With two-thirds of Americans being overweight these days, the marketplace is filled with supplements that promise to help burn away the pounds. In fact, some go so far to say that they will do all the work for you. Reports of deaths related to these drugs, not to mention their heavy price tag, have led many to question just how reliable they really are.
A recent study by British researcher Max H. Pittler, MD, shows very little evidence of these supplements really assisting in weight loss. The reason that many of these weight loss supplements seem to work is known as the placebo effect. This simply means that by merely believing the supplement is helping them they will in fact lose weight. In Pittler's study, a dozen weight loss supplements were tested and of them only two, Ephedra and Chromium Picolinate, produced better results than a placebo. Ephedra however, has been banned by the FDA and should not be taken should you find a product that contains it.
Even if a few of these supplements do aid your weight loss, in the absence of exercise and better eating habits they are useless. Most of these products make unsubstantiated claims promising instant results with little or no effort by the consumer. They are legally permitted to make these claims because of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 which allows any product of plant origin to be sold freely.
The danger is that while these are mainly natural substances, in a condensed form they can cause many adverse affects such as high blood pressure, sedation, and fluid loss. Unfortunately, the FDA cannot do studies and deem them illegal until there have been cases of people getting ill or dying.
Besides the health risks associated with these supplements, there is the factor that these products are usually very expensive and can put a strain on a person's wallet which in these times of economic uncertainty can be just as hazardous.
If you are one of the many people who are battling a weight problem, make sure you are excising regularly and watching your calorie intake. The key to burning fat is simply burning more calories than you consume. Find the recommended calorie intake for someone your age and weight and do your best to stick with it. Food purchased from the grocery store will usually have its amount of calories somewhere on the container. It's extremely important to remember to avoid fast-food restaurants at all costs.
Start a daily exercising regimen and be faithful to it. Make sure you get in some exercise every day. You will find that doing a half-hour of exercise daily will show much greater results than exhausting yourself once a week. Remember to ask the advice of your physician before changing your diet or beginning a new exercise regimen. Your doctor may also be able to prescribe medication to aid you if he or she believes you can benefit from it.
Kelly Lester is committed to one thing, and that's helping YOU lose weight. Visit his website right now at Guide To Weight Loss for some great information on losing weight. Or, want to see the #1 weight loss course online? Visit the Burn The Fat Review section of Kelly's website.
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