Goji Trim Pro Review: Melt The Weight Away AND Flush Out Harmful Waste?
Although acai is the current “superfruit de jour”, goji (also referred to as goji berries, wolfberry, or Lycium barbarum) isn’t too far behind. And like acai, goji’s “superfruit” fame—spurred on by high-profile discussions on the “Oprah Winfrey” show and others like it—have led to the launch of numerous goji-based products that have little or no credible scientific backing to justify their existence.
Claims for the “breadth” of its effectiveness have been no less outrageous.
For instance, one goji “authority”, Dr. Earl Mindel (who sells a MLM goji product) claimed in an interview with CBC Marketplace’s Wendy Mesley, that studies performed by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York showed goji juice would prevent 75% of human breast cancer cases. When Ms. Mesley investigated these claims further, it was discovered Memorial Sloan-Kettering had never heard of these studies.
Ooops. So much for the credibility of Dr. Mindel.
Too bad this wasn’t just a single isolated case. Goji Trim Pro is a perfect example of the sort of silliness marketers can dream up when an exotic fruit makes celebrity status thanks to some exposure on national television.
That’s not to say goji berries aren’t a nutritious food, rich in antioxidants and polysaccharides. There is, for instance, some preliminary evidence that indicates people using them experience an improvement in “general well being” (see J Altern Complement Med. 2008 May;14(4):403-12). Animal studies indicate goji berries reduce age-related oxidative stress (see J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 May 22;111(3):504-11), and preliminary studies indicate they may inhibit the growth of leukemia cells “in vitro” (see Wei Sheng Yan Jiu. 2001 Nov;30(6):333-5). goji’s polysaccharides may be converted in the colon into short chain fatty acids which may indeed provide some measurable benefits (see J Clin Gastroenterol. 2006 Mar;40(3):235-43).
It’s important to note that these are either preliminary, “in vitro” or animal based studies—promising stuff to be sure, and plenty to justify further, more in-depth studies. But there’s not enough here to make sweeping generalizations about the amazing powers of goji.
There’s certainly no evidence that goji “melts the weight away” as the makers of Goji Trim Pro claim. As far as the “flushing out” of excess waste, this is total silliness. There’s no evidence that proves that…
- You have “pounds and pounds” of trapped waste inside.
- That goji berries would have any special powers to remove this waste, if it even existed.
The flushing of waste and “detoxing” of the body are two largely similar claims that have been thoroughly debunked as having no scientific credibility—they are marketing terms more than anything else (see this blog post and this blog post for more on detoxing).
Additionally, Goji Trim Pro is only available via the “free trial” offer, and we do not recommend trying any product retailed in this manner. These “free trial” programs are designed to add you to a recurring billing program if you do not cancel your “participation” before an allotted time (usually 7-14 days, usually starting on the day your product is shipped. This means you can often be added to these programs before you have much of a chance to even try the product).
Merchants claim to honor “unsubscribe” requests, but feedback to this site and Real-Customer-Comments.com indicates this is the exception rather than rule. Customers usually have to cancel their credit / debit / bank cards in order to get the charges to stop (I wasn’t able to examine the “terms and conditions” of the Goji Trim Pro “free trial” program. At the time of this writing, there is no visible link to one on the main page of their web site).
In our opinion, the “free trial” is the biggest scam online, and you should avoid any company that makes its products available in this manner (click here to watch the video of the “free trial scam” phenomenon).
Bottom line?
Goji berries are definitely a healthy and nutritious “superfood.” Try them if you like—just check your local specialty grocery store—but don’t expect to lose weight or flush out your colon. That’s just silliness. Oh yeah, and stay away from Goji Trim Pro…
