Advocare is a multilevel marketing (MLM) company that sells nutrition and weight loss supplements. If you are on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, chances are you know someone that is a distributor for these products. Advocare has become increasingly popular in recent years, signing on numerous famous athletes as endorsers. They even recently recruited Rich Froning as an endorser—the professional Crossfitter who holds a 4-time record of the Crossfit Games’ “Fittest Man on Earth” title! So, if Rich Froning is “getting sparked up” to get through his Crossfit WODs, should you be too? Is Advocare actually healthy?
While Advocare sells numerous weight loss shakes, protein bars, and nutritional supplements, for the purposes of this post, I’ll be focusing on the trendy product Advocare Spark® Energy. According to the Spark product tagline, it promises to be “a sugar-free source of long-lasting energy”. As far as Advocare products go, I certainly could have highlighted another of their products with many more toxic ingredients and health concerns than Spark. But I feel compelled to focus on this product, in part because I have personally suffered from the effects of a lack of energy, fatigue, and mental fogginess that this product claims to eliminate and I have discovered the real solution to these problems (hint- It’s not Advocare). This product is a perfect example of why even seemingly “better choices” will still never be a healthier option than simply choosing real food.
The positive side of Advocare
As a licensed health care provider and certified nutritionist, I believe that it would be unethical and a major conflict of interest for me to sell MLM nutrition products. Which is why I do not and I never will associate myself with a MLM company. If you are wondering why I still haven’t responded to your Facebook message asking if I want to learn how to make more money, it’s nothing personal. I still like you as a person! But first and foremost, I am in the business of helping people heal their bodies through the use of real food. I do use nutritional and herbal supplements in my practice to assist clients in bringing balance back to the body, but I do not align myself with any particular company and I only recommend professional-grade products. I do not make money off of any of the supplement recommendations that I make to clients. I recommend products based on the client’s specific nutritional deficiencies, the quality of ingredients, and the manufacturing processes used. There are a lot of reasons why Advocare and their products do not fit the bill for my clients’ needs, but what I do like about Advocare is that they recommend making dietary changes and starting an exercise program while taking their products. Listen up because that is sound advice for people everywhere! Nutrition, fitness, and other lifestyle changes are what actually changes lives. Not energy drinks, protein powders, or supplements.
“You had the power all along, my dear.”
Recommending diet and lifestyle changes is common sense, but it is also a smart business practice on the part of Advocare. There are a lot of wonderful, inspirational stories that you will hear about people using Advocare products. I suspect that many of those transformations come from the nutrition and fitness programs that people have started and not the products themselves.
What makes me qualified to give my opinion about Advocare
One of the reasons that I don’t particularly like MLM companies is that they often attempt to make their distributors (the people who sell their products) experts in a particular field. I have had people who don’t know my background approach me and try to sell me Advocare products while presenting themselves as “health and nutrition experts”. I’m sure there are some people who are sufficiently educated in health and nutrition fields that do sell Advocare products, but most people selling these supplements are not qualified to be giving nutrition advice. Many MLM companies attack and harass people that speak out against their products, and so it’s unfortunately necessary to add a quick disclaimer on my qualifications.
I am a registered nurse (RN) and I have a BSN and MS degree. I have practiced as a registered nurse for over 8 years in various specialties in both conventional and holistic health care. I’m certified as a nutritional therapy consultant through the Nutritional Therapy Association and a health and fitness specialist through the American College of Sports Medicine. I have owned a health and nutrition consulting practice since 2008. You can read more about my credentials here.
Is “Getting Sparked Up” Healthy?
The short answer is no. The simplest explanation is that the product is not real food. It is a supplement that contains toxic, low quality ingredients that ignore the bioindividuality of people’s nutrient needs and fail to address the underlying root causes of a lack of energy and fatigue.
