All Fat Loss Supplements Are Not Created Equal
Total Health Breakthroughs
November 13, 2007
By Anthony Colpo
Many people trying to lose weight try supplements to help burn fat and calories. And there are some legitimate, scientifically proven products out there that do just that. But all supplements are not created equal. Indeed, many weight loss supplement manufacturers will hate me for saying this, but it has to be said: Most of their products are worthless junk.
And even when their products do produce fat loss, the effect is typically so small that most people simply wouldn't notice any difference. Nor would most folks part with their hard-earned cash if they truly knew the tiny results they could expect.
To illustrate my point, let's take a quick look at three supplements currently being hyped for their alleged fat-burning properties.
CLA. A recent and widely publicized paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), "does have a beneficial effect on human body composition." Sounds great, until you look closely at the results. After averaging the results from various CLA trials, the authors concluded that CLA resulted in an average reduction in fat mass of 90 grams a week. At that snail-like pace, it will take you three months to shed a kilo (2.2 pounds)!
The longest-running double-blind trial compared the effects of two different CLA supplements with a placebo. After 12 months, the average body fat changes in the CLA groups were -1.7 and -2.4 kilograms, compared to +0.2 kilograms in the placebo group. For a trial that lasted a full year, these results are miniscule. Most people sticking to an intelligently structured diet and exercise program can easily lose this amount of fat in less than two weeks.
If you think the piddling fat loss effects of CLA are worth parting with hundreds of dollars, then go for it. If not, leave the CLA supplements on the shelf and get your intake of this fatty acid the way nature intended -- from animal fats. Fat from grass-fed animals, by the way, has a higher CLA content than that from grain-fed animals.
Green tea. Green tea has received a lot of press over the last decade. Deservedly so. An increasing volume of research suggests that this antioxidant-packed beverage has a whole host of important health benefits, including protection against cancer.
But don't let anyone convince you that drinking tea is the answer to your fat loss dreams.
Consider a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It reported increased fat loss in men taking a high-potency tea extract. Those who bothered to read the study for themselves quickly realized the results were little to be excited about.
For 12 weeks a group of Japanese men consumed, in double-blind fashion, one bottle daily of a "high-strength" oolong tea mixture or a bottle of low-strength oolong tea. After 12 weeks, the men drinking the high-potency oolong tea shed 1.4 kg of fat, compared to 700 g in the control group. Waist circumference decreased 3.4 cm in the treatment group and 1.1 cm in the control group. It goes without saying, but to lose an extra 700 grams of fat over three months is hardly an earth-shattering result. Folks, we're not exactly talking a dud-to-stud transformation here.
It should also be mentioned this study was conducted by the same company that produced and marketed the tea extract. Other trials, conducted by Dutch researchers, have failed to confirm a fat loss effect from green tea.
Green tea is a pleasant and potentially healthful beverage. Just don't expect it to help you lose a whole lot of weight. Current clinical evidence suggests the results will range from minimal to none.
Hoodia. Hoodia is being vigorously marketed as an appetite suppressant. I went looking for supportive data. I could only find research showing that rats injected or tube-fed with a glycoside extracted from Hoodia reduced their caloric intake and lost weight. What this means for humans taking oral Hoodia supplements is anyone's guess; I couldn't find any studies examining its use in real live humans. In other words, all the Hoodia hype is predicated entirely on rodent research.
Readers should be very careful when extrapolating the results of animal research onto humans. Calcium and DHEA, for example, produce significant weight loss in rodents but have no such effect in healthy Homo sapiens.
When presented with wild fat loss claims from marketers and media outlets, you should always ask the following question:
"Where's the tightly controlled clinical research with real, live humans to support these claims?"
If these sources cannot provide you with any such research, then keep your money in your pocket. And treat any future claims these folks make with the utmost suspicion. If these sources can provide you with concrete research citations, seek them out and read them yourself. See whether the results truly justify the fuss being made. With online resources such as PubMed and nutritional/medical journal web sites, this is actually a lot easier than it sounds. The few minutes you take to do this could easily save you hundreds of dollars.
