Metabotrim

Metabotrim Overview

What you need to know about Metabotrim

Metabotrim is really more of a multivitamin than any kind of weight-loss aid. The company behind Metabotrim – Nu Skin – are set up in a similar way to a pyramid scheme, and have also been fined $1.5million by the FTC in the past for mis-marketing their products.

What are the side effects of Metabotrim?

There are various side effects connected with individual ingredients used in Metabotrim, such as nausea, vomiting, cramping, diarrhea and a ‘fishy’ body odor.

For a full list, please see the Side Effects section below.

How much does Metabotrim cost?

A single bottle of 60 capsules costs $28.25, plus delivery charges, from the Nu Skin website.

Metabotrim Key Features

Nu Skin, the manufacturers of Metabotrim, recommend that the product is intended for adults currently trying to lose weight or using the TRA weight management system. TRA is also known as ‘The Right Approach’ weight loss program, and is a patented approach to weight loss created by Nu Skin. It appears to be marketed primarily within Asia, and is not the focus of this review.

Our research has shown that Metabotrim has been on the market since at least 1997. However, we know this because Nu Skin, the manufacturers, had to pay a $1.5million fine to the FTC for the mis-marketing of several of their products, including Metabotrim. Five of their products came under scrutiny, with the effects of Metabotrim being misleadingly described as follows:

The ingredients in Metabotrim have been scientifically shown to establish and maintain proper metabolic rates assisting the body in burning fat while preserving lean muscle mass!

Source:http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/1997/08/nu-skin-pay-15-million-penalty-resolve-ftc-charges-over-fat-loss

The company has also faced fines for overstating the potential results from using some of its products as recently as March 2014, this time in China. Nu Skin’s Distributor scheme has come under fire for its set up, promoting the sign up of new distributers as much as making financial sales of their product range, with comparisons being made to pyramid schemes.

Looking at their page on the consumeraffairs site, it is also clear that many people have been mistreated by the company, leading them to be described as ‘deceptive and immoral’. Customers have also been signed up for auto-ship programs without their knowledge, which they have found incredibly hard to cancel.

Nu Skin is an American company that has branched out to an international market over the past 30 years. Whilst they mainly offer beauty products, they do have some supplements as a part of their range. Metabotrim appears to be only available in the US.

The company provides contact information by country, but it seems that within Europe there are fewer offices dealing with international correspondence. The company also offers online chat support during 7am-7pm MST, with the website stating whether a customer representative is online to help with customer queries.

What does Metabotrim claim to do?

According to the official website:

Metabotrim is designed to support normal metabolic processes and assist in your body’s conversion of food to energy with effective ingredients—chromium chelate, L-carnitine, and B-complex vitamins.

The products benefits are listed as:

• Includes essential vitamins and minerals to promote normal function of bodily processes.
• Contains L-carnitine, which plays an important role in fat metabolism, thereby promoting energy production.
• Chromium picolinate is a trace element for normal insulin function and promotes normal conversion of macromolecules into energy.
• Contains the B-vitamins (B3, B6, and B12) that are involved in fat and carbohydrate metabolism.

Does Metabotrim work?

The product appears to be little more than a glorified multivitamin and mineral supplement. Chromium is linked with weight loss, but its effects are incredibly minor, minimally boosting weight loss over a period of several months. L-carnitine could help to increase fat oxidation in some people, but the amounts used here are insufficient to make much of an impact.

Whilst Carnitine and Chromium have both been proven to aid weight loss in clinical trials, their effects are described as minor or minimal. The standard dose of L-carnitine, L-tartrate (LCLT) is between 1000mg and 4000mg per day, and so supplementing 10% of the minimum effective dose is unlikely to make much of an impact upon fat oxidation. Add to this that L Carnitine supplementation only seems to affect fat oxidation in people who are L carnitine deficient before supplementation.

Magnesium can act like a laxative, and this could contribute to an appearance of initial weight loss. However, the magnesium dose in Metabotrim is quite small, and so even this may not occur.

Whilst the two customer reviews are positive, they are not at all specific about how much weight they lost or over how long. It could be that using Metabotrim works better as a placebo than as an actual weight loss supplement.

Overall, any weight loss would be incredibly minimal, over the course of several months.

Metabotrim Ingredients

The manufacturers of Metabotrim provide a full list of ingredients as well as the quantities of each ingredient used in their diet pill. The quantities listed below are per single capsule.

