MuscleTech Class Action Says Supplement Doesn’t Promote Muscle Growth

Iovate Health Sciences U.S.A. Inc. a/k/a MuscleTech has been hit with a class action lawsuit by a consumer who claims that their dietary supplement Platinum 100% BCAA 8:1:1 decreases muscle protein synthesis, the opposite of what is advertised by the company.

Plaintiff Tom Sabatano claims that he purchased Iovate’s Platinum BCAA at a GNC store in New York. He says the phrase “Promotes Muscle Protein Synthesis” was prominently displayed on the product.

The MuscleTech class action lawsuit alleges that “the label also indicated that the Product would ‘ensure[ ] that [his] muscles are primed for musclebuilding,’ and provide ‘key building blocks of muscle.’”

The plaintiff claims that he depended on these representations in purchasing the product and states that he would not have bought it if he knew that, in fact, his muscles would not have been “primed for musclebuilding.”

The MuscleTech class action lawsuit states, “Ultimately, Platinum BCAA was worthless (and certainly worth less than its misrepresentations suggested) because it does not, in fact, ‘Promote Muscle Protein Synthesis,’ ‘ensure that [the user’s] muscles are primed for musclebuilding,’ and does not provide the user with the ‘key building blocks of muscle.’”

The plaintiff alleges that peer-reviewed independent research has found that BCAA supplements actually decrease muscle protein synthesis and are not capable of building muscle on their own.

The MuscleTech class action lawsuit points to research performed by Dr. Robert Wolfe, an expert in the field of amino acid metabolism, which found that the consumption of BCAA products have a negative impact on muscle protein synthesis due to a lack of essential amino acids (EEA).  

“To build muscle, the body must have an abundant availability of all EAAs, which must be consumed through the diet. Anything less than a full panel of EAAs will grind any increase in muscle protein synthesis to a halt due to lack of sufficient raw materials with which the body can use to build muscle mass,” the MuscleTech class action states.

The MuscleTech class action lawsuit alleges that the product only contains three of the nine EEAs, therefore incapable of building muscle. Thus, the claim from MuscleTech that their product “Promotes Muscle Protein Synthesis,” “ensures that your muscles are primed for musclebuilding,” and provides “key building blocks of muscle,” are misleading and false.

The plaintiff also alleges that Dr. Wolfe’s research has been replicated by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. Their study concluded that there is no reason to ingest BCAA supplements to enhance muscle protein synthesis and/or decrease muscle protein breakdown.

The MuscleTech class action lawsuit states that another researcher, Dr. Susan Kleiner also agreed with Dr. Wolfe and has said that she doesn’t recommend BCAA supplements as they may decrease their muscle protein synthesis which may be harmful for the consumer’s goals.

The plaintiff claims that MuscleTech has violated New York’s Deceptive Acts Or Practices law, false advertising, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty of merchantability, unjust enrichment, and fraud.

Did you buy MuscleTech’s Platinum 100% BCAA 8:1:1 thinking that it would increase your muscle protein synthesis? Leave a message in the comments section below.

The plaintiff is represented by Joseph I. Marchese, Philip L. Fraietta and Andrew J. Obergfell of Bursor & Fisher PA.

The MuscleTech Supplement Class Action Lawsuit is Sabatino v. Iovate Health Sciences U.S.A. Inc. a/k/a MuscleTech, Case No. 1:19-cv-08924, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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