Safe Diet Supplements

By Suzy Cohen, R.Ph.

QUESTION: I'm trying to lose weight. Are there any safe diet supplements that truly work?

ANSWER: Yes, there are. Be careful choosing, because the vast majority of diet supplements can really jack up your heart rate and blood pressure. In an overweight person whose heart is already taxed (from the weight, high cholesterol or clogged arteries), the burden of "speed" from one of these supplements can be extremely dangerous. Some products contain the same amount of jolt as five or six cups of coffee -- in one dose!

First, consider lifestyle. Most people today live under a lot of stress, and your stress hormones (cortisol and DHEA) go out of whack. So does your estrogen-to-progesterone ratio. All this makes love handles harder to lose. Adaptogens are herbal supplements that help nourish your stressed out adrenal glands so you can cope better and, indirectly, start to melt some fat. Adaptogens include Panax ginseng, Ashwaganda, Eleuthero, licorice root, Rhodiola and Cordyceps; any combination of these can help.

Hoodia gordonii appears to be safe, although the studies are small. It's a natural appetite suppressant that African Bushmen have eaten for centuries and, hey, those guys look fit and trim to me! Hoodia tricks the brain so you think you are full. Drug companies are testing Hoodia's active ingredient, P57, to see if they can patent a pill form. Be careful about the fakes out there. Some of the better products include HoodiThin and HoodiSpray liquid extracts and two oral supplements, Desert Burn and Hoodia gordonii Plus.

The fiber called glucomannan is water-soluble and swells up really big, making you feel full. It can help with constipation and diabetes, too. Do not overdo this product; it swells up even bigger than typical fibers.

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