Many of us look for simple approaches to weight loss, especially if the methods that we’re currently trying just aren’t working.
Valentus Slim Roast Coffee is one product that is supposed to offer just that.
This is a type of coffee that is specifically designed with weight loss in mind – and contains extra ingredients that are supposed to help you lose weight.
There are also many positive reviews out there, which imply that the coffee truly does work. But, is this the case?
Drinking a specific type of coffee to lose weight sounds too good to be true. So, how does Valentus Slim Roast Coffee actually work?
For that matter, does it live up to its claims?
What is Valentus Slim Roast Coffee?
First of all, it is also sometimes known as SlimROAST or Prevail SlimROAST. The different names seem to be partly connected to rebranding, as I’ve seen multiple different versions on Amazon.
However, the one pictured below is currently what is sold through the Valentus website.
The basic concept here is that the coffee should help people lose weight, mainly by suppressing appetite. Doing so means that, in theory, people will tend to eat less and thus take in fewer calories. In particular, the company makes the following claims:
Now, I’ll be honest – I’m skeptical.
Over time, I’ve written a number of different diet reviews, including a Javita Coffee review, where the underlying concept and product type is very similar.
Personally, I’ve found that there is no quick solution to weight loss. Instead, most companies seem to rely on a combination of herbs and nutrients, in the hope that some of these will have an impact.
But, there are positive reviews out there. So, in this review, I’m taking an honest and fact-based look at Valentus Slim Roast Coffee and the claims that it makes.
In doing so, I hope to show once and for all, whether the coffee actually works.
The Company Behind the Coffee
The company that produces Valentus Slim Roast Coffee is simply known as Valentus. Coffee isn’t their only product. Instead, the company focuses on functional drinks in general.
So, the idea here is that there are various drinks that serve to promote health in some way. All of these seem to be sachets that you add to water.
I’m not going to look at their other products in detail but the basic pattern is the same as for Valentus Slim Roast Coffee. In particular, the products contain a range of different ingredients, many of which are sourced from herbs.
The idea is that these ingredients can provide the benefits that the company claims. However, while the site certainly hypes up the benefits, it offers little in the way of actual evidence.
The other thing that I want to mention is that Valentus operates via a MLM model. This is a form of product promotion, where members are paid to sell items from the company.
In this case, members earn 25% commission on sales, along with various bonuses based on volume and recruitment efforts.
In fairness, the MLM model doesn’t really affect the products sold. Many MLMs do tend to sell low-quality and scammy products but, at the same time, some do sell fairly decent items.
For example, the site Mamavation highlights some health MLMs that are good, along with others that don't make the grade.
Instead, I bring up the MLM model because it affects the Valentus Slim Roast Coffee reviews that you will see online. The model means that there will be distributors out there that earn money promoting the product. So, they want to make the coffee seem as good as possible.
As a result, you may notice a lot of glowing Valentus Slim Roast Coffee reviews that simply aren’t legitimate.
Valentus is a MLM company that also promotes some other drinks that follow the same general concept of Valentus coffee
Valentus Slim Roast Coffee Ingredients
Whenever I look at a diet supplement, regardless of whether it is a pill, a drink or something else entirely (like the Thrive patches), the main thing that I look at is the ingredients.
After all, the ingredients should be the main thing causing any benefits that you observe.
First of all, Valentus Slim Roast Coffee really is like other products on the market. By this, I mean that it’s basically a herbal supplement, just in the form of a drink.
So, in addition to coffee, you have a number of different herbs and extracts, which are supposed to help with weight loss. In particular, the specific ingredients are these:
The company also offers a page describing each of these ingredients and what they are supposed to do.
On paper, these explanations sound great. But, the company offers no scientific evidence at all. Instead, they strongly rely on phrases like these:
So, we’re going to look at each active ingredient briefly.
Green Coffee Extract
This extract comes from green coffee beans and has the active ingredient chlorogenic acid.
