The TrimSpa diet involves taking a pill containing herbs and minerals in a blend purported to help you lose weight. The TrimSpa official website states that the supplement improves weight loss results over diet and exercise alone, but does not claim that TrimSpa improves weight loss results without including diet and exercise. The company recommends consulting your doctor before starting this diet program.
Ingredients
The TrimSpa supplement, named TrimSpa X32, contains the minerals chromium and vadium, the natural chemical compound glucosamine, and the plant products glucomannan, standardized green tea extract, Hoodia gordonni, standardized cocoa extract and citrus naringin. At one time, the TrimSpa supplement contained ephedra, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has banned this ingredient due to safety issues.
Function
The active ingredients in TrimSpa are intended to reduce appetite, decrease fluid retention and increase metabolism, according to InteliHealth. Chromium, Hoodia gordonni, glucomannan and green tea are included in numerous weight loss supplements. Chromium is involved in the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates, while glucomannan is a soluble fiber that can help you feel more full. Hoodia gordonni is claimed to suppress appetite. Green tea extract contains caffeine, which has diuretic effects and can help people temporarily lose water weight.
Effectiveness
The TrimSpa official website says participants in an eight-week clinical study of TrimSpa X32, which included diet and exercise, experienced an average weight loss of nearly 7 lbs., and the maximum nearly 24 lbs. This compared with an average of 3.6 lbs. lost on average and a maximum weight loss of nearly 13 lbs. with diet and exercise only. The website does not provide information on an effective diet to use with the supplement.
Considerations
Scientific evidence is lacking to support the claim that TrimSpa is effective for weight loss, according to eMedTV. Although the official website shows results of a clinical study, no research has been published on this product.
Caution
InteliHealth cautions that herbal remedies used for appetite suppressant purposes may not be effective for keeping weight off. Hoodia, for instance, has traditionally been used by native people of South Africa and Namibia to suppress hunger when food is scarce, but that does not necessarily make it an effective weight-loss remedy. People who use appetite-suppressant products typically lose weight and then gain it back as soon as they stop taking the product, notes InteliHealth. Many gain even more weight because they have not learned to reduce calories and incorporate more exercise into their routine.
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