I got an email from an online friend who is on the TR90 thing (bought before she saw my post). She noted that the second ingredient in the shake is fructose. Not an ideal ingredient for something so expensive. She said the diet was curbing her cravings, but perhaps that’s a big price to pay for a glorified protein shake!
My friend’s doctor suggested a new weight loss supplement for her: “TR90”. Go to the company’s training page at Silver Linings 21 (here), to get a sense of how very profit-focused this company is. When looking on Amazon at one point, a 3-month supply was going for $1,060.99 (a bargain compared to their “List Price” of $1,550.00).
I guess TR90’s been successful, in a diet-trendy sort of way. (Aren’t all these fads successful, at least until the novelty wears off?) I suppose there are always new products on the market, since we’ve yet to find the magic bullet that delivers us from unwanted weight, gained over the years, even in the midst of dieting. Even those who are disciplined enough to eat healthy and exercise might still battle the bulge. It’s a problem!
So I researched TR90. It’s quite an investment, so what do you get with that? You’re supposed to take the “Ageloc TR90 Fit” for the first fifteen days. You can check the ingredient list here. Main ingredients in the shakes: Whey, followed by fructose. Fructose! I don’t want to add that ingredient to my diet.
Other ingredients, in the “Jumpstart” supplement, “Control” capsules, and “Fit” capsules, include: Prickly pear powder, satiereal saffron (Crocus sativus L.) stigma extract, pomegranate, and red orange extract.
Let’s break that down.
The prickly pear powder sounds delicious and is anti-inflammatory. It got great reviews on Amazon; it might also reduce cholesterol, and do other good things too. I’ve bought some of this for myself; it’s on Amazon here: Prickly Pear RED Fruit Powder.
The saffron in the above mix was featured on Dr. Oz, claiming to be an effective appetite suppressant. If you’re desperate, it would probably help to add it to your regimen, and it would probably be a lot cheaper to buy it “a la carte”, as opposed to buying into the whole “TR90” program. Find the extract in capsules here: Pure 100% Satiereal Saffron Extract.
The orange (Citrus sinensis) extract in the above supplement may be cytotoxic, meaning cells may die, or decrease, or the extract could activate a genetic program of controlled cell death. I wouldn’t prescribe it to myself without a doctor! But it’s an extract from the peel of the basic orange we see in markets. Perhaps just a bit of organic orange peel might be safe to work in its place, if we don’t load up on it too heavily.
Then there’s the shake, chocolate or vanilla, to be consumed in addition to regular food, in the morning. It contains cheaper main ingredients, and the whey, tart cherry and sugar beet fiber aren’t specified as being organic. The list: Whey, frustose, gum arabic, cocoa powder (in the chocolate flavor), tart cherry, salt, zanthan gum, magnesium oxide, pea fiber, sugar beet fiber, cellulose gum, stevia, artificial vitamin/mineral additives. Again, I go for organic; they say cherries are on the dirty dozen, so I get this organic cherry powder instead. I also get this organic beet powder. I’m a happy camper with this stuff!
Not that whey is so so cheap. But I’d actually rather spend more and get my whey Non-GMO. “Source Organic Whey” is reasonably priced for being made from the milk of grass-fed cows (from family farms in Northern California). If you were interested in this form of protein as a diet supplement, you might use this Organic Whey Protein, Non-GMO, instead of a generic, non-0rganic version. I just got my package of it, and WOW, I love it!
Side note about whey, from Life Extension Magazine: It helps us to feel full, improves insulin sensitivity, and optimizes muscle mass. It also might help moderate cortisol and keep serotonin levels up (so we feel great!). It boosts glutathione levels, immune function, and can help fight cancer. Also, whey digests easier and much faster than all other proteins. At least, if you’re not lactose-intolerant.
I personally am a bigger fan of whole foods, preferring to eat a whole food over an isolated part of it. Whey is what’s left over after cheese-making; a liquid that gets dried into a powder. Maybe we should just eat the whole product, cheese, butter, whey, and all?! (If only I could have a cow in the back yard, and get fresh, natural milk that way. But Tom says no!)
