Diet Articles
  Weight Loss Dietary Supplement

For those who seek a quick and easy solution to weight loss, it is natural to gravitate toward weight loss dietary supplements. But what exactly are weight loss dietary supplements? Are they safe and healthy for you to use? Will they really be effective? Or will they be counter-productive and/or a total waste of money?

In addition to diet and exercise, many people add a weight loss dietary supplement to jumpstart their weight loss efforts to put themselves one step ahead of the rest. Dietary supplements consist of a combination of herbs, plants, amino acids, and vitamins. They should only be added to your weight loss regimen with the approval of your doctor to avoid any complications.

Weight loss dietary supplements are typically not approved by the FDA, so use them with caution. They don't have to meet the guidelines that most other medications have to conform to. They can be prohibited for sale if the FDA finds that they do not meet the standards of being fit for human consumption.
A weight loss dietary supplement that was banned from being sold is ephedra. Ephedra contributes to depression and chronic headaches, will cause blood pressure to rise, can cause seizures, and can even lead to death. Sometimes what you read on the label isn't what is actually found in the supplement, because these pills are not regulated by the FDA.

Ephedra has been banned as a weight loss dietary supplement and in its place, some are promoting bitter orange. However, bitter orange has recently been shown to possibly produce similar effects on the body as ephedra, making it an ineffective and possibly dangerous weight loss dietary supplement. So far, bitter orange is still available for purchase, but it may not be available for too much longer.

Guar gum and chitosan are two weight loss dietary supplements that have proven to have no effect on weight loss. Using either of these products has been discouraged. Because there have been no tests or studies regarding the long term effect, little is known at this time. It is known, however, that neither has proven effective in either appetite suppression or helping with weight loss.

Two weight loss dietary supplements that have proven effective for weight loss are St. John's Wart and green tea. These are proven to burn additional calories and suppress appetite. It's also been shown that they help when used as part of a diet and exercise regimen. Green tea is available in pill form, as a patch, or as a drinkable tea.


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