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Vitamins and Supplements for Weight Loss
Often, people who are dieting look for ways to speed or increase their weight loss. Sometimes, these people want to add vitamins or supplements to their diets to aid in weight reduction. While there is no one vitamin that will make you magically shed pounds, there are certain vitamins that play vital roles in managing appetite and metabolism.
Vitamins for Weight Loss
To maintain your ideal weight, consider taking a multivitamin formulated to meet your body's specific needs. While every vitamin is important to health, the following can help you regulate your weight:
- Vitamins B2: Vitamin B2 helps the thyroid function properly and helps regulate your metabolism. You can find vitamin B2 in dairy products, eggs, leafy vegetables and almonds, among other food items.
- Vitamin B3: Vitamin B3 helps regulate blood sugar levels and also helps ensure that your thyroid is functioning properly. Look for it in tuna, poultry, red meat, dairy products and liver.
- Vitamin B5: Vitamin B5 helps your body burn fat, making it especially helpful to weight loss. Vitamin B5 also helps produce the energy your body needs. You can get vitamin B5 from red meat, poultry, nuts, wheat, beans and vegetables.
- Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 helps regulate your metabolism by working with vitamins B2 and B3 to produce thyroid hormones. You can get vitamin B6 from wheat, fish, red meat, bananas, poultry and eggs.
- Vitamin C: Vitamin C helps prevent fat storage by converting glucose into energy. Add green peppers, kiwi, lemons, oranges, broccoli and strawberries to your diet to up your vitamin C intake.
Supplements for Weight Loss
In addition to taking vitamins, you can add supplements to your diet to help achieve your weight-loss goals. However, keep in mind that, while many claim these supplements have helped them shed pounds, they can have side effects. Weight loss supplements and their associated side effects include:
- Bitter Orange: Some people claim that bitter orange helps decrease appetite. However, bitter orange may cause health problems similar to ephedra (see below).
- Chitosan: Chitosan may block the absorption of fat, though it can cause constipation and bloating.
- Chromium: Some claim that chromium helps reduce body fat and build muscle. Although chromium is considered relatively safe, it is unlikely to promote weight loss.
- Ephedra: While ephedra may increase weight loss, it has been banned in the United States due to its harmful side effects, which include high blood pressure, seizures, heart attacks and even death.
- Green Tea: Researchers have concluded that the combination of caffeine and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant, in green tea can boost metabolism. Side effects include bloating, indigestion and diarrhea.
- Guar Gum: Guar gum might help block the body from absorbing fat to keep a person feeling full. While considered safe, guar gum can cause diarrhea, gas and other intestinal problems.
- Hoodia: Many diet pills on the shelves today contain hoodia, a supplement that many claim decreases appetite. However, there is no conclusive evidence to support the effectiveness of hoodia.
Keep in mind that most supplements for weight loss have not been proved safe or effective. Always talk to your doctor before you start taking a supplement for weight loss.
Resources
Healthy-Fitness-and-Weight-Loss.com (2006). Vitamins and Weight Loss. Retrieved November 27, 2007, from the Healthy-Fitness-and-Weight-Loss.com Web site: http://www.healthy-fitness-and-weight-loss.com/vitamins-and-weight-loss.html.
Mayo Clinic Staff (May 31, 2007). Weight-loss pills: What can diet aids do for you? Retrieved November 27, 2007, from the Mayo Clinic Web site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/HQ01160.
