Plexus Slim: The Great Pink Drink Scam

This is the story of how I was taken aback by the great pink drink scam. I'm sure you've seen it all over social media, that pretty pink drink that is supposed to be some miracle weight loss solution. 

Plexus Worldwide is an MLM that has been around for a few years and has drawn in thousands of people with its promises of quick weight loss and easy money. Well, I'm here to tell you that it's all a lie. Here's what I found out about the so-called #pinkdrinkthatshrinks.

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• TL;DR Summary

  Plexus is a company that has been warned multiple times by the FTC and FDA for making false health claims about what its supplements can do.

  They are most well-known for their pink drink, which is supposed to help with weight loss. However, none of the ingredients in this drink are scientifically proven to help with weight loss or improve health.

  Additionally, Plexus is an MLM (multi-level marketing company) which means that they recruit customers of their products into a debt-inducing scheme.

  If you're looking for a safe and healthy way to lose weight, Plexus diet advice is not the answer. It is recommended that you consult with a qualified nutrition and fitness professional instead.

What Is Plexus Slim and What Are Its Claimed Benefits?

The Plexus pink drink is their Plexus Slim Microbiome Activating product. It is commonly referred to as Plexus Slim. The Plexus Slim weight loss supplement is a drink mix that is made with ingredients such as Garcinia Cambogia, chromium, and alpha-lipoic acid. 

Plexus claims that their pink drink is "the most natural way to lose weight" and contains "ingredients clinically demonstrated to improve your gut health and support healthy glucose metabolism." But, does plexus really work?

Let's dig into those "clinically demonstrated" ingredients. We’ll see where the science actually holds up, where it doesn’t, and where there might be Plexus side effects.

Xylooligosaccharide

Xylooligosaccharide is a food ingredient that comes from xylan. This is a type of hemicellulose found in plants. It has the potential to be classified as a prebiotic because it has been shown to selectively stimulate the growth and activity of beneficial gut bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. In theory, it could improve gut health and digestion.

Unfortunately, the effects of XOS are still hypothetical. There is promising in-vitro research to support the theory that this supplement is beneficial. However, significantly more data from well-designed human studies are needed before XOS can be classified as a prebiotic ingredient. Additionally, it is too early to be making claims about what this ingredient can actually do.

Given that Plexus is relying on an unproven ingredient to fulfill almost all of its gut health claims... isn't a great start.

Chromium Polynicotinate

Chromium is an essential mineral that regulates insulin in the body. Because of this, many believe that chromium can help regulate blood sugar levels. When bound to niacin (vitamin B3), it is called chromium polynicotinate. This form of chromium has been found to be more absorbable and efficacious than other forms.

The thing is, when people with normal or elevated chromium levels supplement with additional chromium, research has shown there aren't any reliable benefits. This means supplementing with chromium does not reliably affect glucose metabolism or help with blood sugar control in the way Plexus claims.

Green Coffee Bean Extract

Green coffee beans are unroasted coffee beans that contain chlorogenic acid. This is the compound that is thought to be responsible for weight loss effects. However, there is no consistent evidence to support this. 

Claiming otherwise is exactly how Dr. Oz landed himself in front of US senators on Capitol Hill for making false health claims. This claim also instigated the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to sue a company for false marketing and unrealistic weight-loss claims. 

Green coffee bean extract does have caffeine, which can have undesirable side effects. However, Plexus does not disclose how much caffeine is in their pink drink on the supplement label.

Garcinia Cambogia

Garcinia Cambogia is a tropical fruit that contains hydroxycitric acid (HCA). HCA is the compound that is thought to promote weight loss. However, there is no consistent evidence to support this.

A study published in the National Library of Medicine showed that, while participants who took Garcinia Cambogia did lose some weight, it was not statistically significant.

In fact, the study showed that the placebo group (people who took a dummy pill) lost the same amount of weight as the people who took Garcinia Cambogia.

Additionally, Garcinia Cambogia can have some negative side effects. These include nausea, diarrhea, and stomach pain.

Alpha Lipoic Acid

Alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant that is made in the body. It is also found in foods like broccoli, spinach, and meat. It has been shown to have some beneficial effects such as decreasing inflammation and improving blood sugar control in people with diabetes.

