Does The Pink Patch Weight Loss Patch Really Work?

Shelley is shocked: Wow! I was on Facebook today and saw an advertisement for this amazing little patch that’s supposed to make you lose weight and prevent ovarian cancer all at once! I found these claims dubious at best, but it would be great if you all could work your magic and let me know if there’s even a sliver of truth to them. I found it interesting that they would advertise on a site where lots of impressionable high school and college age girls with body image issues are likely to be active.

The Left Brain is perturbed about Pink Patch:
Frankly, Shelley, I think Pink Patch is trying to exploit young women based on their self image and I find that appalling. Given their dubious claims about weight loss, mood elevation, and breast/ovarian cancer prevention, it’s surprising the FDA hasn’t shut them down already.

Active ingredients used in the Pink Patch

The Pink Patch website list several key active ingredients. Including 5-HTP, Fucus Versiculosus (a type of seaweed), yerba mate, and lecithin.

Claims from the Pink Patch website

• A natural mood enhancer and also helps curb your appetite.
• A natural mood enhancer and also helps curb your appetite.
• It reduces excess weight, increases your metabolism and energy – so you can forget about those pesky five pounds!
• Aids your body’s breakdown of fats and cholesterol, it helps distribute body weight — no more disproportion!
• It boosts your immune system, is good for your heart, and lowers your cholesterol. All of these benefits dramatically increase your body’s ability to loose excess weight.
• According to the United States National Institute of Health, Fucus Vesiculosus can lower the risk of breast and ovarian cancers and cholesterol. For example, women in Japan are 30% less likely to develop breast and ovarian cancer than women in North America – due to the amount of seaweed, including Fucus Vesiculosus, consumed in their diet.

The Truth about The Pink Patch

The Pink Patch’s approach is to pick and choose bits of information about various ingredients and slap them together to entice young girls into trying their product. 5-HTP for example, has been studied clinically and does have some evidence it can help with mood elevation. But studies showing a link to weight loss are mixed. And The Pink Patch conveniently fails to mention side effects, like nausea. But perhaps most importantly, all the studies cited in the literature were based on relatively high dosages (100 to 300 mg per day). The Pink Patch gives no information on the dosage of their ingredients so it’s impossible to tell if they are using very low and ineffective levels, or very high and potentially dangerous levels. For more information read this review of 5-HTP from Vanderbilt University.

Similarly, The Pink Patch exaggerates claims related to Fucus Vesiculosus and weight loss. To claim that the use of their patch containing this sea weed derivative can have the same effect as a long term diet rich in this material without the research to back it up, is unfounded and misleading. But don’t take our word for it, the US Federal Trade commission filed suit against similar weight loss patches that make claims based on sea kelp. I urge you to read the FTC report on weight loss patches.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

As usual, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Without specific, long term clinical studies showing that this patch is effective, I have absolutely no faith in any of the claims made by this product and would strongly urge anyone to reject it. Please pass the word to anyone considering using this product. This probably won’t work.

Have you tried The Pink Patch or any other crazy weight loss schemes? Don’t be embarrassed – share what’s worked (or not worked) for you so the rest of the Beauty Brains community can learn.  Share anything, even if it’s body wraps.