Obesity is a necessary evil as it can endanger the lives of the overweight individuals by making them more prone to contracting diseases like diabetes, cancer and other heart ailments which are life threatening. Therefore one of the primary prerogatives of an obese person should be to adopt a healthy means of losing the accumulated extra weight. It has been estimated that while 65% of the adult populace in USA is overweight, about 50 million people have attempted to lose weight though out of them only 5% have been actually successful in their endeavor. One of the dominant reasons behind that is the fact that most of the weight loss products and programs that are marketed are actually ineffective and useless and since most individuals take to these methods without proper research, despite honest attempts in reducing weight they usually fail to shed the extra kilos. Also, the most effective means of losing weight like having a balanced diet and exercising regularly according to a set routine are considered as very tedious and tiring methods by many. Under such conditions, individuals are more often lured to take the various weight loss dietary supplements that are widely available in the market. Moreover the fact that much of these products are advertised as being extremely natural and therefore safer for consumption makes them a more viable option. But before investing in dietary supplements it is necessary to remember that due to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, the manufacturers of dietary supplements are no more required to bear the sanctions of the FDA and hence, the quality of these dietary supplements are shrouded with uncertainty.
Dietary supplements like Psyllium, Guar Gum and Glucomannan are considered as substances which can aid in lowering the calorie content and cause a rise in satiety thus aiding weight loss. Conjugated Linoleic Acid also is useful in fighting obesity by lowering deposition of fats through fat oxidation. The Hydroxycitric Acid which is extracted from the tamarind fruit reduces fat synthesis aiding weight loss. Green tea is a very effective resource in fighting obesity while the effectiveness of other products like Pyruvate, Licorice, L-Carnitine, Vitamin B5 have not yet been proved. Chitosan reduces the absorption of fats thus helping in fighting obesity. Ginseng and Chromium are considered to help weight loss by adjusting carbohydrate metabolism. Caffeine compounds and Ephedra are considered useful for weight loss. However, upon extensive study some of these products like Ephedra have been found to have harmful side effects and therefore are no more in use.
By : Robert Baird