The ingredients used in Metabotrim are as follows:

• Vitamin C (Calcium Ascorbate) (75 mg 125%)
• Niacin (Niacinamide) (10 mg 50%: Vitamin B3): Niacin is responsible for helping to produce energy from consumed food, as well as helping keep the nervous and digestive systems healthy. Niacin can be easily sourced in adequate amounts from a balanced diet. Persistent excessive consumption of niacin has been linked with increased rates of obesity in American Children.
  Source:http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Vitamin-B.aspx
• Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxal -5- Phosphate) (3 mg 150%): Vitamin B6 has several important functions in the body, including ‘allowing the body to use and store energy from protein and carbohydrates in food’. Whilst taking excess amounts of vitamin B6 will not infinitely improve this ability, a deficiency could make it more difficult to lose weight. Vitamin B6 is naturally present in a wide variety of foods, including meat, cereals, bread and vegetables, and is often included in fortified breakfast cereals.
  Source:http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Vitamin-B.aspx
• Vitamin B-12 (Cyanocobalamin, Dibencozide) (6 mcg 100%): Vitamin B12 is naturally present in many foods, primarily meat, fish and dairy products. It has several roles, including aiding in releasing energy from consumed food, and keeping the nervous system healthy. It may be that a deficiency hinders weight loss, but taking excess amounts could be, according to the NHS, potentially harmful.
  Source:http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Vitamin-B.aspx
• Magnesium (Magnesium Asparate, Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Chelate) (20 mg 5%): Magnesium is a mineral required by the body for various processes. It is sometimes supplemented in the short term as a laxative, encouraging the absorption of water into stools, making them easier to pass and relieving constipation.
  Source:http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a601074.html
• Chromium (Chromium Chelate) (100 mcg 83%): This is used primarily to lower fasting blood sugar levels and to lower insulin levels in people who have type 2 diabetes. In terms of its potential effect upon weight loss, it is possible that taking chromium by mouth for 2 to 3 months might produce a small weight loss of about 1.1 kg. Obviously this is an incredibly small amount of weight loss, but studies are still inconclusive.
  Source:http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/932.html
• Potassium (Potassium Aspartate, Potassium Citrate) (20 mg 1%)
• Carnitine (1-Carnitine, I-Tartrate) (100 mg): Supplementation of this ingredient has been found to improve fat oxidation in people who were deficient in L- Carnitine. Supplementation of L-carnitine generally ranges between 1g and 4g, significantly more than is offered by this diet pill.
  Source:http://examine.com/supplements/L-Carnitine/#summary6

Metabotrim Side Effects

Whilst the manufacturers mention no side effects occuring from the use of Metabotrim, there are various side effects connected with individual ingredients used in the diet pill. Carnitine supplementation can cause nausea, vomiting, cramping, diarrhea and a ‘fishy’ body odor. However, considering the low dose of this included in the diet pill, the risks of these side effects are low, unless the individual consumer is supplementing additional l-carnitine separately, or has a diet naturally high in the ingredient.

Chromium can lower blood sugar levels, making it unsuitable for diabetics who have not consulted their physician about taking the product. Low blood sugar levels can lead to light headedness, nausea, dizziness and even fainting. Low blood sugar levels are much more likely if the consumer had not eaten for a prolonged period of time.

Metabotrim Customer Feedback

There are two customer reviews on Amazon for NuSkin Metabotrim:

If you are trying to lose weight, Metabotrim helps burn fat and keeps fat from staying on your body as long as you exercise and eat right.

I feel better taking Metabotrim. It feels like the fat dissolves and I’ve lost several inches around my waist. Thank you, Pharmanex!

Metabotrim Money-Back Guarantee

There is no money-back guarantee offered by Nu Skin, and their returns policy is very difficult to locate. It appears that they will only refund 90% of the purchase price, subject to various disclaimers, on unopened and unused products, within 90 days of the date of purchase. Customers report that getting a refund can be incredibly difficult, with many independent distributers not being aware of the returns policy at all.

Where To Buy Metabotrim

Metabotrim is available from numerous online retailers. The manufacturers, Nuskin.com, sell a single bottle of 60 capsules for $28.25, plus delivery charges.

Amazon sells the product, but there are several product pages because of the various third party companies that are selling the product. Prices on amazon therefore range between $23.49 and $31.98 per bottle, plus shipping charges.

Watchdog Verdict

Overall, we would advise customers to stay well away from Nu Skin; they operate using a distribution scheme which has been compared to a pyramid scheme, and their customer service is often complained about. Their products have been misrepresented numerous times, with the company having to pay out fines in numerous countries over the past 20+ years.

Their returns policy is inadequate, and means that they can profit from sales, even if the product is returned. The product itself is little more than a glorified multivitamin and mineral supplement. Even considering the two ingredients that could impact weight loss, one is present in insufficient quantities (10% of the minimum recommended dose), and the other is generally considered to be a minor contributor to weight loss efforts at best.

Overall, not only would we not recommend this product as a weight loss aid, but we would also suggest that it no longer be described as a weight loss aid.