This compound was incredibly popular when green coffee beans were trending and many companies made proprietary extracts that took advantage of this compound. You probably haven’t heard that much about green coffee beans or chlorogenic acid recently, mostly because the concept was almost entirely debunked.
In fact, the key study that was used to ‘prove’ the effectiveness of green coffee was incredibly flawed and was ultimately retracted altogether (1).
Beyond this one study, the evidence for chlorogenic acid success has been extremely limited.
- There have been a few studies showing support for green coffee beans or chlorogenic acid (2,3,4).
- However, these have been limited in scope and often flawed. Plus, any observed effects tend to be relatively small (5).
- This is something the site Popular Science talks about in detail as well.
The other thing to note is that you find either chlorogenic acid or green coffee bean extract in a number of different weight loss products, including Fit Tea, Plexus Slim and Thrive patches.
- Likewise, there are many examples of green coffee bean extract on the market and those were incredibly popular back when Dr. Oz was hyping the whole concept.
- If chlorogenic acid was truly able to have a significant impact on weight, then we would have seen it by now.
- But instead, all of those products tend to have little to no effect for most people.
Besides, the amount of chlorogenic acid in Valentus Slim probably isn't enough to cause any significant benefits even if some existed. Instead, if you really wanted the compound, the supplements may make more sense.
Chlorogenic acid and green coffee beans have had their day and there simply isn't enough evidence to say that they promote weight loss at all
Garcinia Cambogia
Garcinia Cambodia is another ingredient that’s become popular recently in this type of product. This was never hyped as highly as green coffee bean but it is still commonly used.
As with green coffee bean extract, you can get Garcinia Cambodia supplements and some people do use these for weight loss.
The situation with research is fairly similar though.
- For example, there are some theories supporting the idea that Garcinia Cambodia may be effective for improving satiety and decreasing fat production (6,7).
- But, there is little proof that such effects are significant in humans.
- Instead, most of the studies that have been conducted have failed to find such an outcome (8,9,10,11).
Garcinia Cambogia may be common in this type of weight loss product but the scientific evidence for its effect is incredibly scarce
Phaseolamin
Now, phaseolamin is an interesting one. Essentially, this is a carb blocker. In theory, this type of supplement helps to prevent some of the carbs that you eat from being digested.
The effect isn’t really as strong as most people assume.
- For one thing, the effect only applies to some of the carbs you’re eating (12,13).
- For example, one study found that a carb blocker only inhibited 7% of the carbs from being absorbed (14).
- The effect is also just for complex carbs. It doesn’t affect glucose, fructose and the like.
- So, for those who rely heavily on processed food or on high sugar food, a carb blocker won’t be much use.
Now, in theory, carb blockers can help you to lose more weight and research also supports this outcome, to a degree (15,16,17). But, the strength of the effect is likely to vary from one person to the next.
For example, a carb blocker is likely to be more effective for people who get most of their calories from carbs and probably wouldn’t work well for those on low carb diets.
All-in-all, the potential is there, but not all studies agree.
The final thing to note is that the studies that have been done are pretty limited, particularly in size and design. In many cases, they were also funded by supplement companies.
The end result is that carb blockers have more potential than chlorogenic acid and Garcinia Cambodia as a weight loss tool. Nevertheless, more research is needed and any impact is likely to be small.
As with the other ingredients, you're probably not getting all that much of this compound in the coffee anyway. So, if you were interested in those specific benefits, supplementing may make more sense.
Phaseolamin itself is also a generic name for an extract made from white kidney beans. As you can probably imagine, there are similar extracts available to buy as supplements.
As a carb blocker, there is some evidence for the benefits of phaseolamin. However, even here, the outcomes of research have been mixed
Green Tea Extract
The label states that it contains 'green extract', which isn't an ingredient.
But, the previous version of Valentus Slim involved green tea extract as an ingredient. So, it's likely that this is the case currently too.
