XLS Medical Review

We've been writing a lot about weight loss supplements recently, and so far we have not been impressed by what these companies offer. XLS Medical are one of the most popular weight loss supplement companies in the UK and offer a range of sachet drinks, meal replacements and tablets.

You're most likely to encounter XLS Medical on Amazon, Boots, Superdrug and Tesco - or via several online outlets.

So, we've done a fair bit of research into the products to understand how good they are, and whether they actually work.

Who is XLS Medical?

To know more about the company, you need to know about a company called Perrigo. They are a global self-care company who is the mothership for a whole suite of high-street brands. They own brands like Niquitin (Nicotine replacement patches/ chewing gum), Nytol, Jungle Formula, Beconase, Tiger balm and Bio-oil among many others.

Perrigo are also a 'white label' supplier of numerous products; meaning that you could set up a company, buy their products and put your own brand on it. It seems that they were set up in the US (where they make most of their money from over-the-counter pharmaceuticals) and operate in the UK via Ireland (which is known to be done for tax reasons).

XLS Medical are an extension of the larger company and is dedicated to selling weight-loss and dietary supplements to a demographic that mainly looks like women. You can find the brand in a range of high-street stores.

Our XLS Review

So, we thought we'd start with the claims by the company so we can look a little deeper at the product itself to see if the claims match the ingredients/ the studies. So, the company claims that the products reduce the breakdown and absorption of fats, sugars and other carbs - this is down to the active ingredient Clavitanol (we will talk about that in a second).

They suggest that weight loss is 33% more effective than dieting alone thanks to its ability to establish blood glucose levels and fights food cravings.

What is important to point out is that the company do not hide away from the fact that you need to combine XLS medical products with a healthy diet and active lifestyle - both things are the main drivers of weight loss. You are extremely unlikely to lose weight using the products on your own. That is just a fact.

The only ingredient listed on the product is Clavitanol which seems to be a 'proprietary blend' of natural ingredients which are said to promote weight loss. Exactly what the blend contains (and at what doses) is held by the company and not available to the public. This happens often with pharmaceuticals where the ingredient mixture is patented to protect the company's intellectual property.

It means that it is almost impossible to say what the ingredients are. What we could find was the inclusion of two ingredients: L-arabinose and Grape Marc Extract.

L-Arabinose is known as a food sweetener and is mostly found in foods designed for diabetic people. The main benefit is reducing insulin spikes from eating sugary foods. In theory, the body stores fatter when there is an insulin spike in the bloodstream, so reducing the spike should reduce the amount of fat stored. there isn't a lot of evidence around this it seems though.

Secondly, Grape Marc Extract is what is left over after the juice has been squeezed out of the grapes during the wine-making process. It is simply the solid remains left over. The grape marc is a cheap ingredient which is used for a huge array of industrial processes, but one study suggests that it can help as a digestive enzyme which breaks down carbohydrates.

What do online reviews say?