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 shown in research studies to cause weight loss? Is LactoSpore proven to enhance gut health? Does ProbioSlim contain any questionable additives? 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 review the brand's gummy formulation, document which retailer sells ProbioSlim for the cheapest price, and feature real ProbioSlim customer reviews.
We will also explain why the manufacturer has been sued at least three times, and banned from a specific type of product promotion.
ProbioSlim Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in ProbioSlim are shown above.
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.
Real People Try ProbioSlim
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
At the time of updating this article, ProbioSlim has been reviewed over 4,000 times on Amazon, with an average review rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "M.S. Grebinowski" who gave the product a 5/5 rating:
"I switched to this probiotic because it stated it would help to shed some weight. Since I'm diabetic, I didn't want to use harsh diet pills and can't afford expensive diet plans. These helped me lose 30 lbs. before my surgery, and I'm keeping it off."
A top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Cody" who gave the product a 1/5 rating:
"Made me too jittery would not recommend."
A YouTube creator "Magnolia's World" shared her experience after taking ProbioSlim for two weeks:
ProbioSlim Gummies Ingredient Analysis
ProbioSlim also comes in an apple cider vinegar gummies version which we consider to have a worse formulation than the capsule version analyzed in the previous Ingredient Analysis section.
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.
ProbioSlim Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies contain more questionable additive ingredients than the capsule formulation.
Added sugar can contribute to obesity and cardiovascular disease when consumed in excess according to medical research, and it seems illogical to include added sugar in a weight loss formulation.
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.
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 discussed above.
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.
Questionable Health Claims
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.
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.
Performance Lab MCT Oil is our top MCT oil pick because it's certified organic.
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.
Where to Get the Best Price
ProbioSlim is sold at a variety of online retailers.
Here's a price breakdown for a one-time purchase at the time of updating this article:
Target: $13.77 (plus shipping, link)
Walmart: $12.27 (plus shipping, link)
iHerb: $9.79 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $9.79 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
ProbioSlim is currently over 50% cheaper at Amazon than at Target, when factoring in shipping fees.
To the credit of Force Factor, this is one of the most affordable weight loss supplements we've reviewed to date on Illuminate Health.
ProbioSlim Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of ProbioSlim in our opinion:
Pros:
- Highly affordable
- Some research-backed ingredients
- Mostly positive Amazon reviews
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
