Weight Loss Products Claims

They make big claims but, with many diet supplements and weight loss products, the only thing lighter will be your wallet.

An hour or so spent trawling the shelves of pharmacies, health food stores and supermarkets leaves you wondering why Australia has a weight problem. With so many products claiming to suppress appetite, boost metabolism and promote weight loss, dropping a dress size should be easy.

But despite their use of words such as "thermogenic" or "fat metaboliser", implying these products have the weight of science behind them, there's little solid research to match many of their claims.

There's some evidence to suggest some ingredients in weight-loss products - including green tea, bitter orange and capsaicin (the active ingredient that gives chilli its bite) - can increase metabolism a little. However, this doesn't automatically translate into weight loss. The effect on metabolism is small, the evidence isn't strong and more studies are needed, says nutritionist Rosemary Stanton.

Caffeine and guarana (a plant extract containing caffeine), common ingredients in weight-loss products, can also boost metabolism slightly, she says, but, again, the effect is small and only lasts for a couple of weeks.

Eight years ago, Stanton co-wrote a review published in the Medical Journal of Australia assessing the evidence of the effectiveness of common ingredients in non-prescription weight-loss supplements. The ingredients studied included brindleberry, chitosan, capsaicin, caffeine, L-carnitine, chromium picolinate, ginkgo biloba, a seaweed called fucus vesiculosus, fibre supplements, grape-seed extract, lecithin, St John's wort, isoflavones and horse chestnut.
The review concluded there was little evidence to support the use of any of them. Since then, Stanton says, not much has changed in the way of stronger evidence or promising new supplements.

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My comment - A natural detox diet is still the best, and will give lasting results, while not depending on any weight loss products. Save your money!