Weight-Loss Supplements That Work:how To Find Your Way Throughthe Hoax, The Hype And The Harm By Bill Gottlieb

In January 2007, the Federal Trade Commission fined four supplement manufacturers a total of 25 million dollars for making what they said were false advertising claims about their weight-loss products.

These weren’t fly-by-night operations, selling little-known products. Among the fined was Bayer Corporation, and its One-A-Day brand. Others included the well-advertised and widely purchased products Xenadrine EFX, CortiSlim and CortiStress, and TrimSpa.

So what’s a consumer to do? Stay away from any over-the-counter vitamin or herbal product that claims it can help you lose weight? But what if you’re a “consumer” who has consumed too much—what if you’re among the 2 of 3 American adults who is overweight? What if you’re among the 9 out of 10 dieters who have tried to lose weight again and again—and failed?

I have good news and bad news. Let’s start with the bad: there is no miracle pill for weight loss. There’s only one way to lose weight permanently: reduce calorie intake through eating less, and increase calorie-burning through more physical activity.

The good news: there are a few scientifically-proven nutritional supplements that can help you lose weight. I know, because I just spent more than a year writing about them, in my new book, The Natural Fat-Loss Pharmacy (Broadway, 2007), co-authored with Harry Preuss, MD, a professor at Georgetown University Medical Center and an expert in natural remedies. The supplements featured in The Natural Fat-Loss Pharmacy—the supplements that scientific research shows can work for weight-loss or weight-maintenance—include EGCG/caffeine, CLA, carbohydrate-blockers, fiber supplements, HCA, medium-chain triglycerides, 5-HTP, and chromium.

You will find all the information you need in The Natural Fat-Loss Pharmacy to choose and use these supplements safely and effectively. But here are a few brief guidelines that anybody can use to bypass the hype, hoax and harm, and choose the right supplements:

Don’t believe outrageous claims. You know what they say: if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Super-rapid weight loss…weight loss without dieting or exercise…a pill that helps you lose weight and cures every disease in the medical dictionary—those are red flags. Keep on walking.

Think twice about multi-ingredient products. Some scientific research shows that two-ingredient products are effective, like HCA/chromium, or EGCG/caffeine. But if the product is loaded with ingredients, many of which you don’t even recognize…don’t buy it. Many individual vitamins or herbs have been scientifically-shown to aid weight-loss. Most combination products haven’t.

Check out the research yourself. You’re on the Web—and Web gives you instant, first-person access to authentic scientific research. One tip: go to the beta site, Google scholar (http://scholar.google.com) and enter the ingredient you’re interested in along with the words “weight loss”. A lot of evidence will appear. (Try, for instance, “chromium” and “weight loss”.) Judge the results for yourself.

Read The Natural Fat-Loss Pharmacy and discuss it with your doctor. The book has been endorsed more than a dozen top scientists doctors and nutritionists. It’s the first and only science-based guide to weight-loss supplements that work. And it’s practical—it tells you which brands have produced positive results, and at what dosage. It also offers sensible programs for calorie-control and increasing activity—the essential elements of losing weight. You can read more about the book—and my other books on health and healing—at www.drugfreehealing.com.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=125772&ca=Wellness