The Isagenix System of Cleanse Days and Shake Days led to greater weight loss and greater reductions in total body fat and visceral belly fat than a heart-healthy diet. The Isagenix System also outperformed the heart-healthy diet in measures of appetite control (1).

These are the findings of the third clinical study comparing an Isagenix Weight Management System to a heart-healthy diet. The heart-healthy diet is one of the most comprehensively researched and widely recommended diets for weight management and overall health.

Previously, two independent studies conducted at the University of Illinois-Chicago and Skidmore College documented improvements in body composition, weight status, and heart health and metabolic measures from individuals following the Isagenix Weight Management System (2-6). Each study evaluated the system and advanced the previous study’s scientific knowledge. These studies also provide Isagenix with practical information for consumers who desire improved health and optimized body composition.

Most recently, a third weight loss study, also conducted in collaboration with Skidmore College, has extended knowledge of the weight loss system in two new scientific papers. In the first publication, researchers compared the effects of either one or two Cleanse Days per week on body composition and metabolic health (7). In the second publication, these researchers investigated the impact of the cleansing protocols on digestive health, the gut microbiome, and the plasma metabolome (8). The metabolome, like the microbiome, is very complex and refers to the profile of small molecules that are affected by and contribute to whole-body health and wellness.

Now, a third scientific paper from this study (1) has been published in the journal Obesity, which according to Journal Citation Reports, is ranked among the top 10% of journals in its field. In this study, researchers compared the health and body composition effects of the Isagenix System vs. a heart-healthy diet plan over eight weeks in individuals with overweight or obesity.

Study Design

Research participants were randomly assigned to either follow an Isagenix Weight Management System or a calorie-controlled heart-healthy diet for eight weeks. Participants in both groups met with a dietitian each week for intensive coaching, monitoring, and meal planning during the study.

During the first four weeks of the study, participants in the Isagenix group were further split into a group that completed one Cleanse Day per week and a group that completed two consecutive Cleanse Days per week, although both groups consumed the same number of total calories each week. After the first four weeks, all participants in the Isagenix group followed the same schedule, completing one Cleanse Day per week.

Both the Isagenix and heart-healthy diet groups were carefully matched for calories consumed and energy burned using a body-attached energy-sensing device at various study periods. This matching ensured that any differences between the dietary interventions were due to the diets.

The first two manuscripts considered only the first four weeks of the complete eight-week study (focusing on one vs. two Cleanse Days per week). This new publication considered the entire eight-week study.

Study Results

 After eight weeks of following an intermittent fasting protocol, the researchers reported the following:

  • Greater weight reduction in the Isagenix group (18 lbs vs. 11 lbs) compared to the heart-healthy group.
  • Compared to the heart-healthy group, there was greater total body fat loss (3.4% vs. 1.8%) and visceral fat loss (1.3 lbs vs. 0.7 lbs) in the Isagenix group.
  • A greater reduction in the “desire to eat” response in the Isagenix group.
  • An increase in the proportion of lean body mass for Isagenix (3.4%) compared to the heart-healthy group (1.8%).
  • Both groups observed improvements in cardiovascular and metabolic markers, such as plasma lipids, with no differences between groups. Plasma hormones were not affected by either intervention.

Like the previous two weight loss studies, this study supports a comprehensive overall health and wellness improvement in individuals with overweight or obesity following an Isagenix Weight Management System and further supports the importance of the system’s intermittent fasting contribution, via Cleanse Days, to these benefits.

 

References

  1. Arciero PJ, Poe M, Mohr AE, Ives SJ, Arciero A, Sweazea KL, Gumpricht E, Arciero KM. Intermittent fasting and protein pacing are superior to caloric restriction for weight and visceral fat loss. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2023 Feb;31 Suppl 1:139-149. doi: 10.1002/oby.23660. Epub 2022 Dec 27. PMID: 36575144.
  2. Kroeger CM, Klempel MC, Bhutani S, Trepanowski JF, Tangney CC, Varady KA. Improvement in coronary heart disease risk factors during an intermittent fasting/calorie restriction regimen: Relationship to adipokine modulations. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2012 Oct 31;9(1):98.
  3. Klempel MC, Kroeger CM, Bhutani S, Trepanowski JF, Varady KA. Intermittent fasting combined with calorie restriction is effective for weight loss and cardio-protection in obese women. Nutr J. 2012 Nov 21;11:98. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-11-98. PMID: 23171320; PMCID: PMC3511220.
  4. Arciero PJ, Edmonds R, He F, Ward E, Gumpricht E, Mohr A, Ormsbee MJ, Astrup A. Protein-Pacing Caloric-Restriction Enhances Body Composition Similarly in Obese Men and Women during Weight Loss and Sustains Efficacy during Long-Term Weight Maintenance. Nutrients. 2016;8(8):476.
  5. He F, Zuo L, Ward E, Arciero PJ. Serum Polychlorinated Biphenyls Increase and Oxidative Stress Decreases with a Protein-Pacing Caloric Restriction Diet in Obese Men and Women. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Jan 10;14(1):59.
  6. Zuo L, He F, Tinsley GM, Pannell BK, Ward E, Arciero PJ. Comparison of High-Protein, Intermittent Fasting Low-Calorie Diet and Heart Healthy Diet for Vascular Health of the Obese. Front Physiol. 2016;7:350.
  7. Arciero PJ, Arciero KM, Poe M, Mohr AE, Ives SJ, Arciero A, Boyce M, Zhang J, Haas M, Valdez E, Corbet D, Judd K, Smith A, Furlong O, Wahler M, Gumpricht E. Intermittent fasting two days versus one day per week, matched for total energy intake and expenditure, increases weight loss in overweight/obese men and women. Nutr J. 2022 Jun 4;21(1):36. doi: 10.1186/s12937-022-00790-0.
  8. Mohr AE, Jasbi P, Bowes DA, Dirks B, Whisner CM, Arciero KM, Poe M, Gu H, Gumpricht E, Sweazea KL, Arciero PJ. Exploratory analysis of one versus two-day intermittent fasting protocols on the gut microbiome and plasma metabolome in adults with overweight/obesity. Front Nutr. 2022 Oct 26;9:1036080. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1036080.