Bio X4 Review: Can Probiotics Support Weight Loss?

Bio X4 Review: Can Probiotics Support Weight Loss?


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Bio X4 is a weight loss supplement manufactured by a brand called Nucific, which is primarily formulated with probiotics. The brand claims that their product "is more than just a weight management supplement," and also supports gut health. 

But does Bio X4 contain research-backed ingredients for weight loss? Does it contain any questionable additive ingredients? How do real users rate and describe its effects? And which retailer sells Bio X4 for the best price?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Bio X4 based on clinical studies to give our take on whether or not this supplement is likely to cause weight loss, and whether or not it's healthy.

We'll also feature unsponsored customer reviews of the brand, and provide a cost comparison to show which retailer sells Bio X4 for the best price.

Bio X4 has a lengthy Supplement Facts label with many active ingredients, so we'll break our ingredient analysis into four sections based on the four different blends in the supplement: Probiotic Blend, Digestive Enzyme Blend, Weight Management Blend, and finally the Craving Control Blend.

Probiotic Blend Analysis

Bio X4 Probiotic Blend ingredients

The ingredients in Bio X4's Probiotic Blend are shown above.

Lactobacillus acidophilus has been shown to increase weight in both human and animal studies, which makes it a strange choice for a weight loss supplement in our opinion.

medical review published in the Microbial Pathogenesis journal analyzed data from clinical trials on this probiotic species, and concluded the following: "Lactobacillus acidophilus administration resulted in significant weight gain in humans and in animals."

Bifidobacterium animalis is a probiotic species that may be associated with weight loss.

A 2014 clinical trial found that B. animalis subspecies lactis 420 prevented obesity in animals, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the generic B. animalis included in Bio X4 will have this effect.

Most clinical trials on probiotic supplementation that we've come across specify probiotic strain, and different probiotic strains within the same species can have totally different biological effects.

Bifidobacterium lactis is clinically shown to support a healthy gut, as we documented in our review of gut support supplement Bioma.

Our verdict: This blend is likely to support gut function but we're unconvinced of its potential weight loss efficacy.

Digestive Enzyme Blend Analysis

Bio X4 Digestive Enzyme blend ingredients

The ingredients in Bio X4's Digestive Enzyme Blend are shown above.

A 2016 medical review suggests that digestive enzyme supplementation can be beneficial in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases like  exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and lactose intolerance. 

However, we can't find any clinical evidence that digestive enzymes benefit otherwise healthy individuals.

When we initially published this article, Bio X4's product page cited a clinical trial that failed to prove that amylase either caused weight loss or supported gut function.

Since we referenced this, the brand has removed this link and associated marketing claim from its website.

Our verdict: This blend may be beneficial for individuals with gastrointestinal disease, but we can't find any evidence that it supports weight loss or gut function in individuals without gastrointestinal disease.

Real People Try Bio X4

A YouTube creator named Alex Jayne has a Bio X4 review with over 400,000 views:

A YouTube creator named "Justjessfitness_" claims to have lost weight using Bio X4:

Weight Management Blend Analysis

Bio X4 Weight Management Blend ingredients

The only ingredient in Bio X4's Weight Management Blend is shown above.

Green tea extract is included at a dose of 100 milligrams (mg) standardized to 50% epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which equates to 50 mg EGCG per serving.

A 2017 meta-study found that EGCG causes weight loss at a daily dose between 100 mg and 460 mg.

The use instructions on the Bio X4 website suggest to take the supplement with every meal, so this should be an effective dose for weight loss.

medical review reported that for a supplement containing green tea extract to be approved for weight management claims by Health Canada, it must have between 126 and 300 mg EGCG; another point of evidence that Bio X4's weight loss claim for this ingredient is accurate.

We don't currently recommend supplements containing green tea extract, because this ingredient may cause liver damage in some individuals when taken at high doses, as we documented in our It Works reviews article.

Our verdict: This blend is likely to cause weight loss, but we have concerns about the active ingredient choice.

Craving Control Blend Analysis

Bio X4 Craving Control blend ingredients

The only ingredient in Bio X4's Craving Control Blend is shown above.

Slimaluma was shown to cause weight loss in a clinical trial published in the Complementary Therapies in Medicine journal.

However, the dose used was 1,000 mg, or more than 500% of the dose-per-serving in Bio X4.

A more recent medical review analyzed much of the available research on the botanical ingredient in Slimaluma, and concluded that when clinical trials were properly controlled with a placebo, the ingredient was ineffective: 

"Appetite parameters showed no significant changes and metabolic parameters did not improve with C. fimbriata supplementation therefore it is unlikely to recommend C. fimbriata as a weight loss supplement and an appetite suppressant."

Our verdict: We're unconvinced that this blend will cause weight loss.

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).

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.

MCT oil was shown in a meta-study to cause 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. and it currently costs only $15.50 for over a month's worth of product.

Ginger intake "significantly decreased body weight" according to a 2019 meta-study on ginger and weight loss that analyzed data from 14 clinical trials.

Pique La Ginger is our top ginger product, because it's an organic tea in convenient crystallized form, and all that's needed is to pour the powder into a glass and add hot water.

All three of the products mentioned in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy or unsafe.

Where to Buy Bio X4 for the Best Price

Bio X4 is currently sold at a variety of online retailers. Here's a price breakdown for a one-time purchase at the time of updating this article:

Brand website: $99 (free shipping, link)

EveryMarket: $87.40 (free shipping, link)

Amazon: $59 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)

Bio X4 is currently 40% cheaper on Amazon than the brand's website, which is one of the largest price discrepancies we've ever reported on Illuminate Health.

Pros and Cons of Bio X4

Here are the pros and cons of Bio X4 in our opinion:

Pros:

  • Free of unhealthy inactive ingredients
  • Effective EGCG dose for weight loss
  • Should support gut health due to probiotics
  • Stimulant-free
  • Free shipping on brand's website

Cons:

  • Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
  • High doses of green tea extract may be harmful to the liver in some individuals
  • Expensive
  • Digestive enzyme inclusion is questionable
  • Slimaluma inclusion and dosage is questionable
  • Includes probiotic species shown to cause weight gain
Stay up-to-date on our research reviews

Conclusion

Bio X4 is a decently-formulated weight loss supplement in our opinion.

This supplement contains one active ingredient (green tea extract) that we consider to be effectively dosed for weight loss.

This supplement contains no inactive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

Our main concern about Bio X4 is the relatively high dose of EGCG, which is shown in some medical studies to be associated with liver damage when taken at high doses.

The daily dose at which EGCG is potentially harmful doesn't appear to be well-defined in humans, but with so many active ingredients to support weight loss that don't confer any risk, it seems illogical in our opinion to use relatively high doses of green tea extract for weight loss.

We don't currently recommend this supplement due to the inclusion of green tea extract.

For consumers interested in purchasing Bio X4, Amazon currently has a better price than the brand's website.




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