Can a gummy give you a toned body? The truth behind the latest women's wellness supplements. - chof 360 news

Female-focused supplement brands claim to have cracked the code when it comes to burning fat, banishing bloating and taking control of vaginal wellness. Now, two of the biggest — Arrae and Kourtney Kardashian’s Lemme — are laser-focused on a new goal: helping women get toned.

Both brands recently launched their own iterations of “Tone” gummies guaranteeing lean muscle mass and “optimized body composition.” Lemme’s supplement also claims to aid in healthy weight loss, while Arrae says its gummies will lead to toned arms and legs, without any bulk and bloating.

Judging by the ad campaigns for Lemme Tone and Arrae’s Tone — think svelte female models in skimpy leotards — popping the fruit-flavored gummies in your mouth could help you lead your best Jane Fonda fitness life. But how realistic is that?

Here, experts break down what goes into these new supplements — and what’s behind the tone gummy trend.

Inside the supplements

Lemme and Arrae’s new supplements may both be called Tone, but they’re made with different ingredients. Jamie Alan, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University, tells chof360 Life that these formulations are important to look into.

Lemme

Kourtney Kardashian’s gummy claims to reverse slowing metabolism, promote healthy weight management, support lean body composition and help consumers lose fat, not muscle. To do so, it’s leaning on four featured ingredients: methylated B12, apple cider vinegar, gingerroot and Chromax chromium picolinate.

Alan points out that vitamin B12 has appeared in supplements for some time, billed as an energy enhancer for athletic performance. However, research shows that it doesn’t provide any benefit unless an individual has a B12 deficiency. According to Yale Medicine, most Americans get enough B12 from food alone.

Lemme says that apple cider vinegar is included in its Tone gummy to aid in digestion, though Alan says there is not strong evidence that it does so. Ginger, on the other hand, can help move food through the body in addition to tackling nausea, she says.

The product’s hero ingredient, Chromax, is a formulation of the essential mineral chromium, which plays a role in regulating blood sugar. It’s also included in a number of sports nutrition supplements designed to build muscle mass and reduce body fat, according to Mount Sinai, which notes that evidence for those outcomes is limited and that it’s “rare” to have a chromium deficiency.

Simon Huck, co-founder of Lemme, tells chof360 Life that Lemme Tone is the brand’s most requested product to date. “Body composition is such an important part of overall health, and we wanted to create a formula that helps optimize metabolism while supporting lean muscle,” he says.

Alan says that Lemme’s formulation is “nothing new” and may not deliver on its promises. And while its ingredients are mostly harmless, she warns that chromium can interact with some medications. It’s best to talk to a doctor before taking it, she adds.

Arrae

Arrae’s Tone supplement — which features creatine monohydrate as the principal ingredient — is taking a more interesting approach, according to Alan. “They’re trying to make creatine more accessible to women, and that’s a great avenue,” she says.

According to Cleveland Clinic, creatine is what supplies energy to the muscles and allows them to gain strength. Alan calls it a “precursor for muscle,” emphasizing that creatine is a supplement that needs to be implemented alongside a weightlifting program. “[Building muscle is] just not going to happen on its own,” she says.

In addition to building up the muscle, creatine also assists in muscle recovery and attracts water to the muscles to reduce dehydration and cramping. Nearly half of the body’s creatine supply comes from protein-rich food, while the other half is naturally produced. Women, however, have 70% to 80% lower creatine stores in their bodies than men.

That’s something Arrae’s founders, Siff Haider and Nish Samantray, see as an opportunity. Creatine has been primarily marketed toward men and underutilized in women’s fitness; with Tone, they’re looking to provide a fresh perspective. “We know that many women have fears around creatine — especially concerns about bloating, bulking and puffiness — so we created Tone in a convenient, precisely dosed and easy-to-digest gummy form to address these concerns,” they tell chof360 Life over email.

The gummy’s ingredient list takes those concerns into consideration. “Our innovative formula includes SlimBiotics, a trademarked postbiotic that enhances body composition through the gut microbiome,” Haider and Samantray say. “It’s not only helping you build muscle, it’s also helping you lean out for a balanced physique and long-lasting results.” The addition of ginger also helps to keep the formula “bloat-free,” they say.

Bloating and bulking have been two buzzwords surrounding creatine because of reports that it may cause water retention in the first several days of taking it. But other research suggests that this is merely a short-term effect.

Gingerroot, nonetheless, is a great antioxidant, says Alan. As for the SlimBiotics blend, she points to a clinical trial that evaluated its impact on decreasing body weight. “There are some results; they’re just kind of small results,” she says, concluding that the ingredient’s effect may be minimal.

Why the focus on toning?

It’s part of the Ozempic effect, according to Alan, who says that weight loss medications “really unlocked something for people.” Although GLP-1s are far from a “magic pill,” they have largely been perceived as such — encouraging people to expect more from their bodies and supplements.

“More than ever before, people are looking for results with their supplements, which is something that we pride ourselves on,” say Arrae’s founders. “Our formulas are always solution-oriented, designed to address real concerns and deliver tangible results.”

But that doesn’t happen with a supplement alone, Alan says. “Combined with a really great diet and exercise program, I think these can help to make your diet and exercise more efficient,” she says. “But it’s like any other weight loss product, even the GLP-1 agonist. You have to have a balanced diet and some sort of exercise.”

Be wary of misleading marketing

Building muscle is important — but many industry experts are wary about the messaging around toning, particularly when it comes to women’s bodies.

“Exercise professionals hate the word toning because it’s not different from normal strength training,” exercise physiologist Whittney Thoman told the MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2021. “The term ‘toning’ became popular when trainers wanted to market their classes to females, because females have historically had a fear of strength training and getting bulky.”

Other fitness professionals say that the term refers less to muscle size and more to a low percentage of body fat that allows those muscles to appear more pronounced, Business Insider reports.

The inclusion of SlimBiotics in Arrae’s Tone formulation and emphasis in the brand’s marketing on “lean” figures has prompted some to call it the latest example of the wellness world encouraging women to make their bodies smaller.

“The messaging of this ad makes me so sad & angry,” Lindsey Harrod, a trainer and founder of Uplift, wrote in an Instagram Story after coming across an Arrae ad in which the word “bulk” is crossed out and replaced with “tone.”

“Stop with the fear-mongering,” she continued. “This is the exact verbiage that confuses women & instills the fear of getting ‘bulky.’ This messaging is [preying] on women’s insecurities, spreading misinformation & using clickbait words to sell the product.”

Like Alan, Harrod called out that creatine — or any supplement — is unlikely to transform anyone’s figure all on its own. “Creatine is an amazing and affordable supplement for muscle growth & I LOVE to see more women taking it,” she wrote. But she warned followers to have more realistic expectations. “No supplement is going to magically shape your physique. ... To reap the benefits of creatine you HAVE to be putting in the work in your training sessions.”