Vitamin A (as beta-carotene), Vitamin B-6 (as pyridoxine HCl), Vitamin B-12 (as cyanocobalamin), Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid), Vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopheryl acetate), Thiamine (as HCl), Riboflavin, Niacin (as niacinamide), Pantothenic acid (as calcium pantothenate), Zinc (as zinc monomethionine), Copper (as copper glycinate), Chromium (as chromium citrate), Choline (as bitartrate and citrate), L-Tyrosine, Taurine, Caffeine , Glycine, Citrus flavonoids, Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), L-Carnitine (as tartrate), Inositol, Maltodextrin, citric acid, sucralose, silicon dioxide
Depending on the flavor of Spark, beet root extract, grapeskin extract, and natural and artificial flavorings are also added.
Based on a cursory glance, the ingredients list does not seem too bad. After all, it is mostly vitamins and minerals and everyone needs more of these nutrients, right? The vitamins and minerals found in Spark are important to the optimal functioning of the body, but once again, it goes back to the real food concept. It is always best to obtain your nutrients through the foods that you eat and not rely on getting them through a powder or pill. One important reason for this is that vitamins and minerals manufactured in a laboratory for use in a supplement are not always in the most bioavailable form that the body can actually use. This is especially true with supplements that are not professional-grade.
Low Quality Ingredients
As one example, I will highlight the vitamin B12 that is in Advocare Spark. Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that helps to maintain healthy nerve and red blood cells and is essential to the synthesis of DNA and RNA, as well as the production of neurotransmitters. Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to pernicious anemia. Since vitamin B12 is only found in animal products or fortified foods, it is recommended that people who are vegetarian or vegan supplement with vitamin B12 (As a former vegetarian, I recommend that people who are vegetarian or vegan change their diet if they want to find optimal health).
Vitamin B12 Chemical Structure
In the supplement industry, there are several forms of vitamin 12 that can be used in products. Because of its low manufacturing costs and relative stability, cyanocobalamin is the most common form of vitamin B12 that is used in low-end vitamin products, including Advocare Spark. Cyanocobalamin is a synthetic form of vitamin B12 that does not occur in nature, but it can only be manufactured in a lab. In order to be utilized by the body, cyanocobalamin has to be converted by the body into an active form of vitamin B12. A large percentage of the population (some estimates are 50% or higher) have mutations at the MTHFR gene that make the conversion of cyanocobalamin into an active form of vitamin B12 less efficient. The best way to get more vitamin B12 into your diet is to optimize your digestion and consume high quality meats, fish, poultry, and eggs. If you are going to supplement with vitamin B12, be sure to choose a high quality, active form of vitamin B12 that can be readily utilized by the body, not cyanocobalamin.
The cyanocobalamin in Advocare Spark is just one example of how the forms of the vitamins and minerals in this product do not necessarily provide the most benefit to the body. In general, MLM companies make money by manufacturing products using the lowest cost ingredients that they can find and then marking them up to outrageous prices. With vitamins and minerals, that often means that you are literally flushing your money down the toilet in the form of nutrients that your body is unable to utilize. You are much better off using your hard-earned money to purchase nutrient-dense, whole foods that contain all of the nutrients you need in the forms that the body can use.
Lack of Attention to Nutrient Synergy and Bioindividuality
That leads me to the next issue with the seemingly benign vitamins and minerals found in Advocare Spark. Multi-vitamins and supplements such as Advocare Spark operate on the premise that everyone needs these extra nutrients and more is always better. In the previous example of cyanocobalamin, one serving of Advocare Spark contains 750% of the daily recommended value of vitamin B12. According to the Spark label, consumers are urged to drink 1-3 servings of Spark per day. If you are drinking 3 servings, that is 2,250% of the daily recommended value! In the case of the water-soluble vitamins (such as B12), you will excrete what your body is unable to use in your urine and overdosing is not a concern. But what is a major issue is that all vitamins and minerals work synergistically in the body. Throwing a bunch of nutrients together in an energy drink in various amounts ignores the careful balance that is needed in order for vitamins and minerals to work effectively and efficiently in the body. The beautiful thing about eating foods found in nature is that they already contain the vitamins and minerals in the exact proportions that are needed to perform their specific roles.