Many people trying to lose weight try supplements to help burn fat and calories. And there are some legitimate, scientifically proven products out there that do just that. But all supplements are not created equal. Indeed, many weight loss supplement manufacturers will hate me for saying this, but it has to be said: Most of their products are worthless junk.
And even when their products do produce fat loss, the effect is typically so small that most people simply wouldn't notice any difference. Nor would most folks part with their hard-earned cash if they truly knew the tiny results they could expect.
To illustrate my point, let's take a quick look at three supplements currently being hyped for their alleged fat-burning properties.
CLA. A recent and widely publicized paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), "does have a beneficial effect on human body composition." Sounds great, until you look closely at the results. After averaging the results from various CLA trials, the authors concluded that CLA resulted in an average reduction in fat mass of 90 grams a week. At that snail-like pace, it will take you three months to shed a kilo (2.2 pounds)!
The longest-running double-blind trial compared the effects of two different CLA supplements with a placebo. After 12 months, the average body fat changes in the CLA groups were -1.7 and -2.4 kilograms, compared to +0.2 kilograms in the placebo group. For a trial that lasted a full year, these results are miniscule. Most people sticking to an intelligently structured diet and exercise program can easily lose this amount of fat in less than two weeks.
If you think the piddling fat loss effects of CLA are worth parting with hundreds of dollars, then go for it. If not, leave the CLA supplements on the shelf and get your intake of this fatty acid the way nature intended -- from animal fats. Fat from grass-fed animals, by the way, has a higher CLA content than that from grain-fed animals.
Green tea. Green tea has received a lot of press over the last decade. Deservedly so. An increasing volume of research suggests that this antioxidant-packed beverage has a whole host of important health benefits, including protection against cancer.
But don't let anyone convince you that drinking tea is the answer to your fat loss dreams.
Consider a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It reported increased fat loss in men taking a high-potency tea extract. Those who bothered to read the study for themselves quickly realized the results were little to be excited about.
For 12 weeks a group of Japanese men consumed, in double-blind fashion, one bottle daily of a "high-strength" oolong tea mixture or a bottle of low-strength oolong tea. After 12 weeks, the men drinking the high-potency oolong tea shed 1.4 kg of fat, compared to 700 g in the control group. Waist circumference decreased 3.4 cm in the treatment group and 1.1 cm in the control group. It goes without saying, but to lose an extra 700 grams of fat over three months is hardly an earth-shattering result. Folks, we're not exactly talking a dud-to-stud transformation here.
It should also be mentioned this study was conducted by the same company that produced and marketed the tea extract. Other trials, conducted by Dutch researchers, have failed to confirm a fat loss effect from green tea.
Green tea is a pleasant and potentially healthful beverage. Just don't expect it to help you lose a whole lot of weight. Current clinical evidence suggests the results will range from minimal to none.
Hoodia. Hoodia is being vigorously marketed as an appetite suppressant. I went looking for supportive data. I could only find research showing that rats injected or tube-fed with a glycoside extracted from Hoodia reduced their caloric intake and lost weight. What this means for humans taking oral Hoodia supplements is anyone's guess; I couldn't find any studies examining its use in real live humans. In other words, all the Hoodia hype is predicated entirely on rodent research.
Readers should be very careful when extrapolating the results of animal research onto humans. Calcium and DHEA, for example, produce significant weight loss in rodents but have no such effect in healthy Homo sapiens.
When presented with wild fat loss claims from marketers and media outlets, you should always ask the following question:
"Where's the tightly controlled clinical research with real, live humans to support these claims?"
If these sources cannot provide you with any such research, then keep your money in your pocket. And treat any future claims these folks make with the utmost suspicion. If these sources can provide you with concrete research citations, seek them out and read them yourself. See whether the results truly justify the fuss being made. With online resources such as PubMed and nutritional/medical journal web sites, this is actually a lot easier than it sounds. The few minutes you take to do this could easily save you hundreds of dollars.
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