All natural herbal weight loss solutions may not necessarily be safe, according to information provided by the Weight Control Information Network, a website from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, or NIH. It warns ingredients contained in these products may even cause death. The NIH recommends consulting your health care provided before using herbal weight loss solutions.
Efficacy
Herbal weight loss solutions may not be effective according to Dr. Thomas Ellrott, the head of the Institute for Nutrition and Psychology at the University of Göttingen Medical School in Germany. Dr. Ellrot led a study comparing weight loss supplements against a placebo and found no statistically significant difference between the two. The study, presented at the International Congress on Obesity in Stockholm, Sweden looked at cabbage powder, guarana seed powder, bean extract, Konjac extract, fiber pills and other plant extracts.
Types
The labels of herbal weight loss solutions make various claims as to how their products will help you lose weight. Dr. Ellrot says types of slimming supplements claims include fat magnets, fat dissolvers, appetite tamers, metabolism boosters and carbohydrate blockers.
Herbs Containing Caffeine
Natural weight loss solutions often consist of herbs containing caffeine. Caffeine may suppress appetite, burn calories and expel water weight according to Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration lists herb commonly marketed for weight loss as: cocoa, coffee, guarana, kola nut, mate leaf and tea. You may also find these natural ingredients in dietary supplements claiming to improve physical performance.
Bitter Orange
Several herbal products touted as weight loss solutions contain extracts of bitter orange peel. Manufacturers use this herbal ingredient containing synephrine as a replacement for ephedra which is now banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine warns there is insufficient scientific evidence to back the claim that bitter orange results in weight loss. Side effects of this herbal weight loss solution include increased heart rate, raised blood pressure and stroke.
Dangers
Herbal weight loss supplements may contain more than plant ingredients. The FDA found at least 72 tainted weight loss products containing active pharmaceutical ingredients undeclared on the label including the products 7-Day Herbal Slim, Zhen de Shou and Sana Plus. These illegal products have been recalled by the FDA and may pose serious health risks including seizures, heart palpitations and stroke.
References
- The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Bitter Orange
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Herbs Containing Caffiene
- Eurek Alert: New Research Finds No Evidence that Popular Slimming Supplements Facilitate Weight Loss
- U.S. Foods and Drug Administration: FDA Uncovers Additional Tainted Weight Loss Products
- Weight Control Information Network: Weight Loss and Nutrition Myths
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