Another consideration is a lack of attention to bioindividuality of people consuming the product. The body has a remarkable ability to balance the ratios between minerals, but due to a variety of modern lifestyle factors, such as diet and toxic environmental exposures, the system sometimes goes awry, leading to imbalances between nutrients. The zinc and copper present in Advocare Spark can be used as an example of the significance of a lack of bioindividuality. Zinc and copper are minerals that have an antagonistic relationship. In our modern society, zinc and copper imbalances usually manifest as an excess of copper and a deficiency of zinc. There are numerous clinical reasons why I may not recommend that a client take a supplement with both zinc and copper in it if they are deficient in zinc or have an excess of copper. Or I may recommend a supplement with zinc and copper with very specific ratios. It takes clinical knowledge, thorough assessment, and thoughtful decision-making to render a decision about supplementation for my clients and that is another reason why I don’t think people should get their nutrition advice from a MLM company. It’s not just a bunch of harmless vitamins and minerals that everyone needs. The balance between the zinc and copper found in Advocare Spark may not be the best ratio to suit your particular needs. Mineral imbalances can potentiate serious health issues if they are not corrected.
Toxic Ingredients
Splenda (sucralose)
Now, we can get into a few of the more obvious problems with the ingredients in Advocare Spark. The first toxic ingredient that sticks out on the list is sucralose, otherwise known as Splenda. Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that was first discovered by researchers who were investigating insecticides. Yes, you read that correctly- insecticides! Sucralose is manufactured in a highly refined process that replaces hydroxyl molecules in sugar (usually derived from genetically modified sugar beets) with chloride. It is one of the newest artificial sweeteners on the market and it was approved by the FDA in 1998, as the Advocare website proudly proclaims. There are a lot of reasons why FDA-approval does not necessarily make a product or drug safe, but that is beyond the scope of this post. FDA recalls and withdrawals happen quite frequently and in the case of sucralose, I am not convinced of its safety. In 2013, the Center for Science in Public Interest, a public safety watchdog, downgraded sucralose from “safe” to “caution” due to new evidence that linked sucralose to the development of leukemia in a life-long rat study. Because sucralose is a relatively new artificial sweetener, there is no life-long data available on its use in humans. Research does show that sucralose can significantly alter the gut flora and there is growing evidence that the gut flora is essential to overall health and wellbeing of the entire body. In our modern society, most of us were not provided with an ideal environment in which to foster optimal gut health from the very moment of our birth. I can assure you that none of us need any additional help from sucralose in creating an imbalance of gut flora! It’s best to limit added sugars in your diet and use only natural sweeteners, such as honey and maple syrup, which have been around as long as bees and trees.
Artificial Flavorings
The next questionable ingredients are “natural and artificial flavorings”. The Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 has a lengthy definition of what can and cannot constitute a “natural” or “artificial” flavoring under the law. These ingredients are not always intuitive. For example, many people are shocked to learn that castoreum, an exudate from the castor sac of beavers, is categorized as a “natural flavoring”. Technically, beaver butt fluids are Paleo and they are non-toxic, so I’m personally not bothered all that much by that one (although quality and processing concerns of castoreum should also be considered 🙂 ). What concerns me more are the ingredients that sneak in under the “artificial” label. Under the law, artificial flavorings can be just about anything that does not meet the definition of a natural flavoring. There is usually little or no testing done to verify the safety of these ingredients in the food supply. A principle known as the Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) is used to justify the addition of these ingredients to the food supply. The concept behind TTC is that very small amounts of chemicals should not pose a risk to human health when they are added to foods. You can read more about how the principle of TTC is applied to our food system here. There are sometimes hundreds of chemicals that are used to create a single “artificial flavoring”. Most companies, Advocare included, keep the exact chemical components of the flavorings a guarded secret, so it’s impossible to know what is really in your Spark.
