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Ensure Plus Review - 17 Things You Need to Know

By Summer Banks FNS, SPT, (expert review)

We hear a lot of buzz about Ensure Plus. We decided to take a closer look at ingredients, side effects, clinical research, and customer service quality. Additionally, we dissected hundreds of reviews and comments. Then, we refined and summarized to give you the info you need.

Ensure Plus can be purchased through their Official Site.

Ensure Plus Readers: Noom is offering our readers a risk-free trial, for a limited time. Click here for more information!
Overview

What is Ensure Plus?

Ensure Plus nutrition shake is a member of the broader Ensure line of products manufactured by Abbott Nutrition. The product line includes: Ensure Original, Ensure Original Powder, Ensure Original Pudding, Ensure Plus, Ensure Enlive, Ensure High Protein, Ensure Clear, Ensure Max Protein, Ensure Light, Ensure Compact, Ensure Surgery and Ensure Pre-Surgery, to name a few.

The purpose of the Ensure Plus drink is to offer users a high caloric drink (350 calories per serving, instead of the 220 of the classic Ensure), and high nutritional value regarding vitamins, minerals, and proteins.

Ensure Plus is for weight gain, but it’s often considered a meal replacement shake. Do meal replacement shakes help with weight loss?

  • Nutrients – Research from 2016 shows that controlled-calorie meal replacements are beneficial for weight loss over a 24-week timeframe.
  • The BMJ – Total meal-replacement programs, where all meals are replacements with supplements of some kind, are effective in promoting weight loss. However, it could be because many of these programs are very low calorie supplying fewer than 1000 calories a day.
  • Frontiers in Nutrition – Unfortunately, the reduction in weight may be temporary. Research shows that significant weight loss achieved with meal replacement programs tends to be regained over the long-term.

Ensure Plus Competitors

Product
Rating
Review
Isagenix
read
SlimFast
read
NeoLife
read
Muscle Milk
read
Noom
read
Company Bio

How Did Ensure Plus Start?

Originating from Abbott Nutrition’s commitment to delivering convenient and nutritionally rich products, Ensure Plus was conceived to assist individuals in maintaining their weight and preventing malnutrition effectively.

Launched in 1973 by Ross Laboratories, Ensure has consistently provided people with a comprehensive and balanced nutritional solution. The original Ensure mix, introduced in 1973, remains available, underscoring its enduring efficacy. While Ensure has been a stalwart offering, Abbott Nutrition has diversified its nutritional product portfolio over the years.

How Did Ensure Plus Start?

On September 22, 2020, Abbott announced the introduction of Ensure Plus, boasting an enhanced formulation containing 16 grams of protein and essential nutrients to bolster immune health. Surpassing Ensure Original with a remarkable 75 percent increase in protein content, the new iteration is offered in five flavors: Milk Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Dark Chocolate, and Butter Pecan. Ensure Plus Nutrition Shake stands as a testament to the company’s longstanding commitment to quality.

With a history spanning over a century, Abbott Nutrition has solidified its reputation through the incorporation of significant scientific advancements into its products. Operating from Columbus, OH, as part of Abbott’s division based in Abbott Park, IL, the company holds a “B-” rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Customer reviews, totaling 67, grant the company a rating of 1.24/5 stars.

  • Abbott Nutrition Address: 3300 Stelzer Rd, Columbus, OH 43219-3034
  • Abbott Laboratories Address: 100 Abbott Park Rd, Abbott Park, IL 60064-3500

In addition to Ensure, Abbott’s diverse product lineup includes Similac, PediaSure, Pedialyte, ZonePerfect, Glucerna, Elecare, Perative, Pivot, Juven, and Nepro.

Claims

Ensure Plus Claims

The claim made by Abbott Nutrition Laboratories about Ensure Plus Nutrition Shake is that it is a source of high-density nourishment.

This product helps those attempting to gain weight, avoid malnutrition, and weight loss.

Halal, Gluten-Free And Suitable For Lactose Intolerance

A more general claim made by Abbott about their nutritional products is that they have been created with the help of leading scientists and clinical studies.

They even provide five clinical studies on their website to support their work in the field, though it must also be noted that five clinical trials or studies may not be a lot to some.

However, Abbott does provide some evidence based on scientific work, putting their products way above the usual standard of proof followed by most products in the health supplements market.

