If your tummy looks more like a muffin than a pancake, diet and exercise provide the best solution for eliminating the unwanted bulge. If you're looking for help in pill form, avoid supplements with a long list of ingredients or vague "proprietary blends" because they may prove unsafe. Consider, instead, a short list of supplements than can improve your health as well as your waist measurement.
Calcium and Abdominal Fat
If you do not currently get enough calcium in your diet, taking calcium supplements may help you lose belly fat. Among several studies connecting adequate calcium intake to improved abdominal weight loss is one conducted by Michael Zemel, a professor at the University of Tennessee. In Zemel's study, women followed a restricted calorie diet that included either 1,100 mg or 500 mg of calcium. During the 12-week trial, women who consumed higher levels of calcium lost 61 percent more body fat and 22 percent more weight overall than those who consumed lower amounts of calcium.
Green Tea Antioxidants
Green tea pills, provided they contain no ingredients except green tea powder, may help you safely lose belly fat. More than 15 studies link the antioxidants in green tea to weight loss. Several, including one published in the February 2009 "Journal of Nutrition," provide evidence that green tea specifically targets abdominal fat. The study, led by Kevin Maki, president of Provident Research and Consulting, found that persons who consumed 660 mg of green tea antioxidants daily lost more belly fat than persons who drank black tea. The green tea consumers also lost more weight overall -- 5.4 lb. compared to 2.9 lb. during the 12-week study.
Hidden Ingredients in Belly Fat Pills
Stress can lead to extra weight gain around the middle. But pills claiming to relax you, reduce your cortisol levels and shed pounds may cause more harm than help. One popular belly-fat pill, Relacore, purporting to contain only calming herbs, includes sibutramine, a prescription drug. Production of sibutramine discontinued in the United States following reports that its use caused heart attacks and strokes. If you want to lose stress-induced belly fat, skip pills and explore calming techniques such as yoga, massage or exercise.
Considerations
Calcium and green tea may help you lose belly fat while providing additional health benefits. Calcium strengthens your bones, and green tea may protect you from heart attacks and strokes, making both of these supplements healthy choices. But don't expect any pill to compensate for overeating and under-exercising. In Maki's study, the green tea consumers increased their physical activity and reduced their caloric intake. In Zemel's study, participants cut 500 calories a day from their diets.
References
- The Globe and Mail; Feeling Waisted? Stress Levels Could be the Culprit; Tara Parker-Pope; Aug. 2 2005
- The Straits Times; Pills Land Two in Hospital; (NO BYLINE) June 26, 2008
- PubMed Health: Sibutramine
- "Los Angeles Times"; Slim Chance Green Tea Can Burn Fat Off; Chris Woolston; Aug. 16 2010
- "Journal of Nutrition"; Green Tea Catechin Consumption Enhances Exercise-Induced Abdominal Fat Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults; Kevin Maki etal; February 2009
- The Globe and Mail; Green Tea a Possible Factor in Why Japanese Live So Long; Michelle Fay Cortez; Sept. 13 2006
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