60 Ways to Lose 10 Pounds (or More) by Robert D. Lesslie

Author:Robert D. Lesslie
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780736966948
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

30

CAM and Weight Loss

Dietary Supplements and What to Do with Them

It’s that never-ending search for the magic bullet. We are bombarded with ads and claims for guaranteed weight loss if only we take a particular pill or liquid or supplement. And we’re paying attention. More than two billion dollars a year worth of attention. At this moment, more than 10 percent of American adults are taking some form of a weight-loss supplement—with twice as many women as men admitting to this use. But is it helping or is it hurting? Let’s see what we know.

Manufacturers of these supplements make all sorts of claims, from the ability of their products to suppress appetite, increase metabolism, reduce body fat, and of course to induce weight loss. But there is precious little evidence to support their claims. The reason for this is that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not classify dietary supplements as drugs and does not require any premarket review or approval. Instead, manufacturers are responsible for determining whether or not their products are safe. Nothing about effectiveness.

And while the FDA does not allow these supplements to contain any pharmaceutical ingredients, several recent studies have demonstrated trace amounts of amphetamine-like substances in some products. Making this more difficult to detect is that the average product contains more than 10 different ingredients, with some having more than 90. Still, there is little oversight of this growing industry, and that should be concerning. And if you regularly take one or more of these supplements, what should you know and what should you do?

The answer to this can be found in two additional questions: Does the supplement you take help? And have you noticed any side effects? If the answers are no and yes, it’s time to stop. But if you’re not sure and want to continue taking them, or are considering some others, do some reading (other than the ads) and make an informed decision.

Here’s a good place to start. We’ll take a brief look at some of the more commonly used supplements and see what evidence and experience we have with them. Unfortunately, only in the past few years have extensive and well-designed clinical trials looked at some of these supplements, but more are on the way. And if the FDA gets more involved with quality, safety, and efficacy issues, all of this will become easier to figure out. For now, here’s what we know.

Bitter orange. This is supposed to increase our metabolism and burn fat. There’s no evidence this happens, and side effects include anxiety, chest pain, and increased blood pressure.

Calcium. We’re frequently asked about this, especially about its ability to burn fat and decrease fat absorption. To date, there is no evidence supporting these claims. Side effects can occur when more than 2000 mgs are ingested each day, and can include constipation and kidney stones.

Chromium. This supplement has long been promoted as a muscle builder. It’s supposed to increase muscle mass and reduce body fat. Only minimal positive effects have been observed, and these have not been consistent.

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