Ingredients

Ensure Plus Ingredients

Ensure Plus Ingredients

The ingredients list in Ensure Plus shakes is long but contains quality ingredients, vitamins, and minerals. The label does not indicate whether or not any ingredients are derived from GMOs, or make clear if any artificial additives are included. However, Ensure’s website does note some artificial flavors may be used.

Because there is such variety in the formula, we’ll highlight some of the essential ingredients.

Biotin:

This is a lesser-known member of the micronutrients family.

It is a coenzyme and a member of the B complex family at the same time; it’s also known as vitamin H.

Pantothenic acid:

Also not as popular as other minerals, vitamins, and micro-nutrients, it’s a water-soluble vitamin in the B-complex.

Chromium:

This mineral is needed in trace amounts in the human body.

It plays a very critical role in many of the body’s most important functions, particularly those that have to do with glucose metabolism, according to the Journal of Nutrition.

Proteins:

From all the nutrients we consume, proteins are perhaps the most important because they play a critical role in every organ and every process of our body. Yet, this is chemically so complex that our body cannot produce them internally.

Every protein our body uses must be ingested through food or supplementation.

Phosphorus:

This element is the critical piece in the cell metabolism of every living cell on the planet as it is the core of a molecule called ATP, which is every cell’s source of energy and the purpose of the breathing process.

While the body needs it in only minimal amounts, it still one of the most critical elements of life.

Other Ingredients:

Ensure Plus also contains:

  • Corn maltodextrin (an artificial sweetener)
  • Sugar
  • Milk protein concentrate (to add protein)
  • Artificial flavor
  • Carrageenan (a seaweed extract, which may have laxative effects)
  • Cellulose gum (an indigestible wood pulp used for thickening)
  • Soy protein isolate (a protein which is often GMO)
Does it Work?

Does Ensure Plus Work?

This question is, of course, of fundamental importance when assessing the usefulness of any dietary supplement.

Answering this question is very hard for most supplements because since these are not medications but just “food,” so to speak, they don’t need to go through the tight process of verification and scientific studies any drug needs before it can reach the market.

And this is the point at which Abbott Ensure Plus provides evidence, a significant difference compared to almost all products on the market: useful information gathered carefully through clinical studies.

Does Ensure Plus Work?

The clinical studies offered by Abbott Nutrition deal with patients who have felt the effects of involuntary malnutrition due to chronic or acute illnesses and also how the oral intake of high protein shakes has helped correct and prevent the appearance of malnutrition.

Patients also avoided the complications that arose from the lack of proper nourishment in persons whose health condition is already deficient.

Ensure Plus drink is one of the very few dietary supplements to support its effectiveness with research.

This kind of research article usually cannot provide a final judgment on a standard product’s final results because most supplements lack the hard scientific work and clinical trials that can allow a responsible researcher to support a product.

Fortunately, this is a case in which we can say that the benefits of Ensure Plus Powder, Ensure Plus Shakes, and Ensure Plus Drink are authentic and have been scientifically proven beyond all reasonable doubt.

Benefits & Results

Ensure Plus Benefits And Results

The main benefit of Ensure Plus (in all its Ensure Plus flavors) is to be, basically, a meal you can drink quickly in a single go if you want.

Each portion includes:

  • 350 calories
  • 27 vitamins and minerals
  • 16 grams of proteins

It’s supposed to give you a complete and well-balanced nutritional intake without even having to chew or cook anything at all.

Acquiring those calories and proteins in such a quick and effortless way is very useful for many kinds of patients.

Seniors often find it hard to eat correctly because their digestive processes have already deteriorated due to age or possible complications from chronic illnesses.

In those conditions, they risk becoming malnourished without ever meaning it, which, in turn, makes all their other conditions worse.

Young people can find themselves in an equally-bad place as well.

Youngsters or just adults who are in the process of recovering from surgery, or who are experiencing the side-effects of chemotherapy find it very hard as well to bring themselves to eat something and even harder to digest it and keep it down.

For them, Ensure Plus Milk, Ensure Plus Powder, Ensure Plus Shakes, Chocolate Ensure Plus can provide enough nutrients, calories, and proteins to keep the risk of malnutrition in check.

Clinical trials have backed up all these benefits.

Ensure Plus Benefits And Results

Weight Loss

Details On Ensure Plus And Weight Loss

Ensure Plus is a product that aims to deliver calories and proteins, not to avoid them. As such, the Ensure Plus calories are meant to help people either maintain their current weight or even to gain weight with a particular emphasis on muscle mass.

