ZipSlim is a lemonade-flavored weight loss supplement sold by a brand called Beyond Slim. The brand claims that ZipSlim’s weight loss effects are backed by published clinical studies, and that the supplement can help users “Lose 3x More Weight Than With Dieting Alone.”
But is ZipSlim actually backed by good research or are these just marketing claims? Does the supplement contain ingredients shown in clinical trials to cause weight loss? Does it contain any questionable additive ingredients? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of ZipSlim?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in ZipSlim based on medical studies to give our take on whether the supplement is likely to be effective, and give our take on whether it has unhealthy additive ingredients.
We’ll also analyze the studies on ZipSlim to determine if the supplement is actually proven to cause weight loss.
Finally, we’ll feature real, unsponsored user reviews of ZipSlim.
Ingredient Analysis
ZipSlim contains a large number of ingredients, so we’ll break our ingredient analysis into three sections. The vitamin and mineral blend is shown above.
Chromium is a mineral that was shown to cause weight loss in a meta-review published in the Obesity Reviews journal.
We’re unable to identify any clinical studies suggesting that the other vitamins and minerals support weight loss, and it may be unsafe to take high doses of supplemental vitamins and minerals without a deficiency in those vitamins and minerals.
In 2020 and 2021 another wellness brand had to recall some of their products due to over-fortification with vitamins causing toxicity in customers, according to the CBC, which highlights why we consider it illogical to take large doses of vitamins without a documented deficiency.
The herbal ingredients in ZipSlim are shown below:
Ashwagandha extract may be effective for weight loss in adults experiencing stress, according to a 2017 clinical trial, but the dose used in the trial was 300 milligrams (mg), or 455% of the average ingredient dose in ZipSlim’s herbal blend (66 mg).
Green tea extract is clinically shown to cause weight loss. However, as we documented in our review of another brand containing this ingredient called HUM Nutrition, green tea extract can also cause liver toxicity at high doses, which makes it non-ideal that Beyond Slim fails to publish the individual dose of this ingredient.
Quercetin supplementation was shown in a 2019 medical review to cause modest weight loss, but “the dose of quercetin used varied from 100 to 1,000 mg/day.” Again, the average ingredient dose in ZipSlim’s herbal blend falls below what appears to be the minimum effective dose based on this medical review.
We are unable to identify any clinical trials suggesting any of the other herbal ingredients are effective for weight loss at this average ingredient dose.
The inactive ingredients in ZipSlim are shown below:
Organic cane sugar is a strange choice for a weight loss formulation in our opinion, given that “sugar consumption is associated with body weight gain” according to a 2016 medical review.
There are only 3 grams (g) of added sugar in ZipSlim which is a relatively low amount, but it seems logical to avoid refined sugar intake as much as possible if the goal is to lose weight.
Natural flavor is a broad categorical term that fails to describe the specific chemical compounds used for the flavoring. As we referenced in our review of another weight loss brand using natural flavors called Xyngular, clinical studies suggest that some natural flavoring agents may be toxic to humans.
Citric acid is a food manufacturing additive that can impart a “tangy” flavor, and was shown in a medical review published in the Toxicology Reports journal to cause whole-body inflammatory reactions in some individuals.
Overall we consider the caffeine-free version of ZipSlim potentially effective for weight loss given that it contains several research-backed ingredients. However, we cannot identify any ingredients clinically shown to be effective for weight loss at the dose included in this supplement.
But is ZipSlim actually proven in research trials to cause weight loss? We’ll review in the next section.
Is ZipSlim Proven to Cause Weight Loss?
Beyond Slim claims that ZipSlim is shown to be effective in published clinical studies.
However, the supplement itself doesn’t actually appear to have been clinically tested at all, just some of its ingredients.
As shown in the screenshot below from the brand’s clinical studies pamphlet, it says “a key ingredient in ZipSlim:”
Here is the clinical trial that ZipSlim cites to make this claim. The dose of the green tea extract used in the trial is 150 mg, and ZipSlim fails to even publish the individual ingredient dose of green tea extract in their formulation.
We want to be clear: just because one ingredient in a multi-ingredient supplement is proven to work, it does not mean the entire supplement is proven to work. And again, ZipSlim doesn’t even publish individual ingredient doses proving that their green tea extract has the same dose as the green tea extract shown to cause weight loss.
