Obesity has become a worldwide problem. Many have looked for ways to lose weight quickly, efficiently, and permanently. However, obesity still remains to be an issue. They have witnessed their weight yoyo and have been frustrated by the outcome.
Hence, researchers have looked into just how well weight loss supplements work. If these were truly effective, then weight loss would have also been so much easier.
In their research efforts, the authors of the study have recently presented the results of the first global analysis in 19 years of clinical trials that involved the use of weight loss supplements. To further help them in their studies, they drew on two literature reviews. Unfortunately, they found insufficient evidence to warrant the use of the said supplements when it comes to shedding pounds. The team finally drew conclusions that they came up with from 121 clinical trials that involved almost 10,000 participants.
Obesity: A Worldwide Problem
The World Health Organization (WHO) had done several studies on obesity, and according to them, the number of sufferers from all over the world have tripled since 1975. With the trend, there has also been a higher demand in the sales of lightly regulated, under-researched herbal and dietary weight loss supplements.
Around 15 percent of people in the United States alone have attempted to some of these dietary aids. That’s why the products were valued at $140 billion in the industry in the year 2020. The first global review was made in the last 19 years. The researchers wanted to look into the efficacy of herbal and dietary supplements when it comes to weight loss. The idea was recently presented by the researchers from the University of Sydney (USYD) in Australia to the European Congress on Obesity (ECO).
The research that had been proposed encompassed two literature reviews that included 121 randomized placebo-controlled trials. It involved over 10,000 participants who suffered from weight or obesity problems. After the study, they found insufficient clinical evidence that herbal and dietary supplements are able aid in weight loss.
Erica Bessell, lead author of the study, said, ”Our rigorous assessment of the best available evidence finds that there is insufficient evidence to recommend these supplements for weight loss. Even though most supplements appear safe for short-term consumption, they are not going to provide weight loss that is clinically meaningful.”
Supplements are Not as Well-Regulated as Drugs
The researchers looked at several varieties of pills, powders, and liquids that were marketed with the assurance that they would help the users shed off pounds. Many of these products included entire natural products in which a plant served as the main active ingredient. Some of them contained isolates from animal- and plant-based substances like fats, fiber, and protein.
Bessell said, “Over-the-counter herbal and dietary supplements promoted for weight loss are increasingly popular, but unlike pharmaceutical drugs, clinical evidence for their safety and effectiveness is not required before they hit the market.”
When it came to the regulation of these products, there was not much done when it came to protecting its consumers from unproven claims. For example, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in charge the safety of dietary supplements once they are made available in the market. But prior to the development, there was very little involvement with the said department.
The FDA made a statement regarding this issue and said that “the law does not require the manufacturer or seller [of an herbal or dietary supplement] to prove to FDA’s satisfaction that the claim is accurate or truthful before it appears on the product.”
Herbal Supplement Trials
The first study on the supplements involved a review of 54 trials that made a comparison on the effects of herbal supplements with the placebos they had. The research then had involved 4,331 participants that were aged 16 years or older, and all of them were either overweight or obese.
Those who took a specific supplement lost at least 5.5 pounds more than those who took the placebo. This was then considered clinically meaningful.
The studies made use of the following:
- Ephedra, a metabolism stimulant
- Yerba maté, the herbal tea that is derived from the plant called Ilex paraguariensis
- White kidney bean
- Garcinia cambogia
- Licorice root
- African mango
- Veld grape
- Mangosteen
- East Indian globe thistle
Only one of the substances, which is the white kidney bean, had produced a statistically significant benefit. This also happened when the substance was tested as a single agent compared with placebo. Still, overall results showed that it still fell significantly short of the threshold for scientists to assume that it came with a clinical benefit.
The other supplements produced statistically significant benefits, but only when these were given combined with other supplements. Again still, the benefits shown were not considered to be clinically significant. Moreover, the African mango, veld grape, mangosteen, and East Indian globe thistle may have shown some potential in terms of providing clinically significant weight loss. Nonetheless, the researchers caution that each was tested only in three trials and that the methodology and reporting used were substandard at most.
Dietary Supplement Trials
A second analysis was then made and this time, they included 67 randomized trials testing the weight loss value of dietary supplements that were derived from naturally occurring compounds. These then were compared against placebos. In this study, 5,194 adults with overweight or obesity were involved. They found that substances such as chitosan, glucomannan, and conjugated linoleic acid produced statistically significant weight losses. While these performed better than the placebo, the results were still too small to be of clinical significance. On the other hand, the use of fructans showed statistically zero significant weight loss. So far, only two substances showed somewhat impressive results: modified cellulose (a substance that creates a sensation of being full) and blood orange juice extract. It is still important to note that both were tested in just a single trial. This isn’t enough to produce an evidence that justifies a recommendation.
Evidence in Short Supply
Bessell had spoken about the research and said, ”Herbal and dietary supplements might seem like a quick fix solution to weight problems, but people need to be aware of how little we actually know about them. Very few high quality studies have been done on some supplements, with little data on long-term effectiveness. What’s more, many trials are small and poorly designed, and some don’t report on the composition of the supplements being investigated.”
As for the weight loss supplements, there is still an ongoing fundamental issue. According to dietitian at Cleveland Clinic Kristin Kirkpatrick, who shared with Medical News Today, “Supplements that may suppress appetite don’t actually teach you how to eat. Eventually, you will have to go off […] them, and when you do, you have essentially learned how to take a pill control diet, but you have not actually learned what the right diet is for you based on genetics, lifestyle, etc.”
Kirkpatrick further shares that learning to eat right is still the key to losing weight for the long term because “while it’s not at all easy to lose weight in the first place, it surely is easier to lose it than to keep it off.”
The lack of extensive and rigorous study notwithstanding, people continue to buy into the marketing efforts of these dietary aids. There are still a good portion of consumers out there who are dependent on them when it comes to losing weight.
In Bessell’s words: “The tremendous growth in the industry and popularity of these products underscores the urgency for conducting larger, more rigorous studies to have reasonable assurance of their safety and effectiveness for weight loss