EAS Lean 15 shake Review: Does it work?

Intro: What is it?

EAS Lean 15 shake is a meal replacement available as a protein powder in either Vanilla Cream or Chocolate Fudge.  It’s made to be eaten anytime through the day, or within 30 minutes after a workout.

It can be mixed with all types of liquids including water and milk. It’s advised to limit oneself to 3 servings a day. The company also lists antioxidants, more strength for workouts, and improved digestive health as benefits. What real benefit is there if any to EAS Lean 15? What does it truly do? The full breakdown of this shake is available in this thorough review.

EAS Lean 15 Ingredients

Here are their protein powder ingredients for their Vanilla Cream:

Things to watch out for in the ingredients:

Artificial Flavor: A man made chemical mixture that is often extracted from inedible sources. It’s a cheaper to use ingredient than natural flavors, and it’s unknown exactly where EAS Lean 15 sources this ingredient from. It’s possible that it may come from common allergens such as corn, wheat, soy or dairy.

Niacinamide: Niacin extract used to prevent inflammation. High amounts of this can produce toxic effects.

Carrageenan: Thickener extracted from seaweed that is often only found in processed foods.  It has been banned from use in baby food by the European Union over safety concerns. 4 different studies have shown an increase in the risk for tumors. The American Health Foundation ran a study which showed:

“consuming a carrageenan diet showed a colon adenoma”

An adenoma is a tumor.

Another study performed by the Environ Health Perspective showed:

“gastrointestinal malignancy and inflammatory bowel disease”

Fructose: Fruit sugar that when extracted from fruit is known to cause an increased risk for obesity and cardiovascular disease.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ran a study which showed:

“diets high in fructose or sucrose consistently show hyperlipidemia”

Hyperlipidemia is a high level of fat in the blood. This can lead to cardiovascular disease and it can promote heart attacks.

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &          Metabolism also performed a study which showed an increase in triglycerides in women, as well as a link between Fructose:

“Reduces Circulating Insulin and Leptin”

Leptin is the hormone which regulates hunger, and makes one feel satiated after a meal. Without proper leptin levels, it’s likely a person will overeat.

Macronutrients and Calories

 Calories

With 100 calories per serving, this shake is fairly low on calories. There’s also 10 calories from fat, which we can use to find out the total amount of fat per serving:

10/100= 0.1 times 100= 10% fat per serving.

The FDA lists any food with 20% fat or above as being high fat. Therefore this brand has a reasonable amount of fat.

Sugar

The total 4 grams of sugar comes from the following sweeteners:

Shorn-Chain Fructooligosaccharides: An alternative sweetener that can be extracted from many sources including Agave, onions, and grains. Due to it feeding bacteria, it can potentially lead to flatulence and gas.

Sucralose: A sweetener that is not broken down by the body, it’s also up to 1,000 times sweeter than Sucrose. There have been studies performed which showed it can cause serious side effects. One study by Duke University showed:

“enhanced the expression of P-gp”

“reduction in beneficial fecal microflora”

P-gp stands for Glycoprotein, which is necessary for getting rid of potentially dangerous substances out of the body. This means the body treats this ingredient as a harmful substance.

Healthy gut bacteria are also needed to support the immune system.

Acesulfame Potassium: Artificial sweetener that is calorie free. A study published by Pub Med showed it had a:

“association between treatment with Acesulfame and carcinogenesis”

Carcinogenesis is the creation of cancer. Also, although it’s non caloric, a study published by PLOS One showed it had an effect on:

“altering fasting insulin and leptin levels”

Therefore, even without contributing to calories, it had an effect on preventing hunger and increasing blood sugar.

As mentioned before, there is added fructose, which has been linked to obesity due to its nonexistent satiating effects.

The Quality of EAS Lean 15’s protein

The total 15 grams per serving is made up of:

Whey Protein Concentrate: Protein extracted from the cheese making process. It has between 29% to 89% protein, and its slow digesting, able to provide steady protein through the day. It’s also often used by athletes before bedtime to retain lean muscle.

Soy Protein Isolate: At least 90% protein by weight, this form of protein is extracted from defatted soybeans. It’s rich in amino acids; however, it’s often GMO unless otherwise stated. Soy can also have numerous side effects such as potentially increasing estrogen, causing thyroid issues, and blocking the intake of protein.

Isolates and concentrates are blended together to promote slow acting and fast acting protein. Though Whey protein is a healthy and beneficial protein, when mixed with soy there’s a potential for side effects.

According to Health Research Funding, soy has:

“high levels of phytates”

Phytates are known to block the intake of important nutrients needed by the body. It also has phytic acid, which the same group mentions could promote:

“blocking calcium and some other valuable minerals”

This reduces the overall quality of this shake’s protein, since it’s unknown what kind of impact it might have during long term use.

