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Just because a product is marketed as a natural weight loss aid does not mean that it's necessarily safe or effective. Simulants, even if they are natural, can cause adverse health effects and despite short-term weight loss with these products, they invariably result in the overproduction of cortisol, a hormone that in the long run actually stimulates weight gain. There are some natural weight loss products that are safe to use and can effectively enhance the effects of diet and exercise. You'll notice that I said that they enhance the effects of diet and execise - no weight loss product should be considered a stand-alone weight loss program. Even the most effective natural weight loss products are minimally effective at promoting weight loss when used by themselves and without diet and exercise. In order to get maximum benefit from any natural weight loss product, you must combine it with diet and exercise. No matter how good the advertising sounds and no matter how much you want to believe that a pill or potion is all you need to lose weight, the simple truth is that diet and exercise are absolutely necessary to effective lasting weight loss. With that in mind, there are certain weight loss products available that do improve the efects of diet and exercise. These products may act through suppression of hunger, increasing metabolic rate, or by preventing the digestive tract from absorbing fat. The following is a summary of those products you may find useful: Chitosan is a substance found in the shells of shrimp and other shellfish, so it should not be used by people with shellfish allergies. Chitosan assists in weight loss by binding fat in the digestive tract and keeps it from being absorbed. This in effect lowers the calories consumed in each meal. It should be noted though that chitosan can produce loose stools and occasionally a temporary loss of bowel control. There is also a potential for deficiencies of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K to develop with long-term use of chitosan. For these reasons, I do not recommend chitosan, but if you feel you must use it, a reasonably safe dosage is 1500 to 3000 mg per day split into doses taken with 8 ounces of water before meals. You may wish to consider supplementing with fat soluble vitamins between meals when taking chitosan. Chromium nicotinate can be taken at a level of 200 to 400 mg per day, preferably split into two or more doses taken with meals. It should be noted that this recommendation is for chromium nicotinate, NOT picolinate. Although chromium picolinate is often promoted as a supplement for weight loss, and it may in fact be an effective weight loss aid, the research on the picolinate form of chromium for weight loss has been contradictory, but there has been consistent indication that the nicotinate form does enhance weight loss. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) at a dosage of 300 to 600 mg before each meal (with a maximum safe daily intake of 1800 mg) may help with weight loss. It has demonstrated fat burning effects and enhanced ability to develop lean muscle mass in animal studies, but so far it remains questionable as to whether it promotes weight loss in humans. Green tea extract appears to boost metabolism through the effects of the catechins contained in it, as well as through the caffeine it contains. Due to the potential adverse effects of the caffeine for long-term weight loss, it is recommended that the decaffeinated extracts be used. A good-quality green tea extract is at least 90% catechins (the catechin content should be on the label). The recommended dose is 50 to 200 mg taken twice per day in between meals. Part 2 of this article will continue with reviews of more popular natural weight loss aids.
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Dr. George Best is a holistic healthcare practitioner in San Antonio, Texas. For additional resources, please visit his site on natural weight loss. For diet cooking tips, go to healthy eating meal plan.
