Can Weight Loss Pills Shed the Fat?
With obesity at epidemic levels in the United States, more and more people are turning to weight loss pills in hopes of losing those extra pounds. With the New Year approaching, you can bet that these weight loss pills will be flying off of shelves. But do they actually work?
Weight loss pills do work, but not to the degree most people think. Back in the early 1990’s when ephedra was first introduced, it was touted as a miracle weight loss supplement and to some, including myself it was. When you combined ephedra with caffeine and aspirin, this “stack” burned fat like butter on a hot stove.
Unfortunately along with its fat burning power, there was a long list of side effects as well. Many could not handle the powerful stimulant affects of this compound and it was blamed for many deaths. Whether or not this was true, the writing was on the wall and ephedra was banned in the United States and is no longer available.
Is there anything else that works?
Ephedra was a one of a kind product and may never (save for possibly one) be duplicated for its fat burning power.
The most popular weight loss pills today are those containing Green tea and Hoodia. Green tea works through a process called thermogenesis (fat burning), while Hoodia is claimed to be an appetite suppressant. Both are said to be effective at shedding the fat, but nothing like ephedra.
There is however a natural compound that shows great promise in preventing fructose from converting to fat.
What’s all the fuss about fructose?
Fructose may be the biggest cause of obesity in the United States today. Here’s a quote from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:
“evidence that a marked increase in the use of HFCS, and therefore in total fructose consumption, preceded the obesity epidemic and may be an important contributor to this epidemic in the United States.”
For the past thirty years fructose has virtually replaced cane sugar as the sweetener of choice for most manufacturers because of its low cost to produce. During this period there has been a 300% increase in the use of high fructose corn syrup and a 40% drop in the use of cane sugar.
What is this promising natural compound?
This all natural compound is derived from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis and Heartwood of Acacia. There more common names are Chinese skullcap and “Black catechu”.
What does this compound do?
This natural compound works by substantially decreasing two key obesity markers in the blood stream. These two obesity markers are expressed in high levels in the chronically obese. These compounds have been shown to significantly decrease both of these obesity markers by inhibiting fat conversion from fructose pathways and down-regulating fat accumulation and up-regulating fat breakdown.
Subjects between the ages of 40 and 75 participated in an independent double blind scientific study conducted by scientists at JSS Medical Research, Inc., in Montreal, Canada. None of the participants were given any advice on dieting or exercise and typically this age group has the most difficult time at losing weight.
The results were quite impressive. Subjects taking the natural compound lost an average of 7 percent of their bodyweight, while those not taking the natural compound did not lose any weight at all.
Their results would likely have been much better if they combined an exercise program along with a sensible diet.
If weight loss is your goal, these natural compounds show a lot of promise. However, do not expect miracles. A sensible diet and exercise program is always the best way to keep the weight off.
