Claim vs. Truth: Do Weight-Loss Supplements Really Work?
Admit it; the first time you saw a commercial for a supplement that was going to help you “lose weight fast without having to exercise or diet” you were a little bit intrigued. The ads ALWAYS have a sexy, tan, muscular man or women giving you an image to compare your current self with. At some point, they usually say, “It takes more than nutrition and exercise to get six-pack abs.” It all sounds legit. Let’s take a look at the three top-sellers and see if they really work or if it is all a scam.
Claim: Raspberry Ketones Raspberry ketone is the natural phenolic compound found in red raspberries (Rubus idaeus). This chemical compound is what gives raspberries their scent. It is used to promote lipolytic activity, which in layman’s terms means it “breaks down fat”. This supplement is one of the top “doctor recommended” products making it one of the most popular in stores.
Truth: Raspberry Ketones is NOT a weight-loss miracle in a bottle. The Huffington Post wrote about Raspberry Ketones and found out that “Raspberry ketones have never been tested on humans in scientific studies.” (Raspberry Ketones) The article also advises, “When you hear raspberry ketone claims such as “slicing up fat molecules,” “burning fat easier,” or “weight-loss miracle,” change the channel.” There also has been no testing on what the right dosage really is in order for it to be safe. Also, have you ever read the bottle of Raspberry Ketones? This is what is what you would find: “This information has not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, nor has it gone through the rigorous double-blind studies required before a particular product can be deemed truly beneficial or potentially dangerous and prescribed in the treatment of any condition or disease.” (Raspberry Ketones)
Claim: Green Coffee Bean Extract helps you lose weight without diet and exercise. It contains chlorogenic acid, which comes from not roasting the beans. It helps control the body’s blood sugar and metabolism. The article Enough is Enough–The Scientific Truth states that “Chlorogenic acid is supposed to slow down your body’s absorption of glucose, which promotes weight loss.”
Truth: Research has found that those claims have ONLY occurred in severely obese individuals. Also it can negatively affect your body due to the caffeine you would be consuming as mentioned in the article Helpful or All Hype? Too much caffeine causes insomnia, gastrointestinal problems, and increased heart rate. Also, Dr. Oz conducted his own test with 100 women. In 2 weeks, the average weight loss was two pounds whereas the women taking the placebo pill lost one pound.
Claim: Garcinia Cambogia helps burn fat and decrease your appetite. It is also known as Gambooge and has been described as “magic”, “holy grail”, and “body-fat buster” according to television commercials. The Enough is Enough–The Scientific Truth article states “Gambooge is supposed to burn fat because it is a great source of hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which is supposed to decrease your appetite. The supplement you buy is usually the HCA extracted from the fruit.”
Truth: The Helpful or All Hype? article states, “In traditional medicine, garcinia cambogia is used as a laxative!” You pop the pill, eat, and then poop it all out. How can anyone think that is “healthy”? Also, according to the Enough is Enough–The Scientific Truth article, this study has only been done on rats, NOT humans. Consumer reports states that the supplement “slows the body’s ability to absorb fat,” “replaces fat with toned muscles,” and even improves your mood and suppressing “the drive to react to stressful situations with food.” (No Miracle Weight-Loss Pill) In the article, Steven Heymsfield, M.D., the former head of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. Explains that “HCA does do that—but in a petri dish and converting that to actual weight loss in humans would take 1,000 steps beyond that.”
It is all about hard work and dedication. Make healthy changes in your life to lose weight. Don’t rely on a pill to do it for you. You will have more pride in yourself and more confidence in your body because you did it all with your own inner strength. I, myself, have lost 70lbs. in the last 2 years all because of healthy eating and exercise. People thought I was on a supplement because they didn’t think I could lose the weight all on my own. I proved them wrong, and I did it in a healthy way. If I can do it, I promise that you can too!
“Always remember that it doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you keep on going”
~Kenzi Weidman
Sources: Green Coffee Bean Extract, Helpful or All Hype?, Fat Burners: The Unadulterated Truth, Raspberry Ketones, No Miracle Weight-Loss Pill