“But…Spark makes me feel good and it really does give me more energy”
Well, sure it does. One serving of Advocare Spark contains 120mg of caffeine. The average cup of coffee contains 95mg. In general, caffeine does give people more energy, and in our stressed-to-the-gills, fatigue-burdened society, it may temporarily make them feel better (although if you give someone who doesn’t drink caffeine a cup of coffee, they may disagree with how good caffeine makes them feel). I don’t believe that there is anything inherently wrong with caffeine or natural sources of caffeine, like coffee or tea, but as with many types of foods, they can be abused. If you are suffering from a lack of energy, fatigue, and mental fogginess that Advocare Spark promises to help, the answer is not caffeine (or a low-quality vitamin and mineral supplement with artificial flavorings and caffeine added). You need to address the root of the problem, which likely stems from a combination of poor diet, uncontrolled stress, a lack of proper movement of the body, insufficient sleep and rest, and exposure to environmental toxins. Without a comprehensive nutrition and lifestyle approach that addresses all of these factors, you will not realize your potential of optimal health.
What are your thoughts about Advocare Spark® Energy and similar products? I’d love to hear from you!
Image#1 (Drinks) Credit , Image#2 (Glenda) Credit, Image#3 (Vitamin B12) Credit, Image#4 (Splenda) Credit, Image#5 (Lab Equipment) Credit
I am a certified nutritional therapist, primal movement educator, and a registered nurse licensed in California, Florida, and Ohio. I healed my own gastrointestinal and autoimmune disease by following a whole food, nutrient-dense, traditional diet. It is my mission to help others to make healing changes in their own lives through the power of real food and other ancestral health techniques. 
I’m glad you posted this. I know someone who sells and was trying to get me on board as well. I mentioned that I have Hashimoto’s and taking these types of products wasn’t a good idea for me and I wouldn’t promote something I didn’t feel was right. Following a Paleo lifestyle has been what has worked best for me, no artificial anything and I talk about it with anyone I can that has asked me what I do. I think with the studies that are coming out more recently that are demonstrating the effects that man made franken-food are causing may help to show some of the population that these things are more harmful than beneficial. It is sad that the majority of people don’t care or maybe would rather ignore it…
Hi Heather! I am confident that eventually the research will support how harmful processed foods are the the population. The evidence is already piling up, but sometimes it’s hard to put together in a way that makes sense. But you are right though- there will always be some people who choose to ignore the facts. I’m glad that you are controlling the Hashimoto’s through diet. Keep up the great work!!!
Spark is not indented to replace eating. You absolutely need to eat. It is just an energy drink. You can use it whether you are on a diet or not. In no way shape for form would anyone associated with Advocare recommend you not eat.
Advocare does offer a meal replacement shake but is only to replace 1 meal a day. You still need to eat 2 additional meals and snacks.
Whoever made this website really needs to do more research before saying this craziness.
By the way, I don’t sell Advocare. I am just a customer.
I have been drinking spark daily for over a year. I am put of school on spring break and have not drank any since we got out. I am now experiencing chest pains. Could this be a withdrawal symptom from not drinking it?
Hi Belinda- Hopefully, you have followed up on this with your health care provider. You should always take chest pain very seriously and have it evaluated by a physician. There are too many variables for me to be able to say what could be causing this for you. Please report back if you are able.
I have done some research myself on advocare, their 24 day challenge and particular their spark. I was wondering why so many people jump on board with that…still not sure why. I am no expert but have done my research and do see that there are alot of toxins in their products. You have to look up the ingredients and what they are. Yes you may lose weight but your are not getting healthy. I agree about getting our nutrition from our foods but unfortunately our foods are so GMO’d they are killing us. I found a source that is 100% nutrition, enzymatically alive that it gives my body the nutrition it needs to repair itself. It’s amazing, it’s God made not man made! For those that are drinking spark or doing the 24day challenge I challenge you to look up some of the ingredients and you will be very surprised. Do you really want that going in your body?
I’ve used to products for years, and it has only helped! I truly love the products… and I don’t even sell it. I haven’t had any negative side effects!
