Does Trimspa Help You Lose Weight?

To the two-thirds of Americans who suffer from overweight or obesity, a product like TrimSpa may appear to be a perfect weight-loss aid. The makers of TrimSpa assert that when combined with a diet and exercise plan, TrimSpa can help you lose almost double the weight when compared to diet and exercise alone. As with any weight loss supplement, examine all the information available for TrimSpa before deciding if it is the best option for you.

Product and Ingredients

As of 2011, the product formulation is labeled as Advanced TrimSpa X32 Rapid Release. The capsules contain a proprietary blend of chromium, phenylalanine, green tea extract, caffeine, hoodia and other additives. One bottle of 70 capsules costs $29.95.

How It Works

TrimSpa bases its effectiveness on its main active ingredients -- hoodia, green tea extract and caffeine. Hoodia, an herb from South Africa, is believed to be a natural appetite suppressant that staves off hunger. Green tea extract helps maintain your blood sugar to prevent blood sugar spikes and cravings. Lastly, caffeine acts as a stimulant to boost your metabolism. It also has a diuretic effect and aids in flushing excess fluid from the body. In conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise, these three ingredients should help you lose 50 percent more weight, claims the company website.

Does It Work?

The TrimSpa plan appears easy enough, but does it work? Dr. Brent Bauer of MayoClinic.com warns that not enough scientific evidence supports hoodia as an effective appetite suppressant. There are also no studies that report the long-term effects of hoodia consumption. In regard to caffeine, registered dietician Katherine Zeratsky, also of MayoClinic.com, notes that it does stimulate increased thermogenesis, which burns more calories. However, this effect is not enough to produce significant weight loss. Caffeine's diuretic effect in some people may provide temporary weight loss but only in the form of water weight, not fat.

Considerations

As with other diet pills, TrimSpa does not teach healthy eating habits, which many dietary professionals consider a cornerstone of sustainable weight loss. You cannot rely on TrimSpa capsules for long-term weight loss. Furthermore, the company's website does not provide access to clinical study results, before and after photos, success stories or any type of community support for TrimSpa users.

Warnings

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not regulate diet and herbal supplements, including the active ingredients in TrimSpa, hoodia and green tea extract. As such, the safety of these ingredients is not guaranteed. In January 2007, the Federal Trade Commission, FTC, fined several diet supplements companies, including the makers of TrimSpa, $25 million for deceptive marketing and unsubstantiated weight loss claims. TrimSpa's agreement with the FTC prohibits the company from reporting the health benefits, weight loss efficacy or safety of TrimSpa products without providing free access to the evidence supporting such claims.