Is Plexus Slim Safe or Dangerous?

Is Plexus Safe? A Careful Look at Plexus Slim Ingredients - Natural Health Advisory

Kathleen Jade, N.D.   •  01/31/2015 • Views (17982)

A number of people who have seen advertisements and anecdotal reports for Plexus Slim®, a weight loss supplement, have been smartly asking, “Is Plexus safe?” To answer this question, this article briefly reviews the known information about Plexus Slim ingredients, their amounts, Plexus Slim side effects, and any known dangers.

Is Plexus safe based on testing and research?

When evaluating the safety of a dietary supplement like Plexus, it is important to know whether the supplement itself has undergone any testing and, if so, what kind(s). Ideally, for evaluating safety, it would be best to see that Plexus itself has not only undergone testing in humans, but that the testing was done in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which both safety and efficacy were evaluated and the results were published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

While this level of research certainly exists for many supplements and natural ingredients, it was not done for Plexus. Plexus Worldwide states, “Its effectiveness has been clinically proven.” However, they do not reference this claim and they do not provide any additional information on their website to support it. A search of all the general databases for published medical research, including PubMed and Google Scholar, does not turn up any citations for studies on Plexus Slim® or on any product containing its proprietary blend of ingredients.

Since no published, human clinical studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of Plexus Slim seem to have been conducted, there are some additional important questions that must be asked when evaluating its safety. First, are the Plexus Slim ingredients safe to consume at the recommended dosage level based on human studies? In other words, has each individual ingredient in Plexus been tested in human studies for safety? Second, if no human studies on the individual ingredients have been done, have there been any animal or laboratory toxicity studies done on Plexus Slim’s individual ingredients? And third, does Plexus contain what it says it does and nothing more/nothing less? In other words, Plexus could be unsafe if what is listed on the label does not reflect what is actually in the product because of contamination or adulteration.

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What is Plexus?

Plexus Slim is a weight loss supplement manufactured by the network marketing company Plexus Worldwide, Inc. According to Plexus Worldwide’s website (accessed on January 29, 2015), each 5.0 gram serving (1 stick pack) of Plexus Slim® contains the following ingredients.

1. 200 mcg chromium

2. A proprietary blend of:

• Chlorogenic Acid (from green coffee Caffea bean extract (contains less than 2% natural caffeine)
• Garcinia cambogia fruit extract
• Alpha lipoic Acid

3. Other Ingredients: Polydextrose, Citric acid, Natural flavors, Beet (Beta vulgaris root) extract (for color), Stevia (Stevia Rebaudiana Leaf) extract, Luo han guo (Siratia grosvenorii fruit) extract.

Are These Plexus Slim Ingredients Safe?

While Plexus Worldwide, Inc. provides a list of ingredients in Plexus Slim® on their website, they do not provide the amounts of all of the individual ingredients. From the information provided, it is known that each serving contains 5 grams of total ingredients, including chromium; a proprietary blend of plant extracts and alpha lipoic acid; and the “other ingredients” which consist of plant extract-based sweeteners, natural flavors, citric acid and polydextrose. Without knowing the dose of each of the ingredients in the proprietary blend, it is difficult to comprehensively evaluate them for safety. Nevertheless, it is still useful to review the scientific literature for safety information on each of the individual ingredients.

Is Plexus safe based on the chlorogenic acid it contains?

Plexus claims that chlorogenic acid from green coffee extract is one of Plexus Slim’s primary active ingredients. In 2011, researchers from the University of Exeter in the UK published a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials examining the efficacy of green coffee extract supplements for weight loss.[1] According to the study authors, all of the trials conducted up to that point had been of very short duration, making it difficult to assess the safety of green coffee extract for medium to long term. “Although none of the randomized controlled trials identified reported any adverse events, this does not indicate that green coffee extract intake is ‘risk-free’… the safety of this weight loss aid is not established,” they concluded.

Since then, another small, controlled clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a green coffee bean extract in overweight subjects using higher daily dosages than previous studies (700 to 1050 mg vs. 180 to 400 mg).[2] As with previous studies, there were no side effects or adverse effects based on measurements of heart rate and blood pressure.

In these human studies, green coffee extract used for short periods of time (less than 16 weeks) appears to be safe. However, the studies did not look comprehensively at the subjects’ blood and urine for signs of adverse effects such as kidney or liver damage or elevated biomarkers for cardiovascular disease. An earlier study found that a daily dose of 2,000 mg chlorogenic acid caused significant increases in subjects’ homocysteine levels.[3] Elevated homocysteine levels increase the risk of heart disease. While it is highly unlikely that 1 or 2 daily servings of Plexus contains more than 2 grams of chlorogenic acid, it is possible that even lower levels of chlorogenic acid could have negative effects on homocysteine levels and thus potentially raise the risk of heart disease in some individuals.

Is Plexus safe based on studies for contamination and adulteration?

Adulteration of weight loss supplements with pharmaceuticals and other banned and dangerous ingredients is, unfortunately, rampant. The FDA keeps a growing tally of weight loss products contaminated with undeclared drugs and/or chemical ingredients. The FDA’s laboratory tests have revealed the presence, for example, of sibutramine and phenolphthalein in a number of tainted weight loss products being sold over the counter. Phenolphthalein is laxative drug banned by the FDA in 1999 for potential cancer risks. Sibutramine is a controlled substance and the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Meridia, an approved prescription drug to treat obesity.

Some of the tainted products tested by the FDA recommend taking more than 3 times the recommended daily dosage of sibutramine, putting consumers at risk of serious adverse effects such as increased blood pressure, tachycardia, palpitations, and seizure. Plexus Slim has not been identified on the FDA’s list, the FDA’s tally contains only a tiny fraction of products on the market. Can the company prove with independent lab testing that Plexus Slim does not contain these adulterants or others?

Finding safe, effective supplements for weight loss

Ideally, individuals interested in supplements for weight loss should work with a practitioner trained in nutritional and botanical medicine who stays up-to-date with the scientific literature and has experience and knowledge with choosing and prescribing only the highest quality supplements. Supplement companies who take quality assurance and manufacturing practices very seriously will test all raw materials and finished products for purity and potency using scientifically valid test methods, and their supplements will be manufactured in FDA-inspected facilities and/or in facilities that exceed the FDA’s good manufacturing practices. They will also disclose the amounts of each ingredient or the total amount of a propriety blend.

On their website, Plexus Worldwide provides very little information about their quality assurance protocols or manufacturing practices, leaving questions about whether Plexus Slim is tainted or contaminated. Because of these issues and more, it is not easy to definitively know whether Plexus Slim is safe or not. Supplements can be incredibly effective tools for health and wellness, but it is best not to guess or take chances on supplements that do not disclose even basic information about ingredient sources, their amounts, quality control, and manufacturing practices.