Now, green tea itself has a long history of having health benefits, including the potential to contribute to weight loss (23,24,25).
- In fact, this may be one reason why there are so many weight loss teas out there, like Flat Tummy Tea and Fit Tea.
- Additionally, green tea is a source of caffeine, which can also potentially help with weight loss (26), although you should be getting more caffeine from the coffee itself.
However, the effects of green tea on weight loss are somewhat controversial. For example, some studies have failed to find an impact (27,28). And, if an effect is present, then it may also be fairly mild.
Additionally, it isn’t clear how much green tea extract is in Valentus Slim Roast Coffee anyway. I would guess that there isn’t a large amount, especially as the green tea extract is one of multiple different herbs.
With that in mind, if you wanted health or weight loss benefits from green tea, you’d be better off drinking the tea directly.
While green tea is associated with health benefits, the connection between green tea and weight loss is not nearly as strong. Additionally, it isn't even clear how much green tea is in the coffee
L-Theanine
L-theanine is an amino acid. The company suggests that this is a key reason that green tea can help promote weight loss.
The compound is frequently included in weight loss supplements.
However, the research is limited. One study did show that the compound can help lower food intake and body weight, while decreasing triglyceride and fatty acid levels (29).
- That study was conducted in mice.
- Most of the outcomes were for mice given multiple green tea compounds, not just the theanine.
Theanine has also been linked to decreased symptoms of stress (30,31). This outcome may indirectly promote weight loss. After all, many of us make poor decisions when we're stressed and may end up overeating.
The site Self Hacked discusses the benefits of L-theanine in more detail. But, there isn't all that much research and very little support for weight loss benefits (32).
Valentus Slim does contain this and green tea, increasing the potential somewhat. Still, there is little evidence that you'll actually see any weight loss effect.
As with the other ingredients, you're not likely to get a large amount of the amino acid per cup of coffee. So, even if there were benefits, you're probably not getting enough to see them.
There is also little evidence that L-Theanine would have much impact on weight loss
Caffeine
Caffeine and weight loss are often linked (33,34). This is one of the reasons that coffee can help improve weight loss in the first place. There are multiple ways this occurs.
In the short-term, caffeine may help to improve the metabolism and boost fat burning. But, as tolerance increases, these effects tend to decline. This is one reason why some people choose to cycle caffeine.
Because these impacts decline, caffeine isn't relevant for long-term metabolism benefits. Even so, caffeine may help to suppress the appetite and promote weight loss that way.
There is more evidence for caffeine than most of the other ingredients in the coffee from Valentus Slim. Still, that outcome is pretty meaningless.
- There are many different sources of caffeine and it's already something people consume regularly.
- For that matter, you're getting caffeine with any brand of coffee (unless you're drinking decaf).
As such, you're unlikely to see any additional benefits from the caffeine in Valentus Slim.
Caffeine may offer weight loss benefits but there are many other sources of the compound
Cacao/Cocoa
Research suggests that cocoa beans contain many powerful compounds. This is why there are so many health benefits from dark chocolate.
There is even some indication that these compounds may help promote weight loss (35).
But, most studies into this topic will have focused on cocoa extract or high flavonol cocoa/chocolate. You're unlikely to see similar benefits with a small amount of cocoa powder in coffee. Plus, Valentus Slim is just using cacao itself, rather than extract.
This suggests there won't be many beneficial compounds present. In fact, the cacao may just be included for flavor, rather than weight loss benefits.
There isn't much evidence that cacao can help weight loss. Even if it does, there wouldn't be enough included in Valentus Slim to make a difference
PEA
PEA is short for beta-phenylethylamine. This is a stimulant that is associated with serotonin and dopamine. It is sometimes used for weight loss too but the evidence is limited.
As Examine.com points out, PEA breaks down too fast in the body, making it ineffective as a supplement. Because of this, most of the potential effects of the compound won't actually occur.
