Can Weight Loss Supplements Help you to Lose Weight?

This is a monthly e-zine that will cut through the hype, fads and gimmicks to give you the low down on the really important information you need to successfully lose weight and keep it off.

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And so to this month's e-zine...

There was a picture of a beautiful, slim woman in a pair of tight shorts and a sports bra with an ad slogan.

Guess what the ad was for...?

Yep, weight loss supplements!

Whilst there are ads for diet pills and other nutritional supplements around all year, the period after Christmas when people are busily making - and largely breaking! - their new year resolutions is an ad man's dream.

People instinctively look for quick-fix solutions to their problems and this is exactly what supplement manufacturers aim to provide...

But once you cut through the hype and expectation, do weight loss supplements actually work?

Fact or Fiction...?

And business is good...

Despite an avalanche of lawsuits and a mountain of scientific evidence to the contrary, new products continue to pour onto the market containing the latest breakthrough ingredients...

You know, like -- discovered in the droppings of himalayan mountain goats, or the leaves of plants chewed on by bushmen to stave off hunger.

I've lost count of the number of spam e-mails we've received promising astounding results from all sorts of pills, potions and creams!

So if you're looking to lose some weight, do weight loss supplements hold out any hope?

In a word...no, well not much at least.

The only diet pills that are clinically proven to work are those researched, trialled and manufactured by the big pharmaceutical companies - orlistat (Xenical), sibutramine (Meridia, Reductil) and rimonobant (Acomplia).

All of which are licensed or are in the process of being licensed in the big markets. They work and have met the most rigorous clinical governance standards in proving as much.

But these are prescription only, last resort drugs that should only be used under the supervision of a doctor...and as part of a diet and exercise regime.

What about over the counter (OTC) supplements...do any of them work?

Ok, let's take a step back. The strategy employed by most manufacturers of OTC weight loss supplements is this...

A chemical, herb or some such substance is found in a trial - some of which are very limited or use highly suspect methodologies - to exhibit a property helpful in weight loss.

Claims are made that they may raise the metabolism, suppress appetite, burn fat, block fat or carbs...or some combination thereof.

Before the ink on the research paper is dry the various ingredients have found their way into the latest 'breakthrough formulation' and onto the shelves.

The fact that the evidence base is weak, the trials often flawed, the research funded by the supplement manufacturers themselves seems to be ignored and desperate people looking for a little hope in a pill box buy them.

Now that's not to say that there aren't any supplements that can be of use in a weight loss programme.

For example, there is some merit in green tea, calcium and omega 3 fatty acids for instance, but these won't help you to lose significant amounts of weight on their own.

Even the licensed drugs only have a marginal effect, say 5-10% of body weight lost over two years.

For a 200lb person that's 10-20lbs - less than a pound a month at best!

Now as part of a healthy, balanced, calorie controlled diet and exercise program, supplements and drugs with an evidence base can help, but they won't produce significant results on their own.

Ask yourself this...if there were substances that produced significant weight loss results, don't you think the pharmaceutical giants would have snapped up the patents and be marketing them for all they're worth?

Of course they would! Most OTC supplements simply don't work and are quite frankly a waste of your hard-earned cash.

Sure, there are a few healthy weight loss supplements that are worth considering, but don't get your hopes up!

Ignore the big ads on the back of buses and stick to what works...a healthy balanced diet containing fewer calories than you expend and regular exercise.

You know it makes sense!

Until next month,

Best wishes,

Marcus and Lisa