Eco-Test Results Diet Shakes are almost all over

The turn of the year is next to the summer for the slimming industry, the best time to sell their products. Because many use the beginning of the year to start a diet. It should also help so-called diet shakes. These promise a healthy weight loss. Reason enough for Ökotest to take a closer look. The results are catchy: "enough" has the double-hearted Active Diet Shake the best - while Almased, Yokebe and most others fail with a smooth six. Flavors, chlorate, genetic engineering and a lot of dubious promises are the reason.
Counting calories, the complicated preparation of diet-suitable meals and a guilty conscience, but having eaten too much again ... If you do not feel like it, slimming remedies like Almased or Slim-Fast are likely! How to make a dream come true: Just mix powder with water or milk into a creamy shake, drink several times a day ... and extra pounds melt away like butter in the sun.

The dream of problem-free weight loss is fueled by the advertising promises of the manufacturers. Herbalife, for example, describes her product as "a delicious, healthy meal". Weber & Weber advertises for its Multan figure shaper with statements like "feel fit and resilient" and "lose weight". Almased praises the unique Almased phenomenon and promises "fast and permanent weight loss". Provider Biomo Vital (Xlim Active Meal) sells its product as a "self-determined weight management" without yo-yo effect.

Diet shakes fail at test. Picture: mizina - fotolia

But what about the powders being offered in pharmacies and drugstores on a grand scale these days? After all, it is reassuring that the products must not be composed in any way, but are subject to the regulations of the diet regulation. This prescribes minimum levels of protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and fiber for powders that are to be taken as a daily ration. The goal is to maintain the essential functions of the body and to limit the breakdown of musculature. The loss of muscle mass can not be completely prevented. Other products will only replace single meals one day. They call themselves meal replacement. 

Exact specifications exist for the calorie content. For example, daily rations must contain 800 to 1,200 kilocalories (kcal), while 200 to 400 kcal are required for a single meal. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) differentiates between the weight loss claims that have been approved since 2010, starting with the replacement of two main meals, and the meal replacement for weight stabilization, which requires one daily diet drink.

Twelve out of 16 products failed with 'insufficient'. The main reason for the devaluation were in addition to any amount of advertising promises the insufficient application-oriented advice. Five of the tested products were offered as daily rations, the remainder as substitutes for up to three meals. In part, however, should be drunk exclusively in start-up phases. The problem is the low calorie and nutrient contents. One product contained too little potassium and fiber.

Four shakes contained increased levels of chlorate or perchlorate chemicals that can block the uptake of iodine into the thyroid gland. In three powders genetically modified components of soybeans were detected. Since genetic engineering is associated with ecological risks, Öko-Test evaluated these findings strictly.

Anyone who does not permanently change their eating habits according to the formula diet will soon recover. This fact should according to testers necessarily on the packaging, but is often concealed. An acceptable reference was found only on the package insert for the 'Double Heart Active Diet Shake, Vanilla Flavor'. This shake was with the overall rating 'sufficient' the test winner. Directly behind came the products of the drugstores DM 'The healthy plus diet vital food, vanilla' and Rossmann 'WellMix diet vitality vanilla, sachet' with the overall rating 'poor'. Another 'poor' cut was the Nestlé Shake 'Optifast Home Drink
Vanilla, portion bag 'from.

Among the 12 losers were the well-known branded products 'Herbalife Formula 1 Healthy Meal, Vanilla Flavor' and 'Almased Vital Food' *. Chlorate has been detected at Almased, as well as 'Modifast Weight Loss Program, Vanilla, Portion Pouch' and 'Multaben Figur Diet 45% Protein, Vanilla Shake'

Particularly bad has cut off a pharmacy-exclusive product. A guarantee for high-quality formula diets is therefore not available in pharmacies.

If you are looking for weight loss support, you should contact the health insurance, Öko-Test recommends. In addition, the German Nutrition Society offers addresses of qualified nutritionists. (sb, Ökotest)