Regarding weight loss, the research on supplemental alpha-lipoic acid is still inconclusive. Current research is showing that it’s overall effect for weight loss is insignificant.

White Mulberry Fruit Extract

White mulberry fruit extract is another ingredient found in Plexus Slim. This ingredient is claimed to help with blood sugar control by decreasing the absorption of sugar from food.

There is some evidence to support this claim, but more research is needed. One study showed that supplemental mulberry leaf extract reduced blood sugar levels after meals. However, this study was small and the findings haven’t been confirmed.

So, while white mulberry fruit extract may have some benefits for blood sugar control, there is not enough evidence to support weight-loss claims.

Does Plexus Slim Work for Weight Loss?

There is no scientific evidence to support the claims that Plexus Slim can help you lose weight quickly, safely, or easily. Plexus slim relies heavily on unproven ingredients to make its weight-loss claims. 

Without concrete evidence to support their ingredients, it's hard to trust that Plexus actually works. So, while the Plexus pink drink looks pretty in Instagram photos, it cannot promise to do anything for your health or weight loss goals.

What About Other Plexus Products?

In addition to the Plexus Slim pink drink, Plexus also offers a variety of other supplements, such as Plexus Boost, Plexus Accelerator+, and Plexus Bio Cleanse. I looked through their entire supplement line and saw only one product that could have had nutrition potential.

Plexus, however, still managed to make ruin the integrity of the science that backs this product. Plexus Lean is a whey protein powder that they are marketing as a meal replacement.

The problem here is that protein powder diluted with a powdered fiber supplement is not an adequate meal replacement.

While whey protein powder is a high-quality protein supplement, Plexus Lean is not a good product because the formulation cuts the protein content down to 12g per serving. Essentially, half the amount of a typical whey protein supplement. This actually reduces the effectiveness of the product.

They took the one product they had with some scientific backing and made it less effective by diluting it. You would be much better off buying a whey protein powder from Amazon than buying Plexus Lean.

The FDA and FTC Warned Plexus

Plexus is no stranger to deceptive marketing and making false health claims. In fact, in 2014, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned Plexus for making unsubstantiated claims that their products were "intended for use in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease." 

The FDA isn't the only organization that has taken issue with Plexus' marketing practices. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has also sent Plexus warnings for making unsubstantiated health claims about their products.

Plexus received another warning letter from the FTC as recently as 2020 for "unlawfully advertising that certain products treat or prevent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”)." 

You read that right, Plexus distributors were claiming that their pink drink could help "boost immunity" and prevent or minimize a COVID-19 viral infection.

This is my personal opinion, but I believe there is a special place in hell for people who exploited the global pandemic to push health misinformation.

Don't Be Scammed: Plexus is an MLM.

False health claims aren't the only deceptive claims Plexus is known for. Another common ploy used by Plexus is to make income claims that cannot be substantiated.

Plexus is an MLM scam. An MLM is a multi-level marketing company that uses independent distributors to sell its products. Plexus doesn't hire distributors as employees.

Instead, they recruit the customers of their products to sign up as contractors for commission on a recruitment scale. They convince people to join this pyramid scheme through deceptive income claims and the promise of easy money.

The problem with MLMs is that very few people actually make any money. In fact, the vast majority of people who join MLMs lose money. Statistically, less than 1% of MLM distributors make money at all. Most participants of an MLM scheme end up losing money or in substantial debt.

Not only is their famous pink drink completely useless as a supplement, but the company itself is an MLM scam. Listen to the Plexus Slim negative reviews and don't be suckered in by the promises of weight loss and easy money from a Plexus ambassador -  it's all a lie.

Conclusion

Plexus is a scam that promises quick weight loss and easy money, but instead leaves people out of pocket with nothing to show for it. Having been warned many times by the FTC and FDA, I wouldn't put any trust in this company's claims. 

If you're looking for a safe and healthy way to lose weight, steer clear of Plexus and any other MLM schemes. The truth they won't tell you is that there is no single supplement in existence that can help you to lose weight. If you're serious about pursuing healthy weight loss, I recommend consulting a qualified nutrition and fitness professional.

• References

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