Updated 1/14/20. “Reach your weight loss goal even faster.” That's what they say on the website for XLS Medical Max Strength, a weight loss supplement that's popular in Great Britain and the European Union. The supplement claims to be the “First slimming aid to reduce calorie intake from carbohydrates, sugar and fat” that is also “clinically proven.” In this review, I'll look at the active ingredient in XLS Max Strength (called Clavitanol) as well as the research I could locate. Hopefully, by the end of this review, you will have a better idea of whether XLS Medical Max Strength is right for you.
XLS Medical Max Strength Ingredients
From what I was able to discover, the active ingredient in XLS Max Strength is something called “Clavitanol.” The supplement also contains other ingredients (called excipients) that are present as binders and fillers and have no known weight loss effects. Those other are ingredients are as follows:
- Microcrystalline cellulose
- Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)
- Tricalcium phosphate
- Magnesium stearate
I won't cover these in the review because I don't feel they contribute to any weight loss effects. I know some feel strongly about some of these ingredients and that is why I've listed them here.
Let's next discuss the product's active ingredient- Clavitanol and its research.
What Is Clavitanol?
The active ingredient in XLS Medical Max Strength is something called “Clavitanol” (cla-vit-an-ol). The term Clavitanol is a made-up word (it's trademarked) and is a product of a pharmaceutical company called InQpharm, which is based in Malaysia. InQpharm, in turn, is owned by another company, called Zaluvida.
At Clavitanol.com, we are told that this product is a“plant-based polyphenol complex.” There are many different types of polyphenols. I'm not
sure what polyphenols are in Clavitanol.
We are also told that Clavitanol has -as its “active ingredient” – something called IQP VV 102. Whether or not Clavitanol is the same thing as IQP-VV-102 or if this is just part of the Clavitanol compound. I'm not sure. The company websites I saw were quite vague about this.
Nevertheless, from the research I found (which I'll cover below), IQP-VV-102 is composed of a proprietary blend of:
- 600 mg Arabinose (a type of sugar)
- 45 mg Grape marc extract
According to this study, Arabinose is said to work by inhibiting the breakdown of glucose.
According to Wikipedia, grape mark -also called pomace – refers to the solid remains of grapes and includes the pulp, seeds, skins and stems of grapes. This substance contains a variety of healthy compounds, some of which are said to inhibit carbohydrate breakdown. By inhibiting carb breakdown, it also reduces the calories absorbed from that breakdown.
Grape marc also contains fiber. How much fiber is in Clavitanol? I don't know. Clavianol contains an extract of grape marc, but exactly what that extract is, I also do not know.
XLS Medical Max Strength Research
While I cannot locate any peer-reviewed clinical studies on XLS Medical Max Strength – itself -there is some research on its active ingredient, called, Clavitanol (IQP-VV-102).
In a study, published in 2015, entitled IQP-VV-102, a Novel Proprietary Composition for Weight Reduction: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial for Evaluation of Efficacy and Safety, researchers gave randomly gave 120 overweight Caucasian men and women (18-60 years of age) either a placebo or IQP-VV-102 for 14 weeks.
During the study, people took either:
- 2 tablets of IQP-VV-102 twice a day (4 tablets per day)
- 2 placebo tablets, twice a day
before the two biggest meals of the day.
The study tells us that each tablet of IQP-VV-102 contained 600 mg of Arabinose and 45 mg of grape marc extract. Since the people were
taking 4 tablets per day, this equals 2400 mg of arabinose and 180 mg of grape mark extract.
The people were told to eat a mildly low calorie diet (20% less than normal) during the study. The people kept diaries of what they ate and were also encouraged to perform moderate exercise like walking.
Body fat was determined using bioelectric impedance analysis. The researchers used the TanitaBC-420 SMA body fat analyzer.
After the study, it was found that those who took IQP-VV-102 (Clavitanol) lost an average of 3.29 kg (about 7.2 pounds) while those who took the placebo lost an average of only 0.83 kg (about 1.8 pounds).
Those getting IQP VV 102 also saw significantly more fat loss and lower waist circumferences.
Overall, this study appears to be well done (although I wished the researchers also included a group who just took IQP VV 102 without modifying diet and exercise). In other words, how much did eating less and exercise play a role in the observed weight loss?
This appears to the only human study published on Clavitanol (IQP VV 102). I'll update this part of the review as I become aware of more research.
Max Strength vs. XLS Medical Fat Binder
It appears that XLS Medical Max Strength is supposed to be a more efficient weight loss product than, the other flagship product the company has, called simply XLS Medical Fat Binder.
What is the difference?
Well, for one thing, the Max Strength supplement is a carb blocker. XLS Medical Fat binder, is, well, a fat blocker. Whether something blocks fat or blocks carbs, remember this means it's really blocking the calories in those foods.
In addition, the XLS Fat Binder (as well as another product called XLS Direct Fat Binder) contains an ingredient called Litramine (lit-tra-mean), which is derived from a type of cactus called Opuntia ficus-indica. In the research, Litramine is called “IQP G-002AS.”