Thank you for this respectful and thoroughly researched post explaining why real food trumps synthetic food products. I appreciate the time you put into patiently discussing the negative aspects of turning to a popular yet low-quality and potentially harmful fast fix. I hope people become more aware of the need to address signs of poor health with nutritional therapy and not just a band-aid processed food.
Thanks again for all you do!
Thank you, Brandae! Your feedback means a lot!
so since you are against AdvoCare what do you think about Herbalife? I’ll appreciate a response!
Hi Marina- Since writing this article, I have had requests from many other MLM brands for reviews. Currently, I don’t have the time to respond to each individual request. However, my general viewpoint is that professional line brands almost always offer superior products. Thanks for stopping by!
What do you mean by professional line brands? Can you offer examples or where I can find a list of professional line brands?
I’m confused by what a Professional Line brand means and Could you elaborate on what you mean by superior products. Are we looking at specific ingredients? Looking forward to your response! thanks Katy!
Hi Pete! Professional line brands are those supplement companies that make therapeutic supplements that are marketed to health care professionals, as opposed to being marketed to the consumer. They are not typically found over-the-counter and you must purchase them through a health care professional. The quality control is higher and a good professional line brand will utilize third party testing companies to verify the quality of raw ingredients, dosing, etc. to make sure that the product is what it says it is and it does not contain toxic trace minerals, pesticides, etc. I hope that this helps!
Thanks for the in depth review! I had a friend get angry with me for saying on facebook that I felt I couldn’t take the product because of the Splenda.
Thanks, Holly! I’m glad that you found this helpful.
Thanks Katie for your article on Spark. I have been taking it for about 3 years in place of coffee. I do still have fatigue and fogginess , and also I seem to have joint problems, could the Spark be contributing to my joint problems?
Thanks,
Bobby
Hi Bobby! It’s hard to say for sure without a detailed assessment of your diet and lifestyle. I wouldn’t rule out Spark, but there could also be many other contributing factors.
I am not a expert either. But splenda makes my joints hurt. I came on this site because a friend recently started selling this product and I was curious. I prefer to eat my vitamins.
Please add me to your newsletter list .
Thanks
Hi Angela, I will do so. Thanks for reading!
Hi, Katy. I recently joined a Crossfit gym and within a few weeks realized it was not for me. The trainers actually, IMHO, went too far. They didn’t seem to care that the sixty year old man or woman that had not worked out in years or possibly never needed time to build up to an expert level. I had taken a fifteen year break from workouts and had become grossly overweight and out of shape- that didn’t seem to register. I noticed the intense pains I was feeling from the WOD’s and decided to go back to my basics that6 I had learned in my youth. BUT I had already bought the 24 day program. So 4 months later I decided since I cannot return it why not use it. NOT worth it. I lost six pounds on it and felt no better. I added running and a normal run of the mill gym back in to my daily routine. I am up to three miles per run and making slow gains in the gym the biggest part is I am losing size (in a good way) since I have decided to measure my fat rather than weight it. I modified my diet to eliminate sugar, fried foods, and processed foods; nothing but fresh meats, seafoods, veggies, fruits, and complex carbs. ALL homemade! I have also stopped doing the Advocare system since I didn’t like all of the products I had to take, what seemed like, every minute of the day. Better to go natural with food and exercise. Great article. Thanks!!
Hi Michael! Thanks for stopping by the blog and sharing your story. How exciting that you’re noticing improvements! Keep up the great work!
Hey Michael, my name is Pete. My wife and I run a CrossFit in Grand Rapids and we are certainly sorry to hear your experience was not good at your CrossFit. Understand that every CrossFit has a different environment and fit. I encourage you to go try another one, because the principles and results cannot be matched in my opinion. You just have to find the right one for you. I’d love to connect with you.
In response to the AdvoCare I am extremely glad that you have decided to stop and not take those products. We are also Paleo and are in the firm belief that any supplements that you take should be absolutely 100% non toxic and chemical free. 99.99% of the companies out there Including, AdvoCare, Isagenix, Herbalife, Visalus, Nutrilite, Beachbody, It Works, Monavie, Thrive, Usana, Vennema and many others are made with chemicals and fillers that are harmful for that body and increase your toxic load.