We recommend that consumers be extremely wary of brands making claims or suggestions of clinical efficacy without actually proving that their products are effective in clinical trials.
None of the research cited by Beyond Slim makes us more confident that ZipSlim will be effective for weight loss, because we can’t identify one single clinical trial cited by Beyond Slim that proves one of the active ingredients in ZipSlim is effective at its included dose.
But how do real users rate and describe the effects of ZipSlim? We’ll review in the next section.
Real, Unsponsored ZipSlim User Reviews
A TikTok user named “Wellness Becky” claims that ZipSlim helped her lose weight in just one week:
@wellnessbecky I can buy myself skinny lemonade! #weightloss #weightlosstransformation #momsover30 #momsover40 #postpartum #metabolism #metabolicreboot #zipslim #virallemonade #dadsover40 #turmeric #magnesium #dadweightloss #momsoftiktok #momweightlossjourney #ashwagandha #ampk ♬ Blue Blood - Heinz Kiessling
Another TikTok user named “agianotti” has a video showing before-and-after images on her weight loss journey with ZipSlim:
@agianotti Get Skinny with me! Join my FB group SkinnyLemonade for more info! #weightloss #zipslim #beyondslim #blackberrylemonade #virallemonade #fyp #weightlossthatworks ♬ Oh My Dayum! - The Gregory Brothers & Daym Drops
We want to note that while none of the videos we reviewed contained an ad disclaimer, it seems as though many of the creators are promoting ZipSlim in the comments section which suggests there may be bias in these reviews.
Will ZipSlim Cause Side Effects?
Because ZipSlim doesn’t appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, we can’t say for certain whether or not the supplement will cause side effects. However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients.
We do not believe that the stimulant-free version of ZipSlim is likely to cause side effects in healthy adults. All of its active ingredients are non-toxic and have favorable safety profiles.
The stimulant version of ZipSlim, called ZipSlim Charged, may be more likely to cause side effects due to the caffeine. However, the caffeine dose (100 mg, equivalent to around 1 cup of coffee) is relatively low, and only likely to cause side effects in those with anxiety.
We do not consider ZipSlim Charged likely to cause side effects, although individuals with anxiety or other mental health conditions may benefit from sticking to the caffeine-free version.
So ZipSlim seems unlikely to cause side effects, but are the company’s business ethics questionable? We’ll review in the next section.
Is ZipSlim an MLM?
A YouTube creator and dietitian named Kat Benson dives into the business practices of ZipSlim in an incredibly informative and engaging video. She shares some of her concerns about the brand:
Can Food Supplements Cause Weight Loss?
There are several food-based weight loss supplements with significant research backing.
Dietary fiber is associated with weight loss in clinical trials, especially when combined with caloric restriction.
A landmark medical study found that moderate caloric restriction (750 calories per day below baseline) combined with dietary fiber intake (a minimum of 20 grams per day) caused an average weight loss of 16.03 pounds over 6 months. That’s a pace of 32 pounds per year of weight loss in overweight individuals simply by adding fiber to a moderately-restricted-calorie diet.
The fiber supplement we recommend is SuperGut Fiber Mix, which costs $59.
It contains a clean and effective formulation: a blend of three different types of unflavored dietary fiber and zero additive ingredients. It can be mixed into liquids or foods. Interested consumers can check out SuperGut fiber at this link to the product page on the brand's official website.
MCT oil is derived from coconuts, quickly absorbed by the body and increases metabolic rate, which causes fat loss. A meta-study on MCT oil documented weight loss of 1.12 pounds over 10 weeks. This equates to a potential annualized weight loss of 5.84 pounds with MCT oil supplementation.
We recommend Bulletproof MCT Oil as our top MCT oil product, because it has a clean and effective formulation. The only ingredient is MCT oil derived from coconuts, and the product has no questionable additives. Interested consumers can check out Bulletproof MCT Oil at this link to the product page on the official brand's website. This supplement only costs $15.50 for over a month's worth of product.
Pros and Cons of ZipSlim
Here are the pros and cons of ZipSlim in our opinion:
Pros:
- Contains some research-backed ingredients
- Unlikely to cause side effects
Cons:
- Highly questionable marketing strategy
- Questionable business practices according to YouTube creator
- Failure to publish individual dose of key active ingredients
- Contains green tea extract
- Contains added sugar
- Contains flavoring agents
- Unable to purchase directly without referral