The Price and Quality of EAS Lean 15

Available by many online retailers, one available price for 1.7 pounds or 25 servings is $39.95. This means if you drink 3 a day which is the recommended limit by this brand, this will cost you:

$39.95/25= $1.59 times 3= $4.79 per 3 servings day.

Since there are artificial ingredients, potentially damaging additives, and ingredients such as GMO soy, it’s not the most natural shake available. There have been noted side effects with many of the ingredients, which when combined together its unknown what kind of total affect it may have.

Over 100% of certain nutrients

Though getting a high amount of nutrients is good, this brand goes overboard by introducing over 100% of certain ingredients.

There’s 260% of vitamin C per serving, and 200% vitamin E.

This means if you take the recommended 3 shakes a day, you’re getting 780% vitamin C, and 600% vitamin E.

This can lead to problems such as:

Hypervitaminosis E: Vitamin E toxicity. High levels of vitamin E can promote bleeding issues that prevent proper blood clotting.  It can also block the use of drugs such as aspirin.  Studies show it can also significantly reduce vitamin K, which is needed for a healthy liver, and for preventing bruising.

Risks associated with getting too much vitamin E includes:

• Reduced thyroid function.
• Increased triglycerides.
• Skin issues.
• Excess bleeding.

Too much vitamin C can promote stomach aches, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, kidney stones, and much more.  It can also promote mineral imbalances, which means it may prevent the healthy absorption of nutrients.

It’s unknown what kind of effect this shake may have when taken in the long term.

Free of Banned Substances

The company mentions they monitor batches of this shake to be free of all banned substances.

The types of substances they mean are illegal athletic enhancers that are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

This includes human growth hormone, caffeine, illegal drugs, and much more.

Although it’s a good thing, most meal replacements without caffeine can claim this fact, it’s not particularly unique to EAS Lean 15.

Business

This brand is owned by Abbott Laboratories, it’s known as a healthcare company that sells many types of pharmaceuticals and weight loss shakes such as Ensure. You can reach their US customer service representatives below:

Phone Number: (224) 667-6100

Address: 100 Abbott Park Road

Abbott Park, Illinois 60064

The company has had issues in the past:

• The FDA investigated the company for illegal marketing; they were fined $1.5 billion for breaking laws. This was the 2^nd largest fine ever brought upon a drug company. They claimed their brand could help treat dementia and serious psychological problems, which was proven not to be true.
• A $100 million dollar fine was paid by the company for over 100 products that did not meet quality standards. The FDA declared that insufficient studies went into the creation of many of the companies brands.

Customer Opinions

There are several reviews available on Amazon.com; here are the most prominent ones:

“It’s ok, but many better options out there”

“slight chemical taste”

“no weight loss yet”

“gave me headaches and made me irritable”

The most common reviews people left were that it mixed well, but that it didn’t taste good. There’s also concern over the quality of ingredients, some customers noted there’s cheap substitutes used.

Conclusion

In reviewing this brand a few important things were realized:

• There’s artificial ingredients which may cause side effects: Many of the ingredients have potential side effects, and they’re often sourced from cheap extracts. The added artificial flavors are only used to replace a more expensive and more wholesome natural flavor. There are also thickeners that are often used in processed foods. Some of which can promote effects such as choking and a lack of vitamin and mineral absorption. This risk of malnutrition is further increased by the higher than normal addition of vitamin E and vitamin C. Excess amounts of these vitamins has been linked to kidney stone, vitamin K deficiency, and bleeding issues to name a few possible side effects.
• The company fails to add any clinical studies to support its use: Though the company offers many health claims, none of them are backed up by evidence. They claim this brand has antioxidants and ingredients which will provide energy for workouts. They never cite exactly what studies have shown these benefits. They also claim it will be useful for creating lean muscle without bulking. Without any proof of these benefits, there’s no good reason to believe you’ll be able to see any gains.
• The quality of the protein is lacking: The only quality protein is Whey Protein Concentrate, but the other protein is Soy, which is often GMO. Soy also is known to have compounds which produce estrogen, block vitamins, minerals, and protein, and they can potentially cause thyroid issues. With all the problems that soy has, it’s unknown how much of it makes up the 15 grams of protein added.
• Some of the ingredients are cheap substitutes: Instead of providing useful ingredients, the company includes additives which are used to substitute better options. This includes adding artificial flavors instead of real flavoring, potentially harmful thickeners instead of providing a better mix of ingredients for keeping a proper blend, and artificial sweeteners instead of healthier options like Stevia. All these ingredients can potentially cause unwanted side effects including an increased risk for obesity.
• Customers have complained about the taste and quality: There are many different complaints from people about the artificial taste. There’s also been concern over what kind of ingredients is used. People who understood the ingredients label figured out that there were artificial ingredients added. Some customers also complained about side effects and a lack of weight loss benefits.

Though this meal replacement isn’t the very worst, it’s also not ranking high as a proper shake. There are far too many artificial ingredients, and customers have had many complaints over the quality and taste.