Excess belly fat poses a severe health risk, including the development of high cholesterol, high blood pressure and high insulin. Just 30 to 45 minutes of moderate physical activity daily, such as brisk walking, can reduce belly fat, according to a 2003 article in "USA Today" titled "Belly Full of Danger." In addition to basic exercise, certain supplements are effective for losing weight and belly fat. Each supplement works a little differently so you can choose the one that best meets your needs.
Alli
Alli is the over-the-counter weight loss pill that decreases the amount of fat your body absorbs, according to the Mayo Clinic. Alli is a nonprescription version of the drug Xenical, though it might not work as well as its prescription counterpart. As of a 2010 article titled "Over-the-Counter Weight-loss Pills: Do They Work?" the Mayo Clinic warns that taking Alli might injure the liver, but that it is effective for weight loss. Even though Alli might not target belly fat specifically, it is one of the few products that does have evidence of aiding weight loss, and when you lose weight, you lose weight everywhere, so your belly fat should eventually disappear.
Conjugated Linoleic Acid
Conjugated linoleic acid, CLA, is a supplement you can get without a prescription. CLA helps people lose belly fat, even without other lifestyle changes. The Mayo Clinic says it might help people lose body fat and build muscle. CLA is a family of isomers of linoleic acid, which is an unsaturated fatty acid. You can find these isomers, or molecular compounds, in meat and dairy.
Green Tea Catechin
Drinking green tea helps you lose belly fat when you exercise, according to a 2009 study published in "The Journal of Nutrition Research" entitled "Green Tea Catechin Consumption Enhances Exercise-Induced Abdominal Fat Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults." The participants who drank a green tea beverage containing approximately 625 mg of catechins, which are antioxidants, saw a greater percentage reduction in total abdominal fat than the control group after 12 weeks. Participants performed at least 180 minutes each week of moderate-intensity physical activity in addition to drinking the green tea daily.
Calcium
Eating fewer calories contributes to weight loss, but a study found that increasing dietary calcium while also restricting calories significantly sped up fat loss. The 2004 study published in "Obesity Research" showed that participants eating a high-calcium diet had less fat in the area of the trunk, including the belly, at the end of the trial. This might mean that increasing your calcium intake through diet and supplementation might help you lose fat, especially if you also reduce your caloric intake. Ask your doctor or a nutrition expert about how many calories you can safely cut.
References
- Mayo Clinic; "Over-the-counter Weight-loss Pills: Do They Work"; February 2010
- "The Journal of Nutrition"; "Green Tea Catechin Consumption Enhances Exercise-Induced Abdominal Fat Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults"; February 2009
- USA Today; "Belly Full of Danger"; Nanci Hellmich
- "Obesity Research"; "Calcium and Dairy Acceleration of Weight and Fat Loss During Energy Restriction in Obese Adults"; M.B. Zemel et al.; April 2004
- Disabled World; "How to Lose Belly Fat"; David Kern; April 2008
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