This is not meant as a product for weight loss, but weight gain and clinical studies show that it does a good job.

It often happens that new users find it easy and convenient to drink their Ensure Plus shakes and start skipping meals.

This is not the correct use this supplement should have, but it can help prompt some users to lose weight as a side-effect.

The drink alone doesn’t provide all the calories, proteins, and nutrients needed to keep your body weight up to par. To cause weight gain and promote muscle gain, you should use Ensure Plus as part of a healthy diet containing sufficient calories.

Instructions

How To Use (Take) Ensure Plus

Taking advantage of the health benefits of Ensure Plus is very simple.

All you need to do is buy a can one of your favorite Ensure Plus flavor, chill it if you prefer it cold, then shake it thoroughly and drink it.

Ensure Plus is widely available in stores as popular as Walmart, and it comes in many different versions to suit lots of different personal tastes and preferences:

  • Ensure Plus Vanilla
  • Ensure Plus Milk Chocolate
  • Ensure Plus Strawberry
  • Ensure Plus Dark Chocolate
  • Ensure Plus Butter Pecan
Side Effects

Potential Ensure Plus Side Effects

Ensure Plus is not a drug, so it’s technically free of side-effects in the normal sense of the word.

But, there are some things worth keeping in mind when drinking Abbott Ensure Plus frequently.

It’s a supplement.

Potential Ensure Plus Side Effects

This means that having it frequently doesn’t mean you can stop eating properly.

Which is to say that having it as an extra snack throughout the day, or as a dessert in your main meal, or as something to drink on your coffee break can indeed improve your daily nutritional intake.

But if you start skipping meals to save time (or for any other reason) thinking that it will all be fine as long as you’re drinking your Ensure Plus, there is a good chance you may create problems for yourself.  You could face a situation in which you start to lose weight and lack proper nutrients, which is the opposite of using the Abbott Ensure Plus.

As with anything new you introduce into your diet, it could have a laxative effect (diarrhea) or other gastrointestinal side effects until your body gets used to it. If you are unsure about its use, especially if you take medication, checking with your doctor before using it is a good idea.

Interactions

Interactions with Medications

Some Ensure Plus ingredients could have interactions with other medications.

It would be safer always to consult a professional to make sure that nothing in the mix that could create a problem when it meets your everyday medications inside your body.

Product Warnings

Ensure Plus Product Warnings

Ensure Plus Product Warnings

The warnings issued by the manufacturer of Ensure Plus are very simple:

  • It’s not for use in IV form
  • It’s not to be drunk by people suffering from a rare hereditary metabolic condition known as Galactosemia

Galactosemia lack an enzyme in their body responsible for the digestion of a particular simple sugar called galactose.

Recipes

Ensure Plus Recipes

Many recipes using Ensure products can be found on the Ensure website. For example, here is a recipe for Key Lime Frost; a note on the recipe indicates Ensure Plus can be substituted for the Ensure Original:

Key Lime Frost

Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients
1 cup Vanilla Ensure Original* Nutrition Shake
1/4 cup fresh or bottled Key lime juice
1/2 cup peeled and diced Granny Smith apple
1/2 cup ice
2 teaspoons granulated sugar (or 2 packages of
sugar substitute used for baking)

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high
until smooth.

Lawsuits

Any Ensure Plus Lawsuits?

We were not able to find any history of lawsuits, including Ensure Plus, as such.

However, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the company that manufactures Ensure (Abbott Nutrition), complaining that Abbott is capitalizing on the fear of “baby boomers” that lack enough muscle mass to live healthy lives as they grow older without the product.

The lawsuit challenged the company’s marketing strategies, especially the name “Revigor” in its products, claiming that it lacks any scientific validity to present it as a useful auxiliary in growing additional muscle mass or causing any muscle gain.

While the lawsuit was filed, it was dismissed twice by a federal judge.

Alternatives

Ensure Plus Alternatives

Several other supplements used to be on the market can give you advantages similar to those provided by Ensure Plus.

Abbott Nutrition also manufactures many of them. Here are some choices:

Ensure Plus Yogurt

It follows the same formulation in being high in caloric content, proteins, and micro-nutrients.

It has a different texture, which many people find to be more agreeable with the tongue.

Ensure Plus Fiber

It adds prebiotics to the mix, so that bowel function remains normal and healthy.

