ConsumerLab.com Releases Report on Weight Loss Products

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.--ConsumerLab.com reported April 3 that in a review of products promoted for weight loss, increasing lean body mass ("slimming") and diabetes control, approximately 80 percent "passed" its review. Four of 18 products did not pass, either because they contained less than the labeled amount of an ingredient, used misleading language in labels or was contaminated. The company said it grouped these product segments because those who watch sugar levels are usually trying to lose weight and vice versa.

The company tested seven conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) products, seven chromium products, two pyruvate products and two combination products (one with pyruvate and chromium, the other with chromium, Garcinia cambogia, CLA, L-carnitine and other ingredients).

Neither pyruvate-only product passed. One failed because it contained 85 percent less than its labeled amount of the ingredient. The other, a product called Pyruvate 1000, failed ConsumerLab.com's assessment because it did not clearly indicate the amount of pyruvate in the product. The label read "1,000 mg of pyruvate complex," but testing showed that each tablet contained only 240 mg of pyruvate. "Some manufacturers may use the word `complex' if they don't wish to reveal the exact blend of ingredients in the product," said Tod Cooperman, M.D., president of ConsumerLab.com (www.consumerlab.com). "It allows the manufacturer to put a lot less in than the consumer would expect."

The other two products that failed were chromium products. One failed because it contained less than five percent of its labeled amount of chromium. "Such a reduction in chromium should be of concern to anyone relying on the product for its potential effect on insulin and blood sugar levels," ConsumerLab.com's release stated. The other chromium product failed because it contained a toxic form of chromium. ConsumerLab.com's tests found trace amounts of hexavalent chromium (VI), the toxic compound investigated in the movie Erin Brockovich. According to ConsumerLab.com, the manufacturer of the product seemed aware of the differences between chromium, since the product was labeled as containing the "trivalent" (safe) form of chromium.

One of the most popular weight-loss ingredients--ephedra--was not included in this review. Cooperman told INSIDER the company is holding off on conducting product reviews on ephedra because of a lack of testing methods and the large number of safety issues involved.