Weight Loss Supplements – Part 2

Hoodia Gordonii is another supplement that has some medical consequences. There is credible weight loss in small studies but only one type of the Hoodia has the P57 component that is the appetite suppressant. There is some pure Hoodia but there are very few manufacturers that guarantee the authenticity and quality of the product. There have also been some research studies that have indicated significant side effects in the liver. (3)

Many of the over the counter weight loss supplements use caffeine as their active ingredient. Caffeine dehydrates the body and the client feels an initial ‘thinness’ but there is rebound bloating when the body attempts to retain as much fluid as possible for survival.

When you choose a weight loss supplement , look at the ingredients – both the active and inactive ones. Pills often have inactive ingredients that can affect you adversely, sometimes as much as the active ingredients. Check with your pharmacist if you are taking any other medications to ensure there are no known drug interactions between the drugs you already take and the over-the-counter medications you are considering.

Remember that anything you purchase and put into your body should be treated as a medication or drug. Just because it is labeled a supplement, or all natural or herbal doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have side effects or can’t interact with medications you are already taking or with any underlying medical conditions.

Weight loss supplements should only be used in conjunction with eating habit changes since once you stop taking the supplements and go back to old eating habits your weight will rebound and you’ll gain even more weight than you originally lost.

Weight loss supplements are a tool in the battle of the bulge. Used correctly and with care they will help you to develop good eating habits you can continue when the supplements are no longer being used.

References:

(1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Adult Obesity Facts

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

(2) University of Maryland Medical Center: Ephedra Overview: Potential Dangers of a Widely Used Supplement

http://www.umm.edu/features/ep_overview.htm

(3) Planta Medica; Characterization of in vitro pharmacokinetic properties of hoodigogenin A from Hoodia gordonii.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19639535