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?
Most reputable companies put out decent products that work to some degree, but not to the extent most people think they do. In the early 90's ephedra hit the market with a lot of fanfare. It promised to burn fat like no other compound. And for the most part, it lived up to that promise.
Unfortunately the side effects far out-weighed its fat burning power. There were a few cases where ephedra was blamed for people dying from heart attacks. The heart pounding stimulating affect was difficult for people to handle and ephedra is no longer available.
Are there any compounds that work as well as ephedra?
Yes, but ephedra set the bar very high and there really isn't anything new (save for possibly one) that matches 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 promising natural substance that takes a different approach to weight loss by preventing fructose from converting to fat.
What's the big deal about fructose?
Fructose may be the reason why so many Americans are obese today. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition was quoted as saying:
"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."
Over the last thirty years manufacturers have been replacing sugar with high fructose corn syrup because of its cheap production costs. More and more products on supermarket shelves have high fructose corn syrups as an ingredient.
What is this promising natural compound?
This all natural compound is commonly referred to as Chinese skullcap and "Black catechu", which are derived from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis and Heartwood of Acacia.
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.
An independent double blind clinical study was conducted by scientist at JSS Medical Research, Inc., in Montreal, Canada. Subjects ranged in age from 40-75, typically the age group that has the most difficult time losing weight. Participants were not given any advice on diet or physical activity.
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.
One can only imagine their results if they combined a sensible diet plan with a regular exercise program.
These compounds show a lot of promise and may very well hold the key to the obesity epidemic, especially for those who consume a lot of fructose in their diets. Always check with your physician before taking any weight loss supplement. - 15343
Most reputable companies put out decent products that work to some degree, but not to the extent most people think they do. In the early 90's ephedra hit the market with a lot of fanfare. It promised to burn fat like no other compound. And for the most part, it lived up to that promise.
Unfortunately the side effects far out-weighed its fat burning power. There were a few cases where ephedra was blamed for people dying from heart attacks. The heart pounding stimulating affect was difficult for people to handle and ephedra is no longer available.
Are there any compounds that work as well as ephedra?
Yes, but ephedra set the bar very high and there really isn't anything new (save for possibly one) that matches 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 promising natural substance that takes a different approach to weight loss by preventing fructose from converting to fat.
What's the big deal about fructose?
Fructose may be the reason why so many Americans are obese today. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition was quoted as saying:
"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."
Over the last thirty years manufacturers have been replacing sugar with high fructose corn syrup because of its cheap production costs. More and more products on supermarket shelves have high fructose corn syrups as an ingredient.
What is this promising natural compound?
This all natural compound is commonly referred to as Chinese skullcap and "Black catechu", which are derived from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis and Heartwood of Acacia.
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.
An independent double blind clinical study was conducted by scientist at JSS Medical Research, Inc., in Montreal, Canada. Subjects ranged in age from 40-75, typically the age group that has the most difficult time losing weight. Participants were not given any advice on diet or physical activity.
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.
One can only imagine their results if they combined a sensible diet plan with a regular exercise program.
These compounds show a lot of promise and may very well hold the key to the obesity epidemic, especially for those who consume a lot of fructose in their diets. Always check with your physician before taking any weight loss supplement. - 15343
About the Author:
Author Deen Dragonovich has over 30 years in health and fitness and has researched fructose blockers along with weight loss pills for several years. He also offers valuable weight loss help regarding nutrition and fitness.
