Ask Your Pharmacist – Herbal Weight Loss Agents
A CAPSULAR MOMENT
Herbal Weight Loss Agents
Obesity has become one of the major health problems in Canada. It is estimated that 10 to 25% of all teenagers and 20 to 50% of all adults have a weight problem. Many factors have contributed to the increasing rates of overweight and obesity and they include changes in society in terms of activity and eating habits, a shift to less physically demanding work, increased use of automated transport and passive leisure activities, such as television viewing and playing video games. Other contributing factors include medical disorders like hypothyroidism.
In short, when a person consumes more food energy than is needed to provide for all of the day’s activities, the excess is stored as body fat.
These days, it seems that more people are becoming preoccupied with their weight (and rightfully so!). There are lots of choices in the weight –loss market. Prescription medicines are available for those who have a weight problem that endangers their health. Then there are the numerous herbal and over –the-counter products that claim to do everything.
A lot of weight loss supplements contain hidden sources of caffeine and stimulants such as ephedra, bitter orange, tea extracts, cola nut, guarana and yerba mate. Also be on the look out for herbal laxatives, among which are aloe vera, cascara, rhubarb, senna and European buckthorn. While laxatives and diuretics can bring about temporary weight loss, the result you see from the bathroom scale will not have a meaningful impact on body mass indexes.
Green tea
“Drinking tea for a long time makes one thin” so says the ancient Chinese medicinal classic bencao shiyi.
Are green tea capsules effective for weight loss? Yes, but only under certain circumstances. A recent study compared weight loss in 100 overweight subjects who consumed the same amount of calories over a period of time, but half of them took 300mg of green tea extract daily while the other half took a placebo. At the end of the trial, it was found that there was a significant weight loss in the green tea group. A comparative analysis of trials of this nature show that green tea capsules with caffeine may lead to moderate weight loss, without caffeine, green tea capsules did not lead to any significant weight loss.
Chitosan
This is a diet aid made from the crushed shells of shrimp, crab, and lobster. It purportedly works by binding with the fats that you eat and helping them out of your body before they have time to be absorbed. This theory falls flat on its face because studies have not found any increased excretion of fecal fat with chitosan and it does nothing for the already stored fat in your body.
CLA
Conjugated linoleic acis (CLA) reduces total body fat and increases lean body mass but a net change in weight is small. It affects body composition rather than body weight. CLA can be a useful tool in achieving a healthy body weight if coupled with diet and exercise.
Fibre-based supplements
Psyllium delays gastric emptying and creates a feeling of fullness and satiety. If used regularly, can reduce daily caloric intake. The down side is that it can cause cramping, blocking of the digestive tract and fecal impaction if not taken with sufficient fluid.
The most recent fancy fibre capsule is PGX. It is taken three times a day with meals. The PGX website claims that subjects experienced an average weight loss of 13 pounds over 14 weeks. Just like Psyllium, when taken before meals, PGX, because it is a source of additional fibre, can increase feelings of satiety leading to reduced caloric intake
Garcinia Camboga
Contains hydroxycitric acid, which is supposed to prevent storage of excess calories as fat as well as suppress appetite. Results of trials have failed to produce any significant weight loss when compared to placebo.
Other supplements for weight loss include chromium picolinate, hydroxyl-methyl butyrate, pyruvate, 5-HTP, hoodia, bitter orange and benzocaine. The evidence for these products is not promising either.
So what does work?
The answer is still the same as it has been in eons past, reduce caloric intake and exercise.
________________________
CLICK HERE for a listing of past issues of ASK YOUR PHARMACIST, A Capsular Moment by David Bodunde, Rph
To speak with David Bodunde, Rph in person, visit the Manitouwadge Pharmacy, Unit 2, Hallmarket Square in Manitouwadge or call 826.3888
The opinions expressed on OntarioNewsNorth.com and by David Bodunde,Rph are published for educational and informational purposes only, and are not intended as a diagnosis, treatment or as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis and treatment. Please consult a local physician or other health care professional for your specific health care and/or medical needs or concerns.
Neither OntarioNewsNorth.com nor David Bodunde,Rph endorse or recommend any commercial products, medical treatments, pharmaceuticals, brand names, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and education of the viewing public, and the mention of any of the above on OntarioNewsNorth.com does not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by OntarioNewsNorth.com or David Bodunde, Rph.
