Review: ViSalus Vi-Shape Shake
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The ViSalus Vi-Shape shake claims to “support the body’s lean muscle and fat-burning” process. In this review we are going to find out how that could possibly take place. Or not.
Type Of Product
Meal replacement
Manufacturer
ViSalus Sciences (website)
The Claim
From the manufacturer’s website:
(…) Vi-Shape offers a filling and balanced meal designed to help you lose weight and support lean muscle and healthy energy. Made with our exclusive Tri-Sorb™ protein blend and prebiotic fiber, this shake is enriched with healthy vitamins and minerals to support an active lifestyle.
Price Per Serving
US: $1.43 – $2.16 ($43.00 – $64.97 / month)
EU: N/A
(Monthly cost calculated with daily use of the shake only, not additional products offered)
Ingredients
Soy protein isolate, digestive resistant maltodextrin, whey protein hydrolysate, whey protein concentrate, dicalcium phosphate, sunflower oil, natural and artificial flavor, medium chain triglycerides, maltodextrin, gum arabic, xanthan gum, sodium caseinate, dimagnesium phosphate, magnesium oxide, soy lecithin, mono and diglycerides, patented protease (from Aminogen™), dipotassium phosphate, sucralose, ascorbic acid, vitamin E acetate, chromium amino acid chelate, molybdenum amino acid chelate, selenium amino acid chelate, biotin, vitamin A palimate, niacinamide, potassium iodide, zinc oxide, copper gluconate, calcium pantothenate, cyanocobalamin, manganese sulfate, cholecalciferol, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, phytomenadione and folic acid.
In Detail
The Vi-Shape shake basically consists of a heapful of soy protein and an artificial fiber source, “digestive resistant maltodextrin”. The rest basically is vitamins, minerals and artificial sweeteners.
It’s this digestive resistant maltodextrin that the makers of Vi-Shape advertise as “prebiotic fiber” and probably put their hope on, if we go by the fact that it only plays second fiddle to the soy protein in the list of ingredients. Normally it is marketed under the trademark “Fibersol” and, if you believe its Japanese manufacturer, Matsutani, supposedly keeps you satiated for longer.
The Japanese ministry for Health, Labour and Welfare begs to differ and didn’t approve Fibersol for controlling body fat (PDF). The only study I could find that showed increased levels of satiety due to Fibersol was sponsored by Matsutani’s US partner, Archer Daniels Midland.
On the ViSalus website you do find links to about 30 white papers, but on a glance they have nothing to do with ViSalus products doing anything for weight loss and all but one are by the same person, Dr. Michael Seidman. A doctor who at least in the past believed that you could clear toxins from your body through the soles of your feet.
The Verdict
For app. $50 per month, each daily serving of the Vi-Shape shake offers you 5 g of fiber,12 g of protein and a bunch of vitamins. That is 150 g of fiber and 360 g of protein per month.
For around $6 / month, you could buy a regular fiber supplement. For another $6 you could get the same amount of soy protein from a high quality soy protein powder
Neither this or the Vi-Shape shake is likely to have a huge impact on your weight loss goals. But at least you didn’t blow three to fives times as much money on it.
Vendors
ViSalus Vi-Shape Shake is available at Amazon US
Picture courtesy of “cheeseslave“.
8 Comments
This is very similar with Ensure – which is typically promoted as a meal replacement for disabled or elderly people. I essentially did the math and found out nutrient-wise that’s it’s basically milk with a basic multivitamin and some protein powder in it. You can essentially make your own version for 1/4 of the price by swallowing a multivitamin split in half with an eighth of a scoop of vanilla or chocolate flavored whey or soy protein powder mixed with 2% milk.
The problem is that whey protein powders aren’t sold in grocery stores, and if they are then they are overpriced, but not as bad as the overpriced protein/candy bars that are typically sold.
Sorry for the belated reply, Ryan.
Yes, the protein powders found in grocery stores often are expensive (and some are really yuck). But whoever is able to shop for ViSalus on the internet, should be able to find better protein powders there as well.
Thank you for this review. Unfortunately there is a lot of false information floating around the internet about visalus. One correction on this post: it is a meal replacement loaded with nutrition. You save money & feel better. There is 10x more reliable information on the internet about visalus. I would look elsewhere before drawing a conclusion. I have seen with my own two eyes- people crying in joy because of how much better they felt. Before i started – i had a major energy problem – this is not the case anymore
You’d make me cry with joy if you said where exactly my review is “false”.
Ryan, your lack of nutrition and physiology knowledge is astounding. In my current nutrition studies in college, I have been learning how very important those “bunch of vitamins” as you refer to them are. The vi shake is made to be easily absorbed, where many other “protein powders” just go through your system undigested. The type of protein used is a huge difference between the Vi shake and others. It is patented.And it is not just soy protein. You really just did not do your research here. What are your credentials by the way?
Vitamins should come from their natural sources and not a supplement, no peer-reviewed research exists to back your claim about other powders not being digested, and the “patented” protein or fiber in the ViSalus shake was in Japan not approved for weight loss purposes, as stated.
My credentials are non-existing. Yours are that a quick web search revealed that you are a representative of ViSalus.
What you say about the patented protein not being approved for weight loss purposes in Japan does not mean it is not a good source of protein. As far as vitamins coming from food, that is true, but are you aware that many people havent’t been able to take the time to do the research to find out the best sources of zinc, or thiamin, or many of the necessary nutrients our bodies need? I intended to say that many protein powders pass through a persons digestive system because they are hard to digest, or because there is so much protein that the body cannot absorb it all. That is out of my nutrition text book, a course that I am taking right now, after taking courses on biology, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, and as I stated, currently nutrition. I am a representative of visalus. I know a lot about the product. You need to get better info.
Kathy you obviously dont know too much of anything about, really anything. This is a soy based product that is incredibly inferior to a whey or even casein based product. I do not take it espeically for the fact that your paying market rate on it, and getting half as much protien. This product contains no leukic, l-carnitine or creatine. Its a product designed for lazy people to lose weight…and then quickly gain it back when theyre tired of feeling sluggish and down due to their blood sugar levels.