Weight Loss Supplements - What You Need to Know

The weight loss supplement industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. The majority of people want to lose weight and we're willing to believe any claim and pay any price for quick, easy weight loss. Supplements that promise quick and easy weight loss don't tell you what else the product can do to your body and 'natural' does not always mean safe. Here's what you need to know about some of the most popular weight loss supplements.

Bitter Orange

Sold as an appetite suppressant and a.k.a. sour orange. Bitter orange contains the same stimulant as ephedra, the chemical synephrine. The stimulant has been linked to health problems like heart attack and stroke by causing blood pressure to rise and heart rate to increase.

Chitosan

Chitosan blocks the absorption of dietary fat, which sounds like a boon to those seeking to loss weight while still eating fatty foods. However, the body needs fat, and when fat absorption if blocked by chistosan, it leads to constipation, bloating and other gastrointestinal problems.

Chromium

This weight loss supplement (a.k.a. Chromium Picolinate) claims to decrease appetite while it reduces body fat and builds muscle. What you need to know that chromium is very unlikely to live up to that claim, but it can cause kidney failure if taken in high doses.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)

Conjugated linoleum acid promises to help the body get glucose into muscles cells quicker so it doe not end up as fat stored in the body's cells. The CLA supplement also claims to decrease appetite, build muscles and decrease body fat. CLA may help with increase muscle mass, but does little to aid in weight loss. Conjugated linoleum acid supplement usually always causes gastrointestinal problems as well.

Country Mallow a.k.a. Heartleaf

This weight loss supplement claims to increase the number of calories the body burns and to decrease appetite. Country mallow contains ephedrine, which poses serious risks to health by increasing blood pressure and heart rate.

Green Tea Extract

If a bottle of refreshing green tea is good for us (and it is) concentrated green tea extract must be great for us. Not so much. There is no evidence that green tea extract revs up metabolism to make the body burn calories faster, but the extract will cause bloating, indigestion, vomiting and diarrhea.

Guar Gum

Guar gum is not a 'gum' but a thickening agent akin to corn starch and found in products like pudding. Gaur gum blocks the absorption of fat and increases the sense of fullness after ingesting, but is unlikely to cause weight loss and has been known to cause gastrointestinal problems.

Hoodia

Hoodia is derived from a succulent that grows in the Kalahari dessert. Hoodia is then processed into chews, capsules or tablets and sold as a weight loss supplement that claims to trick your brain into thinking your stomach is full and thus decreasing appetite. No FDA approval or scientific evidence to back up that claim on hoodia.