Weight-loss supplements that work [protein green tea ephedra fiber chromium]: these supplements are no substitute for diet and exercise, but they can increase your metabolism, control your appetite, and help you lose fat - Natural Health - Cover Story

Natural Health, Dec, 2002 by Steve Calechman

MOST OF US WOULD LOVE A PILL TO MAKE extra pounds melt away. No supplement can work miracles, but nutrition and weight-loss researchers say that some supplements can give you a small advantage in the battle to be slim (helping you lose about 2 to 3 pounds a month). Here are the facts on five of the most promising supplements.)

These supplements work best if you also exercise, eat less, and deal with any emotional reasons for your extra weight, our experts say. You can combine them, but seek a health care practitioner's advice before taking green tea and ephedra supplements together, as they are both high in caffeine.

Protein

HOW IT SPURS WEIGHT LOSS

Protein can reduce hunger (thereby decreasing the calories you consume), help you preserve muscle as you lose weight, and help your body build more muscle, particularly if you include strength training in your fitness routine, says Richard Kreider, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Muscle burns more calories than fat and also helps you look trimmer, Kreider says, so strength training three times a week is a good addition to any weight-loss program.

A six-month study of 65 overweight and obese people published in 1999 in the International Journal of Obesity compared two low-calorie diets: one with 12 percent of calories from protein (which mirrors the federal recommendation for protein consumption) and one with 25 percent of calories from protein. Those who ate more protein lost more weight. The subjects did not exercise.

You'll see weight-loss benefits by consuming either protein-rich foods or shakes, but shakes contain fewer calories and less fat than some high-protein foods, and they're also convenient.

Kreider does not advise drastically reducing your carbohydrate intake to eat more protein. He recommends 30 to 40 percent protein, 35 to 45 percent carbohydrates, and no more than 30 percent fat.

THE RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

The 1999 study shows that you may lose about 3 pounds a month.

EFFECTIVE DOSE

Take 40 to 50 g of protein powder a day, in the form of two shakes, and combine them with three small meals, Kreider says. Drink one shake mid-morning and another an hour before dinner, which will control your appetite at common craving times. To make sure you don't eat too many calories, reduce portion sizes at meals by a quarter to a third, Kreider says. This plan is safe for long-term use, he adds.

To make a shake, mix 20 to 25 g of protein powder and 12 ounces of water or milk. (Most experts we consulted recommend whey powder, a protein derived from milk, but if you're lactose intolerant, try soy powder.) For flavor, add some fruit, like a banana or a half-cup of berries.

CAUTIONS

Whey protein is tough for some people to digest. If you experience cramping or bloating, try soy protein.

Green Tea

HOW IT SPURS WEIGHT LOSS

Green tea (Camellia sinensis) increases your metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories) and stimulates your body's ability to burn fat, according to a handful of human studies. Research shows that the benefits come from an interaction between caffeine and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a plant chemical in green tea that triggers your production of the metabolism-boosting, appetite-suppressing hormone noradrenaline. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition gave 10 healthy men a green tea supplement (that contained 90 mg of EGCG and 50 mg of caffeine), 50 mg of caffeine, or a placebo. The men ate a normal diet and did not exercise. Only those who took the green tea supplement experienced a significant increase in calorie-burning ability.

THE RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

Based on a study of obese people who took green tea supplements, published earlier this year in the journal Phytomedicine, you may lose about 2 1/2 pounds a month.

EFFECTIVE DOSE

Take a standardized extract of green tea in capsule or tablet form. Choose a supplement that provides 90 mg of EGCG and 50 mg of caffeine, and take it three times daily before meals, says Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., a nutrition scientist, exercise physiologist, and author of Dare To Lose (Avery, 2002) based in Pompano, Fla., and New York City. Drinking the tea may also help you lose weight, but this has not yet been studied.

CAUTIONS

Green tea and green tea supplements are safe; no known adverse effects have been reported, but they may cause nervousness if you're caffeine-sensitive.

Ephedra

HOW IT SPURS WEIGHT LOSS

Researchers say the herb ephedra (Ephedra sinica), also known as mahuang, increases your metabolism (the rate at which you burn calories) and reduces hunger. Studies show that ephedra works somewhat like green tea; ephedrine alkaloids in the herb stimulate your body to release the metabolism-boosting, appetite-suppressing hormone noradrenaline. Ephedrine is usually combined with caffeine to enhance these effects.

But ephedra is controversial. Critics called for its banning after a 2000 report published in the New England Journal of Medicine linked ephedra to 43 cases of hypertension, stroke, seizures, and heart attacks. However, a new study conducted at the New York Obesity Research Center in New York City and at Harvard Medical School in Boston looked at the supplement's effect on people with healthy hearts and found that ephedra is safe and effective when used in recommended doses. The six-month double-blind, placebo-controlled study, published this year in the International Journal of Obesity, involved 167 overweight people who were screened to ensure they did not have heart problems. Subjects who took 90 mg of ephedrine alkaloids and 192 mg of caffeine daily experienced weight loss without significant adverse effects to their hearts. The participants could eat what they wanted and exercise moderately.