I thought I’d seen every worthless weight loss formula on the market, but the latest version of Ultra 90 really takes the cake.
According to the site…
“Losing weight and keeping the weight off is a struggle for millions of Americans. More than 50 percent of Americans are overweight and nearly one in five are obese! Try Ultra 90 ®. Its special formulation could assist you in achieving your weight loss goals.”
So what’s in Ultra 90 that can “assist you in achieving your weight loss goals”?
The answer is “not much.”
Here’s what’s in the so-called “Daytime Formula”:
“Hydrolyzed Fish Collagen Protein, Aloe Vera, Vitamin C, Safflower Oil, Tonalin CLA, Gelatin, Glycerin, Water, Bees Wax, Lecithin.”
Amusingly, here’s what’s in the “Nighttime Formula”:
“Hydrolyzed Fish Collagen Protein, Safflower Oil, Aloe Vera, Vitamin C, Tonalin CLA, Gelatin, Glycerin, Water, Bees Wax, Lecithin.”
No, I didn’t make a mistake in copying. Each “version” contains the exact same ingredients – only the sequence is (slightly) altered. Presumably, this means that the amounts of aloe vera, vitamin C and safflower oil differ between the two formulas, but why this matters is beyond me… the two versions are essentially interchangeable.
So what’s the point? If nothing else, it seems like a neat trick… a way to get people who don’t read very closely to buy twice as much of the product!
And that wouldn’t be a very good thing, since – as Cyrano Jones so memorably put it in Star Trek’s “The Trouble With Tribbles”…
“Twice nothing is still nothing!”
At least from a weight loss perspective…
Here’s why: collagen proteins – no matter the source – are low quality, incomplete proteins that have no special fat-burning or muscle-building powers. Such claims are completely ridiculous and not grounded in fact of any sort.
This is not to say that they’re completely useless. Supplemental hydrolyzed collagen can help support healthy connective tissues, joints, hair and nails, but taking it in caps is inefficient, and – in the case of Ultra 90 – an expensive way to go about it. You can get hydrolyzed collagen – aka “gelatin” at your local grocery store. Popular collagen preparations are also available for under $10 at iHerb.com (Neocell and Doctor’s Best).
Same deal with CLA. As noted in my review, CLA can be a useful supplement for weight loss – in the right amount (3+ grams). But that’s just the problem with Ultra 90 – despite the hype about it on the product site, it’s clear from the list of ingredients that there’s not a lot of CLA in this product to begin with (ingredients are presented in order, from largest amount >>> smallest). If you’re interested in taking CLA, you’ll be much, much better off purchasing it “straight.” For example, at BodyBuilding.com, you can buy 180 caps of PrimaForce Max CLA for just under $18.
And the other ingredients? Except for the vitamin C (which is also inexpensive and readily available from any grocery or drug store), there’s nothing in Ultra 90 that has any proven nutrient or health value.
Word to the wise: save your money on this one.
