About 15 percent of Americans use a dietary supplement for weight loss, according to the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association." Natural weight loss supplements are usually designed to enhance or boost metabolism or to suppress your appetite. In some cases, dieters may also take natural diuretics to shed water weight. These products should not replace eating nutritious meals, however, and they can cause serious side effects or interact with medications or other herbs. To protect your health while you're trying to lose weight, it's essential to know how to select products safely.
Step 1
Conduct research about the product from reliable sources such as the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine website, or books like "The Medicinal Herbal" by Penelope Ody and "The Green Pharmacy" by James A. Duke.
Step 2
Pay attention to the side effects of any natural diet product. Even though you're eager to lose weight, it's not worth risking conditions such as heart problems or liver damage associated with some supplement ingredients, including ephedra and kava.
Step 3
Consult a naturopathic doctor or your family doctor for further recommendations about natural weight loss products. Disclose any herbs, supplements or medications you are taking to find out if there could be any interactions with a product the doctor suggests.
Step 4
Search the Food and Drug Administration's Archive for Recalls, Market Withdrawals & Safety Alerts database to ensure that any natural product you plan to take is not listed.
Step 5
Check the label of the product to ensure that any claims are followed by the phrase: "This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease." According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, manufacturers can make health-related claims, but as these products are not approved by the FDA, this statement must appear.
Step 6
Check the dosage instructions to make sure they're compatible with your lifestyle---for instance, you might prefer to take pills once a day rather than several times a day or you might not want to take the product for a prolonged period.
Tips and Warnings
- Take advice about natural weight loss products from family, friends or coworkers with caution, as their physical and medical needs may be different from yours. To reduce your risk of interactions avoid using more than one natural weight loss product at a time. Choose one based on the main cause of your weight gain, for example sluggish metabolism or overeating.
- Do not buy natural weight loss products off the Internet from sites that do not disclose who manufactures the products and where production takes place.
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