You want a CLEAN supplement with no Toxins including:
NO WHEY
NO SOY
NO CASEIN
NO DAIRY
NO MALTODEXTRIN
NO SUCRALOSE, SPLENDA/E955
NO FRUCTOSE
NO GMO’s (genetically modified organisms)
NO HORMONES
NO ANTIBIOTICS
NO PESTICIDES
NO HAVEY METALS
NO GLUTEN
LOW GLYCEMIC
NO ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS OR COLORS
Stay healthy my friend!
One thing that I did not see you mention was that Advocare’s products are not gluten free. This is a big deal for alot of us out there.
Wonderful point, Alicia! Thank you for mentioning this!
I’m coming across this old post as I was researching Spark and a few other Advocare products, which I have used on and off for about 5 years. Can you please tell me what wold be considered professional lines of product? And incluse varying levels of affordability? I truly would love to eat more organic, whole foods and learn how to make healthier choices while having a variety of offerings. I live with 2 very picky eaters, who would exists almost entirely on bagged, boxed and pre-packaged foods if I let them 🙁 However, I, along with many others like me, simply cannot afford to feed my family 100% or sadly even 50% of the time on whole and organic foods. I truly don’t think the problem is that people don’t want to be healthy, it’s that people can’t afford it and the junk and chemically altered food is so inexpensive and readily available. It make me sick!
Anyway, I would love can email or something with some recommendations of professional lines of product. Thank you,
Stephanie Clark
Hi Stephanie! There are many professional line brands. My favorites that I use in my practice include Pure Encapsulations, Biotics Research, Thorne Research, Xymogen, Vital Nutrients, Klaire Labs, and Physician’s Exclusive. Professional line brands will be more expensive than over-the-counter in general, but you pay for what you get. It is better to get these products through a health professional that understands how they should be used. Please contact me if you need more help with this at katy@thepaleonurse.com.
I understand what you mean about healthy food being more expensive, but it is a matter of investing in your health now to prevent more health care related expenses later. Have you looked at cutting your budget on eating out in restaurants and other areas of disposable income? Also, there are ways to shop for cheaper cuts of meat (the less desirable, but much more nutritious options such as organ meats) and times that you should invest in organic versus conventional (check out the Dirty Dozen list). Buying directly from a local farmer can sometimes save money too. I will try to write a post soon about this topic. Best of luck to you!
I am an AdvoCare distributor and enjoy the products and how I feel on them. I have tried multiple products and AdvoCare is by far the best. Hate to burst your bubble but we do have a boards of medical doctors that formulates our products and they do go through a process to make sure they are safe. Just because you think they are unsafe just means that’s your opinion so don’t come down on us that also have our opinion that this is an incredible line.
Hi Katy-
This is an excellent post. I am a chiropractic that prides myself in lifestyle changes versus quick fixes personally and professionally. I am beginning my quest into functional medicine and I use Apex Energetics. I haven’t looked into some of the other professional products that you are using, but I was wondering if you had a comparison.
Hi! I literally got on my computer to order Spark for the first time and came across this blog post. I am second guessing it now! I suffer from being tired and fatigued all the time. I have two little boys who have more energy than I know what to do with. Do you do health evaluations or health plans through email? If not, can you point me in the right direction? Thank you!
I have encouraged my family to get off spark for several years. I have one niece that will soon be 30 and she has been using spark every day since she was 14. She tells me that when she misses her spark she just feels terrible. Do you have any other healthy option that would help her wing herself off of the Spark?
