Vitamins & Herbs For Weight Loss

Being overweight can have an effect on your emotions and physical health. You may feel unattractive, unpopular or depressed, and you may also have an increased risk of disease, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems and cancer. There are vitamins and herbs that may help you lose weight, but check with your health-care provider to make sure you are healthy enough to begin a weight loss program.

Vitamin and Herbal Actions

Vitamins and herbs that increase fat metabolism or suppress your appetite may help you lose weight. Thermogenic herbs help your body metabolize fat and use it efficiently, rather than storing it. Herbal appetite suppressants send signals to your brain telling it that you feel full. If you're planning to lose a lot of weight, you should check with your doctor first to make sure your body can handle the metabolic changes that weight loss involves.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin also known as ascorbic acid. It is a potent antioxidant and regulates many immune and metabolic processes. In their 2000 book, "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," Dr. James F. Balch and Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, recommend taking vitamin C with bioflavonoids to speed metabolism, allowing your body to burn excess calories. Too much vitamin C may produce diarrhea. If that happens, cut back on the dose.

Green Tea

Green tea, or Camellia sinensis, is a rapidly dried tea made from the same plant that produces the more fermented black and oolong teas. The leaves are rich in catechin-polyphenols, tannins and caffeine, and the plant has thermogenic actions. A study published in the February 2000 issue of the "International Journal of Obesity" found that green tea's thermogenic properties are due to a synergy between caffeine and catechins, particularly epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG. Green tea is a stimulant, so do not use it before bedtime or if you are taking sedative medications.

Garcinia

Garcinia, or Garcinia cambogia, is a medium-sized tree found throughout Asia and Africa. Traditional healers use the fruit rind to treat obesity, edema, menstrual problems, constipation, intestinal worms and rheumatism. In their 2000 book, "The Herbal Drugstore," Dr. Linda B. White and medicinal plant expert Steven Foster state that the herb may suppress appetite, enhance weight loss and increase lean muscle. Do not use this herb if you have diabetes or are hypoglycemic.