Ensure Plus Juice

It’s a fat-free version of Ensure Plus, which makes it ideal for those who want the nutritional advantages without the high caloric intake.

Ensure Plus Savoury

It’s for those without such a sweet tooth who prefer an option in which sugar is not the dominant flavor.

Ensure Plus Creme

This is a dessert, not a drink. It comes as a pudding that offers 175 calories in every portion.

Ensure

It is historically the oldest member of the family, and it usually is the entry point of users into the world of Abbott Nutrition supplement drinks. It has 220 calories per serving.

Where To Buy

Where to Buy Ensure Plus

Ensure Plus may be purchased online or offline at retailers including:

  • Walgreens (or walgreens.com)
  • Jet
  • Walmart
  • Target
  • Amazon
  • CVS
  • Official Abbott website
What Users Are Saying

What Users Are Saying

“I’ve struggled years with gaining weight! It’s been almost 1 year I have been using Ensure and successfully gained almost 7 pounds. Taste is really good too.”

“My father loves everything chocolate, cookies, ice cream, chocolate pie, candy bars. If left up to him, he would eat junk food for breakfast lunch and dinner. This meal replacement (or at least partial replacement) satisfies his love for chocolate while supplying nutritional requirements, and fiber to boot. I just wish it wasn’t so expensive!”

“Too much fiber for me. Caused water diarrhea.”

Bottom Line

The Bottom Line – Does Ensure Plus Work?

Are you heading out to buy Ensure Plus? Well, we like that the supplement contains some natural ingredients and the longevity of the company, but we have concerns about this one because the business doesn’t provide scientific evidence that the product helps build strength. Also, we have reservations due to reports of adverse side effects and high sugar content.

Do you want to build strength, without the empty calories? Well, we suggest going with a program that can meet your individual goals and needs.

Among the best programs we’ve seen this year is one called Noom. With Noom, you get a personalized meal plan, a human coach, interactive support groups, and so much more so you can start making healthier choices.

The makers are so confident in Noom, they’re offering Dietspotlight readers a free trial offer – amazing option.

Learn More About Noom »
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Ensure Plus

Q:
What is Ensure Plus?
A:

Ensure Plus, developed by Abbott Nutrition, is a nutritional shake designed to offer users substantial caloric and nutritional benefits. Enriched with essential vitamins, minerals, and proteins, the product serves the purpose of assisting individuals in maintaining their weight and preventing malnutrition.

Q:
What are some of the essential ingredients in Ensure Plus?
A:

Some of the essential ingredients in Ensure Plus include biotin, pantothenic acid, chromium, proteins, and phosphorus.

Q:
What are the ingredients in Ensure Plus?
A:

Ensure Plus comes in a variety of flavors, which offer a variety of ingredients. Some of the main ingredients include whey protein concentrate, milk protein concentrate, canola oil for healthy fats, and many different vitamins and minerals.

Q:
What are some potential side effects of Ensure Plus?
A:

Potential side effects of Ensure Plus include gastrointestinal issues such as bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. The product contains carrageenan, which may have laxative effects.

Q:
Does Ensure Plus work?
A:

Ensure Plus may work for individuals looking to gain weight or prevent malnutrition, but the effectiveness may vary depending on the individual’s specific nutritional needs and health status. It is always best to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any nutritional supplement.

Q:
Where can I buy Ensure Plus?
A:

Ensure Plus can be purchased using their Official Site.

Q:
What is the price of Ensure Plus?
A:

The price of Ensure Plus is about $10 for a 6 pack count, $25 for a 16 count pack and $43 for a 24 pack count.

Q:
Where can I buy Ensure Plus?
A:

Ensure Plus can be bought from most local grocery and drug stores and online at Amazon or on the company website.

Q:
How should I take Ensure Plus?
A:

Ensure Plus can be used as a meal replacement or as a snack between meals. The recommended limit is no more than 6-8 servings (1 serving is 8oz) per day.

Q:
How do I contact Ensure Plus customer service?
A:

Ensure Plus customer service can be reached at 1-800-986-8501. They also have an email form and a Facebook link on their contact page at https://ensure.com/contact.

Q:
Can I return Ensure Plus?
A:

On the Abbottstore.com, it states that if your shipment arrives damaged or you receive the wrong product, please call 1-800-258-7677 for replacement or appropriate credit and instructions for return of the product. They don’t handle the store-purchased products. The customer service representatives will need your order number, so have it ready when you call.