This is particularly true for products like Valentus Slim Roast Coffee,as you won't be getting much of the compound anyway.
Supplementing with PEA has limited potential and there is no clear evidence of benefits
Canola Lecithin
Valentus excludes this ingredient in its discussion of benefits. Instead, canola lecithin is simply an emulsifier and an alternative to soy lecithin.
As such, it doesn't have any implications for weight loss. It is simply used for practical benefits and to ensure the coffee behaves as it should.
The canola lecithin is simply included for practical reasons, it offers no weight loss benefits
SlimRoast Optimum Coffee
Valentus also has a second coffee product, called SlimRoast Optimum. This has the same weight loss focus as the regular coffee. But the company claims that SlimRoast Optimum is more powerful, as it stacks multiple beneficial ingredients.
This time, the product contains:
- 2-Amino-5-Methylheptane
- Beta phenylethylamine (PEA)
- Acetyl-L-carnitine
- Caffeine
- Green Tea Catechins Extract
- L-Theanine
- Alpha-Glycerylposphoryl Choline
- Chromium Polynicotinate
Many of the ingredients are the same, although there are differences too.
Regardless, the overall pattern is what you would expect. Most of the ingredients could promote weight loss, in theory. But, there isn't much evidence to support those effects.
There are other claims too, like increasing energy, metabolizing fat to energy, improving energy and boosting circulation. The energy effects are probably true - you can thank the caffeine and L-theanine for that. As for the rest of the claims, there is no evidence provided.
SlimRoast Optimum is another product and it is unlikely to promote weight loss
Does Slim Roast Coffee Work?
As you can see from the ingredients information, there isn’t a whole lot of scientific support for Valentus Slim Roast Coffee, especially in terms of weight loss.
Most of the potential benefits come from the coffee itself, the caffeine and a little bit from the carb blocker. In contrast, the other ingredients probably do little to nothing for actual weight loss.
So, does Slim Roast Coffee work? Well, probably. To a degree, anyway.
The reason for this is simple. Many of the claims that Valentus makes already apply to coffee.
- For example, coffee is well known as an appetite suppressant and for many people that is a key reason to drink it.
- Likewise, coffee is a good source of antioxidants on its own. In fact, people tend to get a lot of antioxidants from coffee naturally, partly because coffee consumption is so high (36).
- Some of the other claims are things we associate with coffee too, like improving mood and making you more alert.
So, in these areas Valentus Slim Coffee is likely to work. The carb blocker that the coffee contains may help matters somewhat too but it’s difficult to know.
Of course, this pattern also means that you would get many of the same benefits simply from drinking coffee. For that matter, there are some amazing coffee brands out there that taste great and have a much better reputation than Valentus - like the one in the link below.
This begs the question, why go with Valentus Slim Roast Coffee? After all, the evidence for additional benefits really isn't that high.
This coffee may work for weight loss, simply because coffee itself has many of the benefits that the company promotes
Buying Valentus Slim Roast Coffee
Valentus takes the MLM approach seriously and the only way to buy the coffee (or other products) is through a distributor. However, there are a number of distributor sites online, so buying online isn’t hard if you do a little digging.
Now, you can buy the coffee individually or in boxes. If you buy individual boxes, the price is $59.95 per box – which contains 24 sachets.
However, if you buy a set of boxes, you pay less per box, like in these options.
But, regardless, the price is fairly expensive for coffee. For example, if you bought one box at a time, you end up paying more than $2 for a cup of coffee and you’re still paying more than $1 a cup with the largest pack (which costs $499.95).
That’s a lot to pay, especially when there is little evidence that the extra ingredients would really help with weight loss.
You can also buy via Amazon and the price ends up being a little cheaper.
But, even then, you’re still paying a fairly high price for a cup of coffee. Plus, the company recommends drinking two cups per day.
If you follow that recommendation, you end up paying around $50 or $60 for coffee that is only going to last you less than half a month.
The coffee can be purchased from distributors (online or offline) or from Amazon. But, either way, it is expensive
Valentus Slim Roast Coffee Reviews
I’ve looked at the ingredients you find in the coffee but what about the Valentus Slim Roast Coffee reviews? After all, individual outcomes are sometimes different than what the research suggests.
Well, reviews are mixed. For example, some products sold on Amazon average around 3 stars, while others are lower or higher. The aggregate review site Best Company also gives a rating of 3.5 stars, although some of those reviews are based on the opportunity, not the products.
These outcomes suggest some good experiences and some negative ones. The individual reviews reflect this as well.
For example, some positive reviews include the following:
It's worth mentioning that many of the positive reviews are from people using the entire Valentus Slim program, not just the coffee.
Other people are less impressed.
As for the taste, perspectives vary. Some people said that it tastes great, some compare it to basic instant coffee and some hate it entirely.
Whether that matters would mostly depend on your personal preferences.
- For example, if you drink coffee for taste and go out of your way to get good quality coffee, then the taste of Valentus Slim Roast Coffee would probably be a letdown.
- But, if you typically buy inexpensive instant coffee, then what Valentus offers may taste fine.
- Personally, I'd rather focus on high-quality coffee and get any herbal supplements elsewhere. But, your opinion may differ.
One challenge is that Valentus Slim does operate through MLM. This often means that reviews are biased. On average, distributors tend to be more positive than regular consumers. They do have a vested interest in the process after all.
Even those who aren't trying to be biased may be more likely to see positive impacts, simply as a result of their expectations.
Besides this, weight loss isn't normally caused by a single thing.
- For example, if you start drinking Valentus coffee, you may also change your eating habits at the same time, without really planning to.
- In fact, when we’re attempting to lose weight many of us do make subtle changes, without really thinking about it.
- In many cases, the people who did lose weight may have been able to lose that same weight without the coffee as well.
So, some of the observed effects may be coming from those aspects.
Other impacts may be legitimate. While the evidence isn't strong, some of the ingredients in Valentus Slim coffee could be contributing to weight loss.
The end result is that the reviews are mixed and cannot entirely trusted.
This means that you'd have to try out the coffee for yourself to find out if it works.
That may even be the best answer. After all, the effects of products are always very individual. What works for you may not work for someone else (and vice versa).
Reviews for the coffee are mixed, with some people seeing benefits and others experiencing side effects or no change at all
Valentus Slim Roast Coffee Side Effects
For the most part, the Slim Roast Coffee appears to be relatively safe. However, there are a few side effects to consider.
One issue is simply connected to jitteriness and shakes, which are fairly common side effects with caffeine, especially if you consume too much. Not only does the coffee contain caffeine but it also gets some caffeine from the green tea as well.
As a reference, the company estimates that one sachet contains 120 mg of caffeine.
Now, the amount of caffeine in coffee varies dramatically, even when you’re just considering instant coffee. For example, one site estimates a range from 27 to 173 mg (37).
So, the amount of caffeine here isn’t unusual. Nevertheless, if it is more than your typical cups of coffee contain, then you could experience side effects as your body gets used to the difference.
The other thing to consider is that some people find coffee itself has a laxative effect, so you may notice something similar with this coffee.
Additionally, the coffee does contain a carb blocker and this type of supplement does come with some side effects. In particular, there can be gastrointestinal side effects, including bloating, diarrhea and cramping (38,39).
The side effects do tend to decrease over time but they are something to be aware of – especially if you plan to use the coffee over an extended period of time.
One final thing to note is that most reviews will come from people who only use the coffee for a few weeks or even a few days. So, you may find that the effects are different in the long-term, including the potential for more side effects.
There are few significant side effects of the coffee itself, although the side effects from normal coffee and from caffeine are present. There is also the potential for side effects from the carb blocker
Is Valentus Slim Roast Coffee Worth It?
