If you are overweight, you are also tired of fighting “the battle of the bulge.” So, what’s the answer? I bet you know already…that’s right, you guessed it: diet and exercise. Simple, right? Wrong. If it were that simple, we wouldn’t have so many overweight Americans. Now don’t get us wrong. Diet and exercise are still necessary for a successful weight loss program, it’s just that you may even need “something extra” to help you stick to your diet and exercise program long enough to get results. That something extra might just be a dietary supplement.

Of course the next logical question is “Which dietary supplement?” The answer is that it’s going to differ from person to person. Your personal difficulties in losing weight may be quite different from someone else’s. The first step is to identify specific problem areas. For example, do you need help with appetite control or do you have low energy levels which make it difficult for you to exercise? The second step is to identify dietary supplements which will help you to overcome those problems. The information in this article will help you to take both of these steps.

The five basic problem areas are:

• appetite control
• slow fat metabolism
• low energy levels
• food group weight gain
• fluid retention

Do you get hungry between meals and/or are you still hungry after you eat a meal? Do you crave sweets (other than fruit) daily? If your answer to either of these questions is yes, then you may have a problem controlling your appetite. If you’re experiencing frequent hunger and sugar cravings, it’s going to be very difficult to stick to your diet. If so, refer to the sections in this article: “CCK” and “Herbal Modulators.”

Do you gain weight easily and lose it with great difficulty? When you lose weight, do you reach a “plateau,” after which it is harder to continue losing weight? If your answer to either of these questions is yes, then you may have slow fat metabolism. This can make it very frustrating after you put forth maximum effort and get back minimal results. If so, refer to “Herbal Modulators,” “Pyruvate” and “CLA.”

Low Energy Levels

Is your energy low while you are dieting? Do you have low energy levels which make it difficult for you to exercise? If your answer to either of these questions is yes, then lack of energy may be making it next to impossible to follow a diet and exercise program. If you “toughed it out” and lost weight, it is likely that you’d eventually have more energy. The problem is that most people with this problem reach exhaustion, and are unable to “tough it out.” If so refer to “Herbal Modulators” and “Pyruvate.”

Food Group Weight Gain

Do you gain weight easily from eating starchy foods? How about high sugar foods? High fat foods? Don’t misunderstand. I’m not asking if you gain weight from overeating all of these types of foods. I’m asking if you have a tendency to gain weight specifically from eating one of these food groups more so than another. (Examples of starchy foods include bread, pasta, and cereals. High sugar foods include candy, soda and pastries, which also contain starch and fat. High fat foods include red meat, cheese and other full-fat dairy products). If so, you may be a “food group” associated weight gainer and need to refer to “Fat Regulators,” “Starch Regulators” and “Sugar Modulators.”

Fluid Retention

Finally, do you have a tendency to “bloat” and retain water easily? This is more common among women than men, but some men may experience water retention. Fluid retention can be discouraging because even when you have actually lost some fat-weight, your clothes may still be tight and stepping on the scale may not show a significant difference. Although fluid retention is not necessarily constant, when it does happen the discouragement experienced may still be enough to cause you to cheat on the diet, or skip exercise routines. If so, refer to “Herbal Diuretics.”

The Right Dietary Supplements

So now that you have identified problem areas, it’s time to determine which dietary supplements are right. It is not within the scope of this article to discuss all of the possible dietary supplement ingredients which may be beneficial for each problem area. It is possible, however, to highlight a limited number of key dietary supplement ingredients and discuss which problem areas they can best address. We believe that the specific ones we have chosen have good track records in supporting weight loss.

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a neuropeptide (i.e., hormone-like nervous system protein). CCK is produced by special cells in the intestinal wall in response to a meal that contains some fat. Basically, it causes bile and pancreatic enzymes to be released for fat digestion. Besides helping fat digestion, research has demonstrated that CCK also causes a reduction in food intake in several species, including humans. It helps to control appetite. As a matter of fact, CCK helps control appetite without any adverse effects, which often happens with other appetite control agents like ephedrine.

One of the really great things revealed in CCK research is that this neuropeptide can decrease meal size in a specific, dose-related manner, without signs of acute toxicity (as is often seen in prescription anorectic drugs) and without decreasing the reported pleasure or satisfaction of the meal. This may help eliminate feelings of deprivation that dieters often experience, with the stomach sending an “I’ve had enough” message to the brain.

Herbal Modulators

Who hasn’t heard about the herbal Fen/Phen type of products? These types of products are appetite controllers, thermogenic agents and energy promoters. Such products generally contain a combination of Ma Huang and/or yerba maté and/or citrus aurantium, as well as St. John’s Wort. The first three herbs each contain alkaloids which are involved in dopamine pathways that increase metabolism and decrease hunger.

Ma Huang contains ephedrine. Ephedrine is highly effective as an appetite suppressant, energizer and thermogenic agent (described below), but it is contraindicated in individuals who are pregnant, lactating, have high blood pressure or heart disease. Yerba maté contains methylxanthines. Caffeine is a methylxanthine and all methylxanthines have similar properties. They have the same benefits as ephedrine, but they are contraindicated in individuals who are sensitive to caffeine. Citrus aurantium contains synephrine. Synephrine’s appetite control properties, though less than ephedrine’s or methylxanthines, is an effective energizer and thermogenic agent and considered safe when taken as a component of citrus aurantium.

