In today's world, maintaining energy and focus has become a priority. Many individuals seek that extra boost to power through workouts, studies, or demanding schedules. AdvoCare, a company that has been around since 1993, offers a range of wellness products, with Spark and Trim being among the most popular. This article delves into the ingredients of these products, examining their potential benefits and drawbacks.
AdvoCare: A History and Overview
Founded by Charles E. Ragus, AdvoCare has built a network of distributors, including celebrities like Drew Brees, Jason Witten, and Trevor Bayne. The company sells supplements, powders, meal replacement shakes, and capsules. Despite facing a class-action lawsuit in 2016 and ongoing debates about its multi-level marketing (MLM) structure, AdvoCare maintains a strong customer base.
Spark: Energy and Mental Focus
Spark is a powdered drink energy supplement promising "enhanced mental focus". Spark fuels you with clean energy, focus, and nutrients your body actually needs. According to testimonials, Spark has been a game-changer for workouts, studying late, and travel. It is claimed that unlike sugary energy drinks that leave you feeling worse than before, Spark fuels you with clean energy, focus, and nutrients your body actually needs.
Caffeine Concerns
AdvoCare products like Spark contain a significant amount of caffeine. While caffeine can provide a temporary energy boost, excessive consumption can lead to adverse effects. The IOC consensus statement advises caution, noting that "the ‘more is better’ philosophy, when applied to caffeine, may result in side effects, including nausea, anxiety, accelerated heart rate, and insomnia, that outweigh the performance benefits." They recommend intakes of 3-6 mg/kg, as unwanted outcomes become more common with caffeine doses ≥9 mg/kg body mass.
Trim: A Weight Loss Program
AdvoCare's weight loss program, Trim, is a Metabolic Nutrition System (MNS) that "combines an essential mix of ingredients and phytochemical herbs to increase energy levels and enhance your body’s ability to burn off excess body fat.” The MNS provides “vital nutrients as well as supports for sustaining a healthy weight.” The program features three main products, each targeting a different area: appetite suppression, optimum nutrition, and energy.
Read also: Uncover the truth about K3 Spark Mineral's weight loss claims.
Questionable Ingredients
Trim products contain crystalline fructose, green coffee extract, and sucralose-all ingredients that seem counterintuitive for weight loss. Lisa R. Young, a nutritionist and author of “Finally Full, Finally Slim” said that crystalline fructose is an added sugar that contributes calories, and in excess, can even cause weight gain. Sucralose, a zero-calorie sweetener often marketed as being good for weight loss, doesn’t seem to have any major effects on weight, according to Young, and “It also may not be good for health. So why risk it?”
On green coffee extract, Young said, “Potential side effects I've read about are-insomnia, nervousness, upset stomach, nausea, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, headaches, anxiety.”
Garcinia Cambogia: Appetite Suppression?
One ingredient brought into question is garcinia cambogia, a tropical fruit often found in weight-loss supplements, because it’s thought to curb appetite and block the body’s ability to make fat. Lisa R. Young said that it’s entirely possible that there can be negative side effects from taking a product containing garcinia cambogia. “As I tell clients-why take a supplement like this if there is the potential for side effects,” she said."It may not be good for health. So why risk it?”
The Supplement Dilemma
Dr. Dan Benardot, an RD/LD who works with Olympic athletes says, “Supplements are, for most people totally unnecessary.” Even so, he says, “Most people don’t understand how to take them. Most people think that if a little bit of a nutrient is good for you, more must be better, and nothing could be further from the truth."
In a 2018 statement in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the authors agreed that, because performance-enhancing supplements in particular are not well enough researched yet, “Decisions on supplement use therefore need to consider both the context of use and the specific protocol employed.” They also reported that in the US, in 2015, approximately 23,000 emergency department visits annually were reported to be associated with dietary supplement use.
Read also: Spark Ingredients Explained
Copper Concerns
On copper, Dr. Benardot, though unable to speak to AdvoCare products specifically, said that consuming any supplement containing the metal, is dangerous. “Copper is needed in very small amounts. It has one basic function and that is part of the transfer of a protein called ceruloplasmin, which transfers iron to transferrin, which is the transport of the blood into hemoglobin, to make hemoglobin for red blood cells,” he says. “What are you gonna do if you have all the ceruloplasmin you need and you intake copper? What’s your body supposed to do with it? It’s a heavy toxic metal.”
AdvoCare’s Director of Research & Development and Scientific Operations, Michael Hartman, disputed that a person could possibly have enough copper in their system without the help of a supplement, citing an Institute of Medicine study that says “only 20% of the population receives the amount of copper they need through daily meals. They have to consume it from dietary or supplemental resources. The copper in AdvoCare is at 10% of the daily value.” He added, “The great advantage to supplements, is that you know exactly how much copper you’re getting in. If you’re only getting it from food sources, you don’t know how much copper you’re ingesting.”
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