Diet Supplement Ingredients Most Commonly Used

When I was looking at some of the most commonly heard of weight loss pills on the market today, I noticed many of the ingredients are repeatedly used. One of the most common ingredients I found utilized in the making of diet pills is caffeine in one form or another. Nine out of 11 of the diet pills I looked at showed caffeine as one of the main contributing ingredients. Let's take a look at caffeine and some of the other commonly used ingredients in diet pills today.

Caffeine:

Caffeine is a stimulant and a mild diuretic that was discovered back in 1819 by a German chemist by the name of Friedrich Ferdinand Runge in the coffee cherry and bean of the coffee plant. Since Runges' discovery, it was establish that caffeine could be found in various other plants, beans, and fruit such as tea, the kola nut, yerba mate, guarana berries, and the Yaupon Holly. The majority of the other sources of naturally produced caffeine are also used in numerous diet pills with the exception of the Yaupon Holly. Often times, you will see a variety of several forms of caffeine based ingredients all encompassed in one diet pill, such as green tea, yerba mate, and guarana berry extract. Caffeine acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system and has been claimed to improve the mental alertness in individuals and increase the body's metabolism, which in turn aids in burning off calories.

Yerba Mate

Yerba mate can be found in many diet pills as well. Yerba mate was traditional brewed into a bitter tea that was drank as a stimulant or energy drink. Yerba mate is high in caffeine. Yerba Mates claim in the diet pill industry is that it delays the emptying of the stomach, which aids in weight loss. Users of diet pills with yerba mate as an ingredient ingest less food due to the suppressed appetite effect of yerba. Other claimed benefits of yerba mate are that it enhances energy levels, contains needed antioxidants, and works as a mild diuretic.

Green Tea

Green tea also contains caffeine and an active ingredient in numerous diet pills. Green tea is made form the tea plant called Camellia Sinensis that originated in China. Studies have indicated that Green Tea can aid in reducing chances of heart disease, development of certain cancers (breast and prostrate) and aid in weight loss management. There have been numerous other claims regarding the use of green tea in stopping, preventing, or aiding in recovery of certain diseases and increasing life expectancy.

Kola nut

The kola nut is another source of caffeine that can be commonly found in diet pills as well as energy drinks and soft drinks. The kola nut originates in the rainforest of Africa on a variety of trees. The nut was chewed in many Western African cultures as part of tribal rituals. The kola nut was used to help ease hunger pangs. The kola nut is a stimulant used often in diet pills to boost ones metabolism and energy, suppress hunger, and act as a mild diuretic.

Guarana

Guarana a climbing plant found in the Amazon basin and Brazil that is best known for its fruit, which is high in caffeine. The fruit was crushed and consumed to increase energy. Guarana is a commonly found ingredient in energy drinks and diet pills that stimulate the nervous system, suppress appetite, boost metabolism and increase energy. The FDA has labeled guarana as GRAS (Generally regarded as safe)

Ginseng

Ginseng is an herb that has been used in various combinations as a form of medicine for many centuries. Claims have been made that ginseng can aid in supporting the overall health, boost the immune system, increasing stamina, improving mental and physical performance, treat erectile dysfunction, hepatitis C, and various symptoms related to menopause, lower blood glucose, and aid in controlling blood pressure

Bitter Orange

Bitter orange is another commonly found ingredient in diet pills that claims to increase the metabolism, burn fat, increases energy, and acts as a mild appetite suppressant. Studies have shown positive results with the use of bitter orange extract in the reduction of weight loss, increased metabolism, and increased lean muscle mass. Bitter orange is a natural ingredient derived from a fruit that has little to no negative side effects.

Chromium

Chromium picolinate is another common ingredient found in diet pills that claims to aid in the reduction of body fat and mass and boost lean mass. Studies have shown the possibility of losing up to 2.5-pounds weight loss per week with an increase of muscle tissue and loss of body fat.

Tonalin CLA

A fatty acid known as Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is known for promoting good health, reducing fat, help the body to deposit less fat, increase muscle mass, and aid in the prevention of fat cells from refilling. This new ingredient found in diet pills is increasing in popularity and promise.

Garcinia Cambogia

Garcinia Cambogia is also found in many diet pills on the market. This small fruit is native to India and some parts of Asia and looks similar to a small pumpkin. Extracted from this tiny fruit is hydroxycitric acid or HCA that is claimed to suppress appetite and enhance fat burning. A number of clinical studies have supported the benefits of Garcinia Cambogia as a weight-loss management supplement.

Diet pills come with numerous other ingredients that I have not listed above so it is wise to look into how the ingredients work, their benefits, and what, if any possible negative interactions could be possible, and checking with your doctor before taking any weight loss supplement. Dieting can be hard enough on its own, however, choosing diet pills with the proper ingredients and dosages could aid that process making the journey a more pleasant and rewarding one.

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conjugated_Linoleic_Acid

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium_picolinate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_Orange

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginseng

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guarana

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_nut

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Tea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yerba_Mate

http://ezinearticles.com/?Common-Ingredients-Of-Weight-Loss-Pills&id=658168

http://www.supplementquality.com/efficacy/weight_loss_supplements.html

http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/medicine/diet-pills.htm