I used Spark for over a year. I LOVED it because I am naturally a pretty low energy person. Over time however I started to get shooting pains (like lightning) in my feet and hands within an hour or two of drinking it. They would take my breathe away at how sharp and sudden they would occur. I wasn’t sure if I was getting too much of a vitamin or mineral by drinking Spark and that was the cause. But I work in a Cardiac Cath Lab and can’t really afford to gasp in the middle of a case. So I reluctantly stopped. The pains stopped. A few years later, I had long forgotten the pains and ordered some more from a friend. Within a week of Spark getting back in my system, the sharp pains came back and I was like “Ohhhhh yeah!” Like I said, without proof, I can’t say for sure, but I’m pretty convinced I was getting a high dose of some vitamin or mineral that was causing the my nerves to spasm (for lack of a better word). I still take a pre workout…like I said low energy…and I am having success with this product.
Your an uneducated idiot. Low quality ingredients…..u are not qualified to comment on these products because u know nothing anout them. Shame on u preying on people who need help.
Well he’s wrong about a few things. One of them being there is no caffeine in spark and when you are on the diet you do eat real food. Chicken rice broccoli and other healthy foods.
I had been weary of the products and they way they are pushed on their distributors as well. I have a relative that sells it and to tell her they are unhealthy would be like blasphemy. She must have a good heart cause I’m 34 and Spark gives me palpitations so bad! I can drink 2-4 cups of coffee and not have that effect! Also I try to eat as plant based as possible and avoid whey protein drinks. She talks like these guys coaching her are nutritionists, when I know they, in particular, are not.
A buddy of mine has been on advocare for roughly 2 months. He is down 70lbs. He’s starting his 24 day challenge team in Jan and wants me to join. It’s great that he lost all that weight, but I just don’t see loosing 70lbs in roughly 1 1/2 months very healthy. Also, I have high blood pressure, and energy drinks and supplements concern me. Does this spark drink and any other advocare products affect my blood pressure?
I too am a registered nurse with my BSN in nursing however I do not claim to be a nutritional advisor and neither does any of our AdvoCare distributors. Your information is not entirely correct. Spark or any of AdvoCare products/supplements are not to be used as a stand alone source of nutritional intake. These supplements are taken with “real foods”! We include the 80/20 rule of a healthy lifestyle menu of as you call it “real foods”. I would suggest before you continue to speak out about AdvoCare or any other products/supplements that you do a better more compete research of the products and company. As a start, we have a complete Science board that is occupied by very highly known and knowledgeable in developing our products and all our products are 3rd party tested for multiple more ingredients than is tested by the FDA or RDA. Again, I urge you to stop bashing products and companies that you do not have correct information of. Thank You. And yes I do use several AdvoCare products/supplements and sell them as well. I did my research before using/selling. 4 years of such. I rest my case!
That’s a internationally recognized board of experts in the Scientific and Medical field as well as health and fitness. I’m sure Dr Stanley Dudrick founder of TPN and credited with saving the lives of 10k and more premie babies as well as surgical patients unable to eat by oral means, would not be associated with a company that does not produce and provide the best products for AdvoCare to market. And the US Soccer teams now use AdvoCares Rehydrate instead of Gatorade. Research AdvoCare again.
Are there any shakes, etc., you would recommend for a college athlete? My son is playing baseball, and is dedicated to making healthy choices. He eats healthy, eschewing soda, candy, and too many sweets, choosing whole foods. He is wanting, and sees his teammates using, a muscle-building shake to drink ore-workout. A family member just gave him samples of Advocare, but we are unconvinced it is the best way for him to go. Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thank you, Lisa
Hi Lisa! I generally steer clear of protein shakes, but in this case, I would recommend searching for a grassfed whey protein supplement. Best of luck!
Honestly there really isn’t a Perfect product out there for assisting weight loss. Anyone can and will find a reason to pick apart a particular program like AdvoCare and Yoli and Beach body etc etc etc. I can honestly say that those programs have been successful for a large number of people. In the thousands. The ingredients in the products are No different than what you all consume on a daily basis. One Red Bull or one monster drink or one 5 hour energy are way more “toxic” to your body than Spark could ever be. And certainly soda is far more harmful to a person’s health than Spark—there is actual true research on all of those. It’s a personal choice to do any weight loss program, but it doesn’t mean that a person is completely wrong or will cause themselves great harm by trying one of these programs. I have used AdvoCare off and on since 2014 and have maintained a 75lb weight loss. Yes I change my eating habits and had been exercising too. That’s a no brainer. But I didn’t develop Any I’ll edfects from any of it and most people I know who take it quite regularly haven’t had any adverse health effects either after 2,4,5,7,10 years on it. Our food from every grocery store has altered ingredients and “toxic” chemicals as well so I don’t feel it’s a fair representation of AdvoCare versus the crap that we buy at the grocery store. And on the Gluten aspect, that is such a bunch of over sensationalized bullshit. People have eaten gluten for decade after decades without any issues. It’s just like all other overblown gimics to get people to buy overpriced food with little nutritional value. No AdvoCare isn’t perfect. They don’t claim to be either. But if you have never tried it based on words on a label or a perception versus reality, you really should take a step back and say absolutely Nothing about it. You have no experience with the products and here say isn’t facts. There are people with cancer, diabetes, stroke, heart attacks, blood clots, etc that have been allowed to use their products and with great success. I know several of them personally. You don’t have to like it, but at least give it a try before you stomp all over it. If you don’t want to try it then you can’t give Any type of advice on what is may have done versus actually done. Not to be antagonistic. I am living proof that it works. But you have to do Everything in Moderation regardless. It’s not meant to be used 24/7 365 days a year for ever. Thanks
Love this post. please add me to your list
Thanks for stopping by, Eve!
I drank spark for about 6 months back in 2014 and developed uncontrollable and urgent diarrhea. With the help of my doctor we determined it was spark. It took about 4 weeks for my system to rid of its toxins and get me back to normal. It was awful. I threw it all away because it was poisoning me and put me in some embarrassing situations
Hi Lindsey! I’m sorry to hear about your struggled, but I’m glad that you figured it out. Thanks for sharing your story!
I am really glad I found this review from you. I have been using Advocare products for a couple of years now and really wished I had researched just a little more. There are 2 of their products I would like your opinion on 1) rehydrate and 2) catalyst. I do not like Gatorade because of the sugar. Thank you for any information you have time to give me.
Hi Crystal! Thanks for stopping by. I’m not familiar with those products, but I would say that it is always best to stick to real food options.
I am humbled by this post. I came across it by googling how long spark stays in your system . I tried only 1 packet today split in two . I am a nursing mom and assured this was ok. After reading this it’s not and I am so ashamed that I didn’t research better before hand. I heard 60mg of niacin that is in this is bad for you as well and am freaking out. Aside from all that I am not used to caffeine. I only wanted to try this to lose baby weight. I typically am very healthy in eating. We eat pretty clean. I hope I didn’t do any permanent damage and that the effects wear off soon as it’s giving me major anxiety
Hi Tezsia, I’m so glad that the post helped you. Best of luck in your health journey!
Have you done any research on It Works?
Hi Sherri! I have not, but I am not interested in MLM companies that sell supplements or quick fixes for health and wellness. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, Have you heard of FitLine?
Hello Paola! No, I am not familiar with that.
I just came across this article as I researching alternate, healthy caffeine as opposed to Spark. I’ve been using Spark consistently for about 3 years now and I believe it is contributing to my constant headaches, I’ve noticed it the past few weeks and am going to stop taking it for a few weeks and see if there is a difference. The problem is, I get caffeine headaches and it kick starts my migraines so my neurologist has stated I do need some form of caffeine during the day to prevent this. Is there something healthier you could suggest? Thanks so much, this article was wonderful and really helped open my eyes!
Hi Megan! I’m glad to hear that you’ve discovered a possible trigger. My advice would be to wean yourself off of caffeine completely and then work to uncover any other underlying triggers for your migraines. If you can’t give up the caffeine, coffee or tea is a healthier source. Best of luck!
I also get horrible headaches when I take Spark. I’ve decided that it has too many side-effects (including heart palpatations and flushing) to be worth it. I’ll still to my coffee