One study on Litramine, titled: A Natural Fiber Complex Reduces Body Weight in the Overweight and Obese: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study, was published in 2013 and involved 125 overweight adults and lasted 12 weeks.
The people were randomly given either a placebo or 3 grams of Litramine (IQP G-002AS) per day for 12 weeks.
The people were instructed to reduce their calories by 500 calories per day and have no more than 30% of their diet come from fat and add in 30 minutes of moderate exercise like walking or cycling.
This study was conducted very similarly to the Clavitanol study summarized above.
At the end of 12 weeks, those taking 3 grams of Litramine per day lost significantly more weight than those taking the placebo. Specifically, those taking Litraminie lost 3.8 kg (8.4 pounds) compared to a loss of 1.4 kg (3 pounds) in the placebo group. Those taking Litraminie also saw significantly greater losses in BMI and waist circumferences too.
It's worth mentioning that the cactus Opuntia ficus-indica – from which Litraminie is derived – also has weight loss research. I covered that research in more detail in these studies:
- TriVita Nopalea Cactus Review
picture from xlsmedical.co.uk
See those reviews for additional information.
The XLS Medical website provides a comparison (see picture) that appears to show that XLS Medical Max Strength provides 33% more weight loss than regular XLS Medical.
But, at the bottom of the picture, it says “data on file.” That probably means the company has the results in their files. It might also mean the evidence that one is better than another has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
If the data of the head-to-head comparison between Litraminie and Clavitanol become published, I'll update this portion of the review.
Does Clavitanol Block Fat?
XLS Medical Max Strength is said to block carbs, sugar, AND fat. But, I see no good evidence that Clavitanol blocks fat. The research study summarized above on Clavitanol does not mention it blocking fat from people. Clavitanol only appears to block carbs (sugar too because carbs are basically sugar molecules).
By blocking carbs (and sugar), the supplement helps people reduce calorie intake, especially when combined with eating fewer calories and some exercise.
I freely admit that when this review was written, I did not have access to an actual bottle of XLS Medical Max Strength to see exactly what was in it. As such, it's possible there may be other ingredients that I was not aware of. If I am incorrect and there are other ingredients present (such as the fat blocker, Litramine), I hope someone will let me know so I can update this review if needed.
Does It Contain Stimulants?
As far as I can tell XLS Medical supplements contain no stimulants like caffeine, bitter orange, higenamine, etc. As a rule, always read the labels of supplements (or contact the maker of the products you take) to make sure.
Who Makes XLS Medical?
The company is called Omega Pharma. This is the company which registered the website in 2012. Omega Pharma is a Belgium-based company. Their website is Omega-Pharma.com. According to their website, they are a maker of “prescription-free health and personal care products.”
Omega Pharm was founded in 1987. According to this Forbes article, the company was sold in 2014 to the pharmaceutical company, Perrigo. Omega Pharm is a subsidiary of Perrigo.
Therefore, Perrigo is the parent company of Omega Pharma and thus, XLS Medical supplements.
Omega Pharma is located at Industrial Zoning De Prijkels Venecoweg 26 9810 Nazareth Belgium. Their contact phone number is +32 9 381 04 81. Their contact email is info@omega-pharma.com.
Perrigo corporate headquarters is located at this address: Treasury Building, Lower Grand Canal St., Dublin 2, Ireland.
Their phone number is +353 1 709 4000.
XLS Medical Side Effects
Based on what I can see, the supplement appears safe for most people. At the time this review was written, no side effects in clinical studies have been reported for Clavitanol. Likewise, for those taking Litramine, the active ingredient in XLS Medical (the non-max strength supplement), no side effects have been reported either.
With respect to Litramine, some bring up that this fat blocker might deplete the body of fat-soluble vitamins (A,E, D, and K). I think for the most part, this is a worst-case scenario. Most people in industrialized countries are not lacking in these vitamins (except maybe vitamin D which many are lacking).
If fat blockers, like Litraminie do reduce fat-soluble vitamin absorption, my guess is they would take several months before those effects would become significant. Supplements often add in these vitamins to offset any deficiency.
One person has reported excess gas (farting) after starting XLS Medical. See the comments below.
For those who are under age 18, pregnant, nursing or who are within 2-3 weeks of having surgery, or take any medications, speak to your doctor and pharmacist first.
Did I try XLS Medical?
I did not experiment with XLS medical as part of this review to see if it really worked or not. I usually don't try the supplements I review. Some may call this a limitation to my review (in other words, “how do you know if it works if you didn't try it?”) but I prefer, instead, to show people the research I uncovered to help them better understand the products they take.
If you tried XLS Medical supplements, let me know below if it worked – or didn't – by leaving a comment below.
Does XLS Medical Work?
The research on the active ingredient in XLS Medical Max Strength (Clavitanol) appears to be well done and does seem to show those taking it lost more weight than those taking a placebo. Remember though, that the people in the study also ate fewer calories and exercised too.
Here it is on Amazon if you want to check it out.