Weight Loss Supplements
- Good or Bad?

More and more people spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars yearly on weight loss supplements in the hope of speeding up their metabolism.  The main desire is to be attractive and accepted but it is becoming a more difficult goal to achieve.

The fitness industry is booming but still a lot of people are unable to cut the amount of excess fat they are carrying in spite of all their exercise and diet efforts.  In America, more than sixty per cent of adults are overweight and an incredible thirty per cent are considered obese.

This is because:  one - a lot of weight loss products promises unrealistic goals;  two - dietary supplement manufacturers rely on the overweight person's failure to survive;  and three - the information about the supplements in the market are carefully written by the manufacturers themselves just to make a sale.

Although the Food and Drug Administration has successfully banned illegal marketers, some products are still available.  Consumers can be deceived by product labels which claim to be 'caffeine' or 'ephedra' free not knowing that these supplements can be substituted with other ingredients that may pose the same health risks.  These risks include heart and digestive problems, headaches, insomnia, and even psychological side effects.

Other supplement manufacturers say that their products contains EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) which is a phytochemical ingredient found in green tea.  This so-called component claims to speed up metabolism and reduce the risk of certain cancers.

Some studies denote that it could slightly increase the potential to burn calories which resulted in it being found in many weight loss supplements available today.  It does have its good points in that the body might conform to EGCG after a period of time.

The claims here are that the weight loss benefit could add up to 60 to 70 calories a day thus helping to prevent excessive weight gain.  Just keep in mind that 60-70 calories is not very much when you consider one slice of bread is about 60 calories and a banana is around 85 calories.

A few other significant effects of weight loss supplements is that they may contain ingredients that makers claim will prevent the absorption of carbohydrates.  One good example is Chitosan which, while initially appearing to be most promising, in fact shows no positive result in effective fat absorption.  It could even take up to seven months for men to lose just a pound of body fat and for women, there is no fat loss at all.

Thyroid diet supplements act as thyroid hormone replacements and are claimed to help regulate and optimize the thyroid functions at a higher level.  This, they say, makes the body stop feeling like a 'couch potato' and not performing as it should.  Also, general opinion is that while true thyroid supplements can make a big difference to a person's well-being, the over the counter variety simple do not cut it.

Since the number one reason why people eat is because they feel hungry, another type of ingredient that manufacturers produced is Guar Gum which reportedly increases the feeling of being full and, as such, decreases the appetite.  Guar gum is a water-soluble fiber that acts as a bulk forming laxative and is claimed to be effective in promoting regular bowel movements and relieving constipation.  However, recent studies show that it has no worthwhile benefit at all in losing weight.

Similarly, Psyllium is a common dietary supplement used by many manufacturers as it has the reputation of reducing hunger and aiding in weight loss.  But, clinical studies so far do not support this claim, although it does help control blood cholesterol and sugar levels and definitely helps to relieve constipation.

One of the latest innovations in the fat loss industry is by way of skin absorption. There's a 'Cutting Gel' which is an epidril product and is by far the best selling of the fat loss 'cream technology' products - just rub it wherever you want the fat to disappear.......Hmmmmm.

For now, it would be better, less expensive and in some cases much safer to advise the age old remedies for excessive weight gain which is to invest in a good pair of walking shoes and go to the park for some brisk walking, spend some time at the gym and workout regularly, and lastly make sure you have a well balanced, healthy diet - instead of using all these myriad of diet supplements, drugs, fad creams and so on.