The “gum arabic” in this mixture might be of decent quality, but again, I’d rather purchase the organic version. “Heather’s Tummy Fiber” is organic Acacia Senegal, which is the only form of gum arabic with no toxicity. And it’s reasonably priced. Find it here: Heather’s Tummy Fiber Organic Acacia Senegal.
The zanthan/xanthan gum found in the mix might just be there to homogenize the ingredients; it doesn’t appear to have a medicinal quality. It can be an allergen, if it was grown on an allergic food source. (Wheat, soy, corn and such, may be used to derive various batches of this stuff.)
The TR90 people also offer a “Green Shake”, containing: Pea protein, (organic) rice protein, chia seed powder, plus juice powders of wheat grass, alfalfa, beet, spinach, barley grass, spirulina, fructose, gum arabic, tart cherry fruit powder, xanthan gum, and stevia. Eh… I’d rather get my ingredients a la carte; I can choose better quality (and price) that way. I’m also a bit nervous about using pea protein daily, since beans in general might aggravate my thyroid condition…
My friend quoted me an exorbitant price for this product. I told her I’d research it and report back. Having looked into it, I don’t think I’d recommend this stuff. I personally have gone back to my spirulina-in-the-morning routine. I also make a smoothie out of my own blend of dried powders (“Fruity Mix”, recipe here)*. My iron levels are up, my weight’s down, no colds or flu, and I’m feeling quite energetic. I’ll stick with a simpler program that’s cheaper and perhaps of better quality, and I think I’ll advise my friend to do the same!
* If you don’t want to go to the bother of making your own powdered blend, I recommend, Dr. Schulze’s Superfood Plus Meal Replacement Powder, which some friends use. It’s handy, and follows the idea of getting nutrients from natural sources, which sounds genius to me! (Why would we want manufactured vitamins- they might be missing some of the components as yet undiscovered, but crucial to our nutrition and well being!)
Ugh, I wish I could say I’ve ever met a drinkable “diet” supplement that I liked, but I haven’t. Sticking to Paleo for now.
Melanie, I know what you mean! I just juiced 2 bunches of organic beets… I made ice cubes out of ’em. One ice (beet) cube per smoothie. Even that is pushing it- not exactly the same as some yummy drink from Starbucks, haha… Go go, Paleo!
It’s more than a glorified protein shake and it has worked for me.
Rox, I agree- it appears to be very finely tuned (and scientifically formulated). I can only guess at some of the amounts, in making my own mix. But my own mix has worked for me! (And it’s a lot cheaper…)
Good to hear, though, that, even if it is a bit pricey, the TR90 does get results!
Similarly to Rox I had great results. I lost about 10kg of body fats in 3mth (2.5kg of it in first month itself), 5 levels of visceral fats and became so much healthier. I slept better, had more stamina and put on lean muscles (this isn’t a meal replacement drink diet and u do have to eat MORE, not less, and do exercise).
Glad it worked for you, Geri. It seems that exercise is key. It really helps!
Jennifer, the science behind TR90 is amazing. This is a whey isolate not concentrate. You were incorrect about using fit the first 15 days. Fructose is in apples.
Do you even know the extend this company goes to test it’s products? Are you aware organic is not a 100% organic? They can use pesticides in their fertilizer and there are pesticides in the air? If you are going to write a review about a company that has 150 scientists, maybe you should research them better.
Nancy, I do appreciate that TR90 has done their research. Not being able to afford the product, I also researched, investigating what seemed to be the “active ingredients”, which I could then translate into natural food supplements I could purchase at a price affordable to me.
Another area of research that I’m certain the TR90 company has invested in is marketing. I understand that folks need to make a profit for energy expended in developing a product, but that need typically affects the price.
Thankfully, I don’t need to make money off of what I’ve learned about weight loss, and I have no vested interest in a product I was hoping to sell. Some people will appreciate that!