Six Diet Supplements That May Help

03/05/2008

Caffeine as a Diet Supplement? No Kidding! But not by itself.

Caffeine is sold on every street corner. It is wake-you-up chemical in your coffee appears to be the most effective weight-loss ingredient.

A stimulant, caffeine speeds up metabolism and can ward off listlessness from dieting. It may suppress appetite, too, and boost the power of other weight-loss ingredients.

More than 400 milligrams per day (equivalent to three to four cups of coffee) won't help you lose more weight and could bring on jitteriness, headaches, and insomnia. Unfortunately, most products don't reveal their caffeine quantities in easy-to-understand terms; a typical daily dosage of some supplements might have as much caffeine as 30 cans of Coke (1,200-plus milligrams). Skip it if you have high blood pressure or heart disease, or if you're pregnant or nursing.

EGCG from Green Tea

What it is: It's green tea's main antioxidant -- the same stuff that may protect against cancer and heart disease -- and is available in green tea supplements. The effective dosage seems to be 90-plus milligrams per day. Or just drink four cups of green tea. Vitamins with EGCG typically don't contain enough of the antioxidant to be useful.

EGCG appears to work synergistically with the caffeine in green tea to boost metabolism. And a few small studies suggest it'll help you burn about 4 percent more calories (about 80) a day and specifically burn fat.

EGCG has no risks, but the caffeine in green tea may lead to jitters if you drink coffee or take a caffeine supplement, too.

Chromium Micronutrient Diet Supplement

Although trivalent chromium is recognized as a nutritionally essential mineral, scientists are not yet certain exactly how it functions in the body.

Your body needs this mineral for the hormone insulin (which lets cells turn sugar into fuel) to work effectively. Insulin resistance, linked to diabetes, is thought to make you fat. The effective dosage seems to be 200 micrograms (mcg) per day.

Chromium seems to slightly limit weight gain in people with diabetes or pre-diabetes. And in one study, people who didn't have insulin trouble lost about three pounds more in 10 weeks using chromium than those who didn't. But experts say the mineral may be most useful for people with insulin resistance.

Years ago, there were health concerns about one form: chromium picolinate. Later studies found it to be safe, though, says Adriane Fugh-Berman, M.D., associate professor in the complementary and alternative medicine master's program at Georgetown. But case reports have linked chronic use of 600 micrograms or more per day to kidney and muscle damage.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) Diet Supplement

This fatty acid is a natural substance found in meat and dairy products. The effective dosage used in studies is 3,000 milligrams per day; most supplements contain 1,000 to 1,200 mg per gel cap.

In one trial, women lost 9 percent of their body fat in a year while gaining muscle. In another study, men and women lost about 6 percent of their fat after 6 months. Replacing fat with muscle can make weight maintenance easier, because muscle burns more calories.

5-HTP or 5-hydroxytryptophan Diet Supplements

Sometimes called Griffonia simplicifolia, 5-hydroxytryptophan is an amino acid that your body eventually converts into serotonin, the brain chemical thought to be lacking in people with depression. It's shown promise as a natural antidepressant. The usual dosage: 100 milligrams, three times a day.

5-HTP may increase levels of a hormone that tells your brain when you're full.

If you're also taking antidepressants or migraine drugs called triptans, 5-HTP may overstimulate your nervous system and lead to muscle spasms or tremors.

L-dopa or L-tyrosine Diet Supplement

Your body turns the amino acid L-tyrosine into L-dopa and then turns L-dopa into dopamine, another brain chemical linked to cravings and pleasure. A common daily dosage of L-tyrosine is 500 milligrams.

Low dopamine levels may lead to overeating, says John Williamson, Ph.D., of the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi. And researchers discovered years ago that Parkinson's disease patients given L-dopa lost weight. What's more, L-dopa may trigger production of human growth hormone, which builds muscle and reduces fat.

Some people experience nervousness, heart palpitations and tremors after even low doses.

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