This week Donegal Daily’s fitness guru talks about weight loss supplements and if they really work.
It seems that there is no end to the amount of weight loss supplements currently in the marketplace.
Walk into any pharmacist, look on any website that sells supplements for training and you will be met with a huge choice of fat burners, fat binders, weight loss shakes, weight loss capsules, green tea extracts, Raspberry Ketones, Apple Cider Vinegar and endless more products that all claim to be the magic cure for fat.
With so much choice and so many products on sale, you would have to think that there must be some of them that actually work.
That’s what they would have us believe anyway.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the case and the majority of the time, the people who are promoting and pushing these supplements have a vested interest in selling them as they are usually making money from the sales.
You may have seen or tried some of the lists below, but from the actual science at hand, this is what we know about them.
Anything else is hearsay and marketing spiel.
“Raspberry ketones, when present in high doses, can exert fat burning effects on various areas of the fat cell.
However, all evidence for the effects of raspberry ketone has only been observed in a test tube and these same concentrations cannot be replicated in the human body, particularly through oral supplementation.”
What does this mean for them as an effective fat burner?
It means, as of now, they don’t work.
What about Apple Cider Vinegar?
This has been touted to help with metabolism and fat loss.
Do the claims hold up to the actual science?
“Vinegar (Acetic Acid) does not influence the metabolic rate. Nevertheless, one human study suggests that it may help with fat loss.
All other studies on its effectiveness were conducted on rats and can’t fully confirm if the same effects would cross over to humans.”
“There have been reports of oesophageal injury associated with apple cider vinegar tablets, although it is not sure if this is due to high acid concentration or due to product tampering.
It may be best to use regular table vinegar, as that will get the job done.”
What does this mean for them as an effective fat burner?
Although there isn’t a large body of evidence, there seems to be some effect to its use, however, it was minimal at best.
The participants of the study had a 1.2kg weight loss over a 12-week period.
That isn’t anything to write home about and it should be noted that some of the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar can be got from regular vinegar. So, apart from some gut health benefits, isn’t worth the price that they put on the bottles and capsules.
CLA is another supplement that claims to have magical fat burning properties.
The evidence is too unreliable to conclude an effect of CLA on fat mass.
There have been some claims of its effectiveness, but at this moment in time, too much evidence concludes no effect.
Result = they do not work!
Fat burners that you will find in your usual bodybuilding or fitness magazine are completely overhyped.
They usually double up as a pre-workout due to the amount of caffeine that is added to them.
The added caffeine is also one of the reasons they are claimed to be good for burning fat and increasing metabolism.
While caffeine does have some effects on fat oxidisation and there are mixed reports on its effect on the metabolism, it should be known that drinking coffee is a cheaper option than these overpriced ‘fat burners’ and there is zero evidence that these products as a whole, help with fat loss in any way.
Weight loss shakes ‘work’ because they put you in a huge calorie deficit.
The shake isn’t the magic here. It’s the huge restriction in calories, you could do the same with food.
When it comes to supplements you should always use the golden rule;
‘If it sounds too good to be true, it definitely is.’
There isn’t a magic cure that will work better than a good diet and exercise, so save your money.
This isn’t what people want to hear, but it’s the truth so please don’t continue to waste your money on these and wonder why you can never keep the weight down.
On a side note, the list of actual supplements that work and are proven to work is actually very small.
Those with strong evidence of effectiveness are;
Whey/Casein Protein, Vitamin D3, Caffeine, Creatine Monohydrate, Curcumin and Melatonin.
Ones with weaker evidence of effectiveness are;
Fish oil, Multivitamins, Beta Alanine, HMB, Magnesium and Citrulline.
That’s it.
Anything else has very little evidence to prove any effectiveness.
So, whether you are looking for fat loss, muscle gain or for increased performance, anything outside of this list is virtually useless.
Also, If your diet, hydration and training are not in place for your goals, there isn’t any supplement that will help.
#leanin2019
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Our next Lean in 2019 program starts this Monday, February 18 and we are always welcoming new members into our gym.
If you would like to pre-book your place you can sign up through the link below.
https://www.rushefitness.ie/class/lean-in-2019-gym-plan/
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