With Valentus Slim Roast Coffee, you’re basically drinking coffee that has a variety of different ingredients added in, most of which are herbs. The basic idea is that some of these ingredients may possibly help with weight loss or mental ability.
Yet, in most cases, the research is incredibly limited. So, you’re basically drinking these extra compounds in the hope that they offer some health benefits.
Honestly, that’s not the greatest plan, especially when there is the potential for side effects.
Now, the various reviews online do suggest that some people lose weight, although it isn’t clear whether this is from the coffee directly or from changes to their behaviors.
Even if it was the coffee, the product still doesn’t seem worth it.
- After all, if you buy one packet at a time and drink two cups a day, you’re essentially paying around $4 a day for your coffee. That’s like going out and buying a cup of coffee every day.
- Buying multiple packs at a time does decrease the unit cost of the coffee but either way, it is still expensive.
The price would be unsustainable for some people. And that really eliminates the point.
- When it comes to successful weight loss, you really want something you can sustain over time.
- Otherwise, you’ll find that you lose the weight and then put it back on once you change your patterns.
Drinking a specific type of coffee each day may seem realistic but it isn’t really clear what effects this could have after a year or two. Plus, you might find yourself having to stop if money becomes tight or if the company goes out of business.
So instead, it’s worth getting it right from the start.
Losing Weight Effectively
On this site, we believe that the answer lies in lifestyle, rather than in diets. The diet mentality is why so many of us don’t lose weight and instead we need to focus on sustainable techniques.
The simple answer here is to focus on whole and healthy food, while moving away from processed food, sugar and high-calorie meals. Yet, achieving this isn’t always as easy as it sounds on paper.
That’s why many people turn to specific lifestyles instead – ones that fit in with their own needs and strengths. Some key examples include intermittent fasting, vegan, paleo, ketosis and low carb, but there are others out there too.
More than anything, the idea is to figure out a lifestyle that is going to work for you in the long-term. So, it should allow you to eat healthily and lose weight, without being tortured each day.
Doing this will be much more powerful, much healthier and be much less expensive than buying Valentus Slim Roast Coffee or any other ‘quick fix’ diet product.
At the same time, if you want the weight loss advantages of coffee, you're better off sticking to high quality regular coffee. Not only is this safer but it's likely to taste better as well.
Want to Lose Weight and Keep it Off?
Weight loss is a huge industry, with no shortage of hype. But, long-term weight loss doesn't come from a crash diet or a popular fad.
Instead, you need sustainable habits and healthy foods.
Check out my recommended weight loss products to see where you can get started
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A friend of mine told me this week, he and his wife have been drinking a coffee similar to this, but it’s being called paleo coffee. They definitely have lost weight. Then, coincidentally, another buddy told me about the valentus slim roast coffee, which sounded exactly like paleo coffee. At any rate, I did some checking and reading and really thought maybe it would be worth the price if it helps me lose some weight.
BUT, then I started wondering if maybe the reason this coffee works is because, by drinking it at breakfast, well, you’re cutting out some serious calories anyway right there. It’s basically skipping a meal. And usually, breakfast foods are pretty high in sugar, maybe carbs too. What’s stopping me from moving ahead with buying this coffee is actually because of a recent change I made in my eating habits.
A few weeks ago, I got a case of food poisoning. Well, once you get sick, you lose your appetite for awhile and for me, breakfast became almost impossible to eat. Smelling food early in the morning just made me nauseous, so I’d end up just having chicken broth for breakfast (don’t laugh, it was the only thing I could keep down!) Well, I more or less got used to just having broth in the morning and ever since, I’ve been having that, or, if I do eat, it’s considerably less than I was having before. I noticed I dropped a few pounds. Well, of course, it’s because I was cutting some calories from my daily intake by just having the broth and maybe an English muffin now and then.
So, I have to wonder if people are losing weight on this coffee essentially because they too are cutting out a meal every day…