Weight Loss Dietary Supplements

For those who seek a quick and easy solution to weight loss, it is natural to gravitate toward weight loss dietary supplements. But what exactly are weight loss dietary supplements? Are they safe and healthy for you to use? Will they really be effective? Or will they be counter-productive and/or a total waste of money?

Some people use weight loss dietary supplements to enhance their exercise and diet regimens. These supplements are a blend of various vitamins, amino acids and minerals. Some supplements also contain herbs. Remember to seek your doctor’s advice before using any supplements.

Weight loss dietary supplements are typically not approved by the FDA, so use them with caution. They don’t have to meet the guidelines that most other medications have to conform to. They can be prohibited for sale if the FDA finds that they do not meet the standards of being fit for human consumption.

Because there is no government regulation as to what goes into these weight loss dietary supplements, sometimes the ingredients listed on the labels do not match the actual ingredients used in the product. Ephedra, touted as a weight loss dietary supplement, was taken off the market after it was shown to cause seizures, raise blood pressure, and exacerbate depression, chronic headaches and even cause death.

Ephedra has been banned as a weight loss dietary supplement and in its place, some are promoting bitter orange. However, bitter orange has recently been shown to possibly produce similar effects on the body as ephedra, making it an ineffective and possibly dangerous weight loss dietary supplement. So far, bitter orange is still available for purchase, but it may not be available for too much longer.

Guar gum and chitosan have been shown to be two very common but ineffective weight loss dietary supplements. Ingestion of these two dietary supplements for weight loss is not encouraged anymore. Their long term effects on the body are not known since neither of them has been studied or tested for that in particular. However, it has been shown that they do not contribute or help dieters to reduce appetite or lose weight.

Two weight loss dietary supplements that have proven effective for weight loss are St. John’s Wart and green tea. These are proven to burn additional calories and suppress appetite. It’s also been shown that they help when used as part of a diet and exercise regimen. Green tea is available in pill form, as a patch, or as a drinkable tea.