Reviewing Advocare

I was asked to look into this product and this is my analysis. I encourage all readers to do their own research and make up their own mind.

Major issues

1. Advocare is not a member of the Better Business Bureau. Giving consumers a recourse if they have issues is important.
   
• Counter: Advocare is a member of some type of oversight organization, the DSA since 1993.
  
• Consumer watch organiztions Scryve, Knowmore and CorporateCritic had no data or analysis of Advocare or the DSA.
  
2. Advocare appears to use a multi-level marketing structure. MLMwatch includes them in their list.
• Counter: MLMs are necessarily bad by nature and their continued popularity is evidence that they work to some extent.
  
3. Advocare has doctors endorsing the product but several doctors -- even very qualified ones -- does not constitute safety.
   
• Counter: these doctors are at the top of their field and their reputations are on the line.
  
• Studies conducted by many very qualified doctors regularly are disproved. This is an insufficient sample. Anyone familiar with how the healthiness of something as simple as eggs has been under review for years now can tell you that just one study would not give you a full understanding. Similarly, it took hundreds of studies before it was determined BPA was bad or you.
  
4. There is no way to know if a small section of the population will have negative reactions over a long-term use of the product? Only peer-reviewed information provided by accredited health journals are qualified to discuss this.
   

• Counter: Although I can't find any information that suggests Advocare isn't under this type of review, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Minor issues

1. The drug has not been approved by the FDA.
   
2. Athletic endorsements and "I have a very good friend who has lost __ pounds" are meaningless to me (known as false attribution). That doesn't mean these are false, but I have no way of evaluating their truth.
   
3. The ingredients and nutritional information are not clearly available online -- they have to be divined from reading their FAQ section. One article suggests it may contain some ingredients which may or may not do anything.
   
4. At least one doctor has come out against giving the product to kids.
• The website currently says "AdvoCare does not sell products and services for purchase by children."
• See also: furor over sports drink for kids
5. Uses Fructose, which no one seems to like. I've posted about high fructose corn syrup before.

NOTE: Please use discretion when adding comments. I welcome a better understanding of this product but arguments must be clear, concise, and enforce their points with reputable information. Posts that lack this and of course links to Advocare distributors will be deleted.