The central nervous system stimulation caused by Ma Huang or yerba maté can be somewhat balanced by concurrently using calming herbs such as kava. St. John’s Wort (probably due to the antidepressant hypericum) blocks the re-uptake (reabsorption and consequent breakdown) of serotonin, thereby increasing its level in the brain. Serotonin produces feelings of satiety and fullness. As a matter of fact, serotonin is released after consuming “sinful” foods like chocolate. This explains the effectiveness of this herb in treating depression, since reduced serotonin levels are often associated with depression.

Besides functioning as appetite controllers, various studies have indicated that the alkaloids in Ma Huang, yerba maté and citrus aurantium are effective thermogenic agents alone or in combination with other thermogenic agents. Thermogenesis, “the creation of heat” refers to the biological process of burning fat, which creates heat. Although thermogenesis can be stimulated by more than one mechanism, in general the process works when a thermogenic agent stimulates the release of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE). The NE initiates thermogenesis by activating both alpha and beta adrenoceptors on the surface of fat and muscle cells, thereby elevating the metabolic rate, and increasing calorie expenditure, which usually results in weight loss, if one does not out-eat the process. Thermogenic activity also stimulates significant increases in energy.

Pyruvate

Much has already been written about fat-reducing benefits of pyruvate. However, some fairly new research on pyruvate is worth discussing.

The new research was a joint effort of medical doctors and dietitians from Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, and two other nutrition organizations. Fifty-three male and female subjects, who were 10 to 15 pounds over-fat, were instructed to follow a specific 2,000 calorie per day diet as well as a 30-minute routine of aerobic and anaerobic exercise five days per week. They were randomly placed into three different groups: a control group a placebo group, and a pyruvate group. The pyruvate group received pills that provided them with 6 grams of pyruvate daily, as well as 250 mcg of chromium.

The participants ingesting the pyruvate lost 4.8 pounds of body fat during the six-week study. This is a loss equivalent to 12.4 percent of their original amount of body fat. This loss of 4.8 pounds was quite a contrast to the 0.1 pound gain in body fat found in the control group and the 0.2 pound loss observed in the placebo group. The 4.8 pounds loss of body fat in six weeks is significant when you consider that the study participants were ingesting 2,000 calories a day, and not the 1,000 calories used in some of the original pyruvate studies.

CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is a fatty acid that can play a vital role in reducing body fat. Human research demonstrated that a significant reduction of body fat was obtained during a treatment period of three months with Tonalin CLA capsules, while no reduction of fat was obtained in a comparable placebo-treated group. The dosage scheme was 1,000 mg in the morning, 1,000 mg at lunch time and 1,000 mg at dinner. Specifically, the percentage of body fat dropped from an average of 21.3 percent to 17.0 percent in the Tonalin^® CLA group, while no change was seen in the placebo group.

Chitosan (a shellfish fiber) and oligopeptides (a small protein chain) are literally fat regulators. Research has shown that chitosan acts like a tiny magnet, binding dietary fat, preventing its digestion and absorption and allowing it to pass naturally through the body. Specifically, 250 mg of chitosan will prevent the absorption of 3 grams of dietary fat. Other research has shown that 500 mg of oligopeptides will prevent as much as 10 grams of dietary fat from being absorbed. Although it’s not known exactly how oligopeptides prevent fat absorption, researchers suggest that it may inhibit a certain fat enzyme (pancreatic lipase) from breaking down dietary fat in the intestines, thereby preventing its absorption.

The extract of northern white kidney beans (phaseolus vulgaris) is a starch regulator due to the fact that it contains an anti-metabolite called phaseolamine. Phaseolamine has the unique property of blocking the action of the starch digesting enzyme, alpha amylase. If alpha amylase is blocked, then it cannot digest starches. If starches are not digested, then their component sugars cannot be absorbed and converted into stored fat. Please note: Anyone using the extract of northern white kidney beans should make sure to take in plenty of fiber at the same time. The fiber will act as an internal “roto-rooter,” pushing the undigested starch through the intestines before it can ferment. If high fiber foods are not eaten at the same time as this supplement, than take fiber tablets with lots of water to compensate.

There are two different types of sugar regulators, both of which are plants from India: gymnema sylvestre and garcina cambogia. Gymnema sylvestre contains gymnemic acid. Gymnemic acid can suppress the sweetness on the tongue. The molecular structure of this herb is similar to sugar, only larger. If taken before a meal, gymnemic acid competitively inhibits the intestinal absorption sites for sugar and permits it to pass through without being utilized.

If spread over the tongue, the gymnemic acid reduces the capacity of the taste buds to detect sugar (see the figure below) so that a person is unable to enjoy the sweet flavor of a dessert food, taking away the taste reward and desire for sweets. It explains the Hindi name for gymnema sylvestre, gurmar: sugar eliminator.

Garcina cambogia contains (-)-hydroxycitric acid (HCA). The HCA inhibits the enzyme ATP citrate lyase whose function it is to convert carbohydrates into triglycerides (blood fats). Since it is triglycerides which are stored as body fat, HCA inhibits lipogenesis (i.e., the creation of body fat). At the same time, the calories which would have been used in fat synthesis are diverted into the production of glycogen in the liver. This in turn provides a source of energy that keeps the blood sugar stable and helps control appetite. The net effect is that fat production and storage is reduced, especially that involving triglycerides.

A diuretic increases the flow of urine. This is particularly valuable for individuals who are retaining excess water. Some common and effective diuretic herbs include buchu leaves, couch grass, cornsilk, hydrangea, uva ursi, and juniper berries. Although highly effective, herbal diuretics are less potent than prescription diuretics. Often, using a combination of diuretic herbs yields better results than simply using a single herb.