 |
Savvy ConsumerDate: 09.07.2003
Posted by: Anabolic Info Team United States
Diet aids are high on claims, low on weight loss
Wouldn't it be great if there was a magic pill to help you shed unwanted pounds? Turns out there is a variety of new diet aids now on the market that claim they will help you lose weight easily. So, the skeptical Good Housekeeping Institute's nutrition director did a little digging. She found one winning weight-loss wonder and a few other products that are not too wonderful at all.
THE WEIGHT-LOSS WONDER
It is the No. 1 premium cooking oil in Japan -- and now Enova ($5.79 a bottle), a blend of soy and canola oils, is available in the United States. What has made it so popular? In scientific studies, substituting Enova for other oils has resulted in small decreases in weight (about 2.4 pounds over 24 weeks). It also lowers elevated blood triglyceride levels.
How Enova works: A patented process alters the oil's chemical structure, so the calories are more likely to be burned as energy than stored as fat.
THE NOT-SO-WONDERFUL
The product: One-A-Day WeightSmart
* What it is: A new multivitamin with 27 mg EGCG (from green tea extract).
* The claim: EGCG will enhance your metabolism. Extra chromium and vitamin B help convert food to fuel.
* Reality check: It's safe -- but don't expect to drop a size. Studies suggest that EGCG might have modest calorie-burning benefits, but the amount proven effective is much higher than the amount in WeightSmart. Extra B vitamins and chromium won't boost weight loss.
The product: TrimSpa
* What it is: A diet pill that packs in 34-plus ingredients, including ma huang extract, lecithin, guarana seed extract (which contains 60 mg of caffeine) and other vitamins, minerals and herbs.
* The claim: "It has a unique ability to burn fat, retain lean muscle and curb your appetite," says one radio ad.
* Reality check: Don't risk your health -- ma huang is also known as ephedra, a potent stimulant linked to numerous health problems and even death. Ephedra is even more dangerous when it's combined with caffeine.
The product: GNC Total Lean
* What it is: A new supplement that contains guarana seed extract (a source of caffeine) and black tea leaf extract.
* The claim: "Boosts energy and metabolism." (But the ad says it burns more calories only if used with the 1,500-calories-a-day meal plan and exercise program.)
* Reality check: A cup of strong coffee will leave you feeling as energetic. Some studies suggest that caffeine combined with components in tea might spur metabolism a bit -- but there's no evidence that it leads to major weight loss.
The products: Carb Cutter, Carb Zapper and Carb Block
* What they are: These "carb blockers" contain phaseolin, a kidney-bean extract that might block the enzyme necessary to digest complex carbohydrates. And undigested food can't add pounds.
* The claim: "Cheat on your low-carb diet without all the guilt," says Doctor's CarbRite Diet Carb Block brand. The other two make similar promises.
* Reality check: Anything that stops food from being absorbed is likely to cause gas and bloating. Preliminary studies suggest that the carb blockers might be more effective than the bogus "starch blockers" of the 1970s. But more research is needed. |
© Anabolic Info
|
|
 |
