Weight Loss Supplements That Work - CHROMIUM

CHROMIUM

How It Spurs Weight Loss
This essential mineral appears to change your body composition by increasing the effectiveness of the hormone insulin. If your insulin works efficiently, your body turns fewer calories into fat and more into muscle, says Richard Anderson, Ph.D., lead researcher at the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Beltsville, Md. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns. In an eight-week study of 83 overweight people presented at this year's meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, half took 400 mcg of one of two forms of chromium daily and the other half took a placebo. Those who took plant-based chromium supplements lost 3 pounds more body fat than the placebo group, and those who took chromium picolinate lost 1 1/2 pounds more body fat than the placebo group. All subjects ate less than usual and exercised. Chromium does have detractors. Some researchers question if insulin's effectiveness really plays a role in weight loss.

The Results You Can Expect
You may lose about 1 pound a month.

Effective Dose
Take 400 mcg a day with food, divided in two doses, for at least 12 weeks. Anderson says this dose is safe for long-term use.

Cautions
Studies have not found chromium toxic in these doses.

Weight Loss Supplements That Work - FIBER

FIBER

How It Spurs Weight Loss
Fiber allows you to eat less but still feel satisfied, says Edward Saltzman, M.D., director of the Obesity Center at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston. One type, soluble fiber, slows the rate that food passes to your small intestine, causing you to feel full and eat fewer calories. And insoluble fiber prevents overeating because it requires a lot of chewing. A 2001 review of 80 fiber studies published in Nutritional Review found that subjects (both overweight and normal weight) who increased their fiber intake felt full longer and ate an average of 10 percent fewer calories than subjects who ate little fiber. The subjects did not diet but some exercised.
The review showed that fiber supplements and fiber from food were equally effective, but Saltzman recommends you get more from food; fiber-rich foods offer key nutrients and require chewing.

The Results You Can Expect
Raising your fiber intake to about 25 g a day may help you lose about 1 pound a month.

Effective Dose
Take 4 g or more a day in supplement form. Add additional fiber-rich foods to bring your total to about 25 g. (For example, 1 cup of black beans contains 15 g and 3/4 cup of bran flakes sup-plies 5 g.) Fiber supplements made from psyllium husk are commonly available. They're sold as capsules or as a powder that you mix with water and drink. Fiber supplements are safe for long-term use. To prevent constipation, take them with plenty of water.

Cautions
Add this additional fiber gradually over the course of several weeks. Increasing your intake too quickly can cause bloating, diarrhea, and constipation.

Weight Loss Supplements That Work - EPHEDRA

EPHEDRA

How It Spurs Weight Loss
Researchers say the herb ephedra (Ephedra sinica), also known as ma-huang, increases your metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories) and reduces hunger. Studies show that ephedra works somewhat like green tea; ephedrine alkaloids in the herb stimulate your body to release the metabolism-boosting, appetite-suppressing hormone noradrenaline. Ephedrine is usually combined with caffeine to enhance these effects.
But ephedra is controversial. Critics called for its banning after a 2000 report published in the New England Journal of Medicine linked ephedra to 43 cases of hypertension, stroke, seizures, and heart attacks. However, a new study conducted at the New York Obesity Research Center in New York City and at Harvard Medical School in Boston looked at the supplement's effect on people with healthy hearts and found that ephedra is safe and effective when used in recommended doses. The six-month double-blind, placebo-controlled study, published this year in the International Journal of Obesity, involved 167 overweight people who were screened to ensure they did not have heart problems. Subjects who took 90 mg of ephedrine alkaloids and 192 mg of caffeine daily experienced weight loss without significant adverse effects to their hearts. The participants could eat what they wanted and exercise moderately.

The Results You Can Expect
Ephedra may help you lose about 1 1/2 pounds a month.

Effective Dose
Do not take ephedra without the guidance of a health care practitioner; you may have a heart problem that has not been diagnosed. Because the supplement formula used in the most recent study is not available for sale, Anthony Almada, a nutritional biochemist in Laguna Niguel, Calif., recommends a more conservative dose: Take a supplement that provides ephedrine and caffeine in a 1 to 10 ratio, with 5 to 10 mg of ephedrine alkaloids and 50 to 100 mg of caffeine once a day for three days. If this dose does not cause problems (like heart palpitations), add a second daily dose. Do not take more than 60 mg of ephedrine alkaloids a day, he advises.

Cautions
Ephedra is a stimulant, so do not take it if you have a history of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, prostate conditions, anxiety, or mental illness. Don't use ephedra for longer than six months; long-term effects have not yet been studied, says Carol Boozer, D.Sc., director of the Energy Metabolism Lab at the New York Obesity Research Center.

Weight Loss Supplements That Work - GREEN TEA

GREEN TEA

How It Spurs Weight Loss
Green tea (Camellia sinensis) increases your metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories) and stimulates your body's ability to burn fat, according to a handful of human studies. Research shows that the benefits come from an interaction between caffeine and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a plant chemical in green tea that triggers your production of the metabolism-boosting, appetite-suppressing hormone noradrenaline. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition gave 10 healthy men a green tea supplement (that contained 90 mg of EGCG and 50 mg of caffeine), 50 mg of caffeine, or a placebo. The men ate a normal diet and did not exercise. Only those who took the green tea supplement experienced a significant increase in calorie-burning ability.

The Results You Can Expect
Based on a study of obese people who took green tea supplements, published earlier this year in the journal Phytomedicine, you may lose about 2 1/2 pounds a month.

Effective Dose
Take a standardized extract of green tea in capsule or tablet form. Choose a supplement that provides 90 mg of EGCG and 50 mg of caffeine, and take it three times daily before meals, says Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., a nutrition scientist, exercise physiologist, and author of Dare To Lose (Avery, 2002) based in Pompano, Fla., and New York City. Drinking the tea may also help you lose weight, but this has not yet been studied.

Cautions
Green tea and green tea supplements are safe; no known adverse effects have been reported, but they may cause nervousness if you're caffeine-sensitive.