Herbal weight loss supplements are available over the counter and marketed to individuals looking to lose weight. Many of the claims by manufacturers of over-the-counter products are not evaluated by the FDA for validity. Before you take an herbal weight loss supplement, you should consult a doctor about the product's safety and effectiveness.
Types
You will find hundreds of weight loss supplements on the market. Ingredients found in herbal supplements intended to help a person lose weight include bitter orange, chitosan, green tea extract, hoodia, guar gum, citrus aurantium and phenylephrine. Country mallow and ephedra were formerly found in herbal supplements, but the FDA determined these ingredients were unsafe and ordered them removed from the market.
Significance
The American Academy of Family Physicians offers multiple reasons that consumers decide to use an herbal supplement for weight loss. These reasons include health benefits, social stigma, ease of use, inflated claims by advertisers and a desire for a "magic bullet" to lose weight.
Considerations
Most herbal weight loss supplements have insufficient evidence to determine whether they are effective. According to the Mayo Clinic, bitter orange, chromium, green tea extract and hoodia have not been researched enough to determine effectiveness. These ingredients claim to decrease appetite, burn fat and increase the amount of calories burned.
Expert Insight
In 2006, the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of the herbal ingredients citrus aurantium and phenylephrine for the treatment of obesity. The study, published in the "Journal of Medicinal Food," gave one group the herbal dietary supplement and the other group a placebo for eight weeks. At the end of the eight weeks, no significant weight loss was achieved by the group taking the herbal supplement. Chitosan and guar gum are other ingredients found to be ineffective, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Prevention/Solution
Instead of using herbal supplements to lose weight, your doctor is likely to advise diet and exercise changes, states the Mayo Clinic. Eating fewer calories, reducing portion sizes and working out on a daily basis can help to achieve sustained weight loss.
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