Return Address: Abbott Laboratories 6700 Orville Avenue Kansas City, KS 66102-3126

Q:
What are the most common complaints about Ensure Plus?
A:

The most common complaint about Ensure Plus is that some of the flavors do not taste very good.

Q:
Which is Better Ensure or Ensure Plus?
A:

Ensure and Ensure Plus are both nutritional shakes that can be used as meal replacements for people who need additional nutrition in their diet. They both contain a blend of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to provide the body with balanced nutrition. However, Ensure Plus contains higher amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and calories than regular Ensure; it also contains more vitamins and minerals such as zinc, magnesium, and phosphorus. Therefore, if you are looking for a bigger nutritional punch then Ensure Plus is the better option.

Q:
What are the competitors of Ensure Plus?
A:

The competitors of Ensure Plus include Isagenix, SlimFast, NeoLife, and Muscle Milk.

Q:
When did Ensure Plus start?
A:

Ensure Plus started in 1973 with Abbott Nutrition’s mission to provide easy-to-use and nutritious products to help people acquire complete and balanced nutrition with minimal effort.

Q:
What claims are made about Ensure Plus?
A:

The claim made about Ensure Plus is that it is a high-density source of nourishment. The product is intended to help people gain weight, avoid malnutrition, and prevent weight loss.

Q:
Is Ensure Plus halal, gluten-free, and suitable for lactose intolerance?
A:

Yes, Ensure Plus is halal, gluten-free, and suitable for lactose intolerance.

Q:
Does Ensure Plus contain any artificial additives or GMOs?
A:

The label does not indicate whether or not any ingredients are derived from GMOs, or make clear if any artificial additives are included. However, Ensure’s website does note that some artificial flavors may be used.

Q:
Is Abbott Nutrition a reputable company?
A:

Abbott Nutrition stands as a reputable company with a history spanning more than a century. The company has garnered a strong reputation in the nutritional field through the integration of significant scientific advancements into its product development. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has assigned a rating of “B-” to Abbott Laboratories, the parent company of Abbott Nutrition, affirming a level of credibility and reliability in their business practices.

Q:
What other products does Abbott Nutrition offer?
A:

Abbott Nutrition offers a range of products, including Similac, PediaSure, Pedialyte, Ensure, ZonePerfect, Glucerna, Elecare, Perative, Pivot, Juven, and Nepro.

Q:
Where is Abbott Nutrition located?
A:

Abbott Nutrition is located in Columbus, OH, and is part of Abbott Laboratories, which is based in Abbott Park, IL.

8 Ensure Plus Reviews

  • HELP AND WORRIED
    Helen (Verified Purchase)

    I’m on a ensure drink only as I can’t eat normal food I was using resource plus then 2 weeks ago started using the powered I have used before when my other drinks ran out but I have lost weight I’m having about 6 to 7 drinks a day and worried as this is my only food intake. No doctor or health person is or will help me.

    Reply
  • Layla noor (Verified Purchase)

    How long does it take for ensure plus to work?

    Reply
    • Montana (Editor)

      Hello Layla. Although Ensure Plus does not describe how long it takes for their products to work. If your goal is to gain weight with Ensure Plus, it may take a few weeks to see results.

      Reply
  • Sugar Question
    Maggie

    I am looking for a product to help my mom. With COVID I cant visit her, so I am looking for something that is easy for her on the days she is not up to making a whole food smoothie. The ingredients are mostly processed carbs, sugars so I am concerned about that and how much of the calories are from refined sugar. I look forward to the feedback from people that have used it, or experts nutrition. thank you

    Reply
  • It tastes good but gives me diarrhea!
    Anonymous (Verified Purchase)

    I’m a new user of Ensure Plus. I drink the vanilla flavor because you can add it to your fruit smoothies and it tastes good. I needed something to help me gain weight. I’m small, petite and have a high metabolism. It is beginning to work as I eat foods high in carbohydrates. However, as stated in this article, I am noticing diarrhea. So, I only drink it once a week. Maybe I have to drink it more often so my body can get used to it.

    Reply
  • Anonymous

    It is not affordable for low income seniors

    Reply
  • Great
    Andrew Jackson (Verified Purchase)

    Its good i really love the strawberry. Ensure Plus helped me gain my weight backand I’ve had no side effects

    Reply
    • Ros

      If u stop the product aft 2 months do u start losing that weight?

      Reply
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