BMI Smart: Genius Weight Loss or Overpriced Pill Pack?

Update: Thankfully, this product has been discontinued.

bmiSMART is a collection of three proprietary products that aims to accelerate weight loss from three different fronts.

Typically on the blog, we cover just one product per day whether it be a pre workout, protein powder, or fat burner. However, today you’re in luck because we’re feeling a little generous. We’re going to cover an entire system of products.

You may have seen ads in your local paper or heard them on the radio for a new weight loss system called bmiSMART. It’s a unique 3-phase weight loss system that aims to reduce calories from fat, block carbs & sugars, and control your appetite.

That sounds great and all, but does it really work and is it worth the high price tag?

This one’s not sold on any PricePlow stores like our other best fat burners, but we saw an ad for this and wanted to investigate.

bmiSMART System

As we mentioned up top, bmiSMART isn’t a single product but a collection of 3 different supplements to attack weight loss from multiple angles. So, what follows is a breakdown of each product as well as the dosing instructions for each. Here we go!

I-Block Ingredients

I-Block is the system’s carb and sugar blocker. Americans love their carbs and sugary snacks, so it makes sense to include a product that can inhibit the body’s absorption of carbs to an extent, thereby helping to reduce overall caloric intake. Let’s see what they’ve got!

• Tanitol Proprietary Complex (1290mg)

  

  I-Block looks to focus on inhibiting the body’s absorption of various carbohydrates and sugars.

  Tanitol is a proprietary plant-based complex developed by InQpharm that claims to reduce the body’s absorption of calories from carbohydrates and sugar. The secret sauce to Tanitol is its primary active ingredient, IQP VV 102, which is patented, natural and clinically proven to help consumers lose weight.

  The lone study conducted on Tanitol was performed in house by InQpharm and over the course of a 12-week study it showed significant changes in mean waist and hip circumferences as well as body weight.^[1]

  Now, this was a study conducted and funded by InQpharm on their own compound showing amazing results. The data hasn’t been published in a medical journal for review or made public for any type of peer response, so you may want to take the results with a grain of salt, but they could seem promising… but we need something more concrete before diving in.

• L-Arabinose

  Arabinose is a monosaccharide (simple sugar) with 5 attached carbon atoms that’s derived from gum arabic. It’s also a pretty strong inhibitor of sucrase, a enzyme necessary for the proper digestion of sugar. Studies on arabinose have shown that it can reduce postprandial glucose, insulin, and C-peptide responses.^[2,3]

  This is one ingredient we can get behind as it has several studies backing it, in noteworthy medical journals

• Grape marc extract

  

  The primary ingredient in I-Block, Tanitol, was found in one clinical trial to reduce waist and hip circumference, but the results from 2 other trials were never published….makes you stop and think….

  You’ve probably come across grape marc extract before but most likely seen it under it’s more common scientific name vitis vinifera. Grape marc extract is rich in tannins (the stuff in red wine people rave about) that form complexes with essential carbohydrate-digesting enzymes such as alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase.

  Inhibiting the necessary enzymes has been shown to reduce the breakdown of complex starch molecules and disaccharides (i.e. carbs and sugars), which inevitably reduces overall carbohydrate digestion and absorption of calories derived from carbs.^[4,5]

Dosing

I-Block comes with two different dosing protocols based on whether you’re trying to lose weight or just maintain it. For weight loss: take two I-BLOCK tablets with eight ounces of liquid, two times per day—30 minutes before your two main meals. For weight maintenance: reduce the effects of that occasional, tempting treat by taking two tablets with liquid 30 minutes before any meal containing carbohydrates or sugars.

I-Control Ingredients

The biggest problem people have when staying on track with a diet and achieving successful weight loss is controlling their cravings. This is why most of our readers turn to the aggressive stimulant-based fat burners, but there’s always non-stim stuff to consider.

So as you’ve probably surmised, I-Control is bmiSMART’s appetite suppressant supplement. It uses another proprietary ingredient as its primary hunger killer.

• Redusure Proprietary Fiber Complex (1000mg)

  

  I-Control looks to suppress your appetite by helping to control hunger cravings through an assortment of dietary fibers.

  Another patented compound developed by InQpharm is Redusure. This complex is a collection of several highly purified “high-swelling capacity dietary fibres.” Tests on the compound from InQpharm claim it can swell to 200 times its original size, and fill the stomach up to 43% more than it normally would.

  Several clinical tests have been performed on the the active collection of ingredients dubbed IQP- AK-102, however results have only been posted from one of them.^[6,7,8] The one study’s results that were posted interestingly enough are the same results Redusure uses on its website to show the efficacy of compound IQP-AK-102.

  Results from the clinical trial have shown that compared to placebo Redusure significantly reduced body weight and fat mass in overweight and obese individuals,^[6] the target audience for pill-centered weight loss solutions.

• Glucomannan Powder

  Similar to all the other ingredients in I-Control, glucomannan is a natural dietary fiber extracted from konjac, that is claimed to be an effective weight loss tool. Research conducted on glucomannan has demonstrated that it successfully reduces weight when consumed prior to a meal.^[9,10]

  This more or less is based around the fact that since glucomannan is a fiber, it draws more water into the stomach and intestines, helping to improve satiety and ultimately forcing you to consume fewer calories, translating into weight loss.

• Carrageenan

  

  Redusure was shown in clinical trials to help reduce overall bodyweight over a period of 12 weeks. That’s 3 months worth of bmiSmart for less than a 10-lb loss!

  Carrageenan is a polysaccharide derived from a species of edible seaweed that’s widely used in the food industry for its gelling and thickening properties. Initially, it was used as a laxative to help those suffering from constipation, but it’s not without its deleterious effects to the GI system.^[11]

  As for its efficacy and safety, the jury is still out,^[12,13,14] but it continues to be used throughout the food industry and may or may not be effective in losing weight. It’ll help fill you up, but may also flush you out a bit too much…

• Xanthan Gum

  Turn around your tub of protein powder and there’s a high probability you’ll see xanthan gum or guar gum on the back. Gums such as these are food additives that are used as thickeners primarily in salad dressing, protein powders, etc. to improve the texture of the final product.

  Xanthan gum is a powerful thickener that binds water very efficiently, which means that it’ll help fill you up as well as improving bowel movements.^[15]

Dosing

As we saw with I-Block we have two separate dosing protocols: For optimum appetite reduction: take two I-CONTROL capsules with at least eight ounces of liquid, three times per day—30 minutes before each main meal; or for reducing hunger and snacking between meals: take two I-CONTROL capsules with at least eight ounces of liquid—between meals.

I-Remove Ingredients

Lastly, we have I-Remove, a product designed to reduce the caloric impact of fat on the body when you want to indulge in a snack or meal that contains an appreciable amount of dietary fat, i.e. pizza.

• Litramine Proprietary Complex

  

  I-Remove is the last piece of the bmiSMART stack that helps inhibit the body’s metabolism of dietary fats consumed.

  Our last proprietary complex comes again from InQpharm and goes by the name Litramine. The compound, IQP G-002AS, is a proprietary and patented natural dietary fiber complex derived mainly from Opuntia ficus-indica.

  Several clinical trials have been run on the collection of fibers and found that it’s effective as a weight loss supplement for its ability to bind to fats and increase satiety.^[16] IQP G-002AS possesses the rather unique ability reduce dietary fat absorption by binding to GI fat, ultimately leading to reduced caloric digestion and absorption.

  Results from the trials have shown dramatic decreases in fat mass, amount of fat absorbed, BMI, and waist circumference.^[16,17,18]

• Cactus Opuntia (Ficus-indica leaf)

  Cactus Opuntia is one of the most common varieties of cactus used in the culinary arts. You may have seen it before under the name of “prickly pear,” named for it’s obviously spikey extremities.

  While they may be tasty to eat when grilled or roasted, what can cactus extract do for your weight loss journey. Well, research has shown that prickly pear extract can improve glucose tolerance and increased energy expenditure.^[19] Other studies have investigated its role in helping combat type 2 diabetes, an all too common disease that affects the overweight and obese.^[20]

• Gum Arabic

  

  Studies on Litramine suggest it reduces waist circumference, hip circumference, and fat mass when used over the course of 12 weeks.

  Derived from the acacia trees originally found in Africa, Gum Arabic powder is a combination of complex polysaccharides and proteins. Like we saw with xanthan gum, gum arabic is a food additive found in ice creams, pills, and even ink for its ability to thicken and add volume.

  Similar to all food-based gums, gum arabic traps water in its intricate network of molecules leading to swelling, which creates more total volume of food. This leads you to feel fuller quicker, and on less food, which ultimately decreases your caloric intake and helps you lose weight. Some interesting research on gum arabic has shown it decreases blood pressure and can even be useful for combatting diabetic neuropathy.^[21]

Dosing

You know the drill by now, there’s two ways you can dose I-Remove. For weight loss: take two I-REMOVE tablets with eight ounces of liquid, three times per day—immediately after each high-fat meal. For weight maintenance: reduce the effects of that occasional, tempting treat by taking two tablets with liquid immediately after a fatty meal.

Takeaway

Good health is true wealth, but you won’t have much wealth spending $75/month a products that “may” help you lose weight.

So, what’s this magical collection of proprietary enzymes and fibers going to cost you? Just $75!

Now, this is for a one month supply of the weight loss stack and should you want to continue to use the products, you would obviously have to keep shelling out the money to keep the goods coming to you.

While there may be some interesting compounds and science behind these products, it’s ultimately going to come down to how much you’re willing to spend to see some fractionally better weight loss results from a collection of stimulant-free pills and powders.

Yes, they do get some results, and we appreciate that they’re different, but they won’t compare to making a holistic lifestyle change by eating better (and monitoring your calories in an app like MyFitnessPal) and exercising regularly. For the lazy / quick-fix crowd out there that is lulled into the latest “TV Doctor” type products, this is right up their alley. However, the informed fitness enthusiast normally reading our site will see this as nothing more than overpriced.

But at least it’s different, which beats most of the stuff heavily advertised out there. We’re on the fence unless the price significantly drops.