein is the highest-dosed ingredient, as would be expected from the product name.
There is no mention of whether the whey is sourced from grass-fed animals, so we'll assume it's from conventionally-raised animals.
A medical review published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal suggests that animal products sourced from pastured animals are healthier (mostly due to the omega fatty acid ratio), and we only recommend animal products sourced from pastured animals.
Maca is an indigestible root fiber, and as we referenced in our Ka'Chava reviews article on another superfood powder containing this ingredient, raw maca can irritate the digestive system.
Cinnamon is included, but the brand doesn’t list which form of cinnamon is used.
The cheaper cinnamon, called Cassia cinnamon, contains a toxic compound called coumarin which may cause liver damage according to a 2010 medical review.
Whenever a brand fails to describe the type of cinnamon used, we assume it's Cassia.
Natural flavors is a broad categorical term that fails to describe the specific chemical compounds used to create the flavor.
A medical review published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal found that some flavoring additives may be harmful to human health.
Overall, we do not consider Shakeology to be healthy, given the ingredients highlighted above, and the inclusion of refined, added sugar.
Are Other Shakeology Flavors Healthier?
Since we analyzed the Café Latte Whey flavor above, and don't recommend it due to some of its ingredients, readers may be wondering whether other Shakeology flavors are a healthier option.
All of the flavors have a very similar formulation with the flavoring ingredients being the only change in most cases.
All Shakeology drinks have added, refined sugar and flavoring additives.
The flavor that we consider the worst option is Strawberry Whey, which contains citric acid.
Citric acid is a preservative and flavoring ingredient that imparts a "tangy" taste.
This ingredient was shown in a medical review published in the Toxicology Reports journal to cause whole-body inflammation in some individuals.
Shakeology vs. Popular Weight Loss Shakes
Here's how Shakeology compares to other popular meal replacement shakes in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
Ka'Chava
Like Shakeology, this brand contains natural flavor, synthetic vitamins and minerals and raw maca.
However, this brand includes a protein dose which is clinically shown to support muscle building, while the dose in Shakeology is below the established effective range for that outcome.
Ka'Chava also has a higher fiber dose, so we give the brand the advantage due to its superior macronutrient profile.
Winner: Ka'Chava
VitaHustle
VitaHustle contains some ingredients we consider unhealthy, but fewer such ingredients than are included in Shakeology.
Further, the brand is free of refined, added sugar.
We consider VitaHustle to be the healthier option.
Winner: VitaHustle
Huel
Contains artificial sweetener sucralose, which is worse for human health than anything included in Shakeology in our opinion.
Shakeology is the healthier choice.
Winner: Shakeology
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.
Shakeology Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Clinically shown to cause weight loss
- Contains many nutritious plant-based ingredients
- May reduce food cravings
Cons:
- Contains flavoring additives
- Contains raw maca
- May contain Cassia cinnamon
- Some flavors contain citric acid
- Expensive
- Manufacturer may be an MLM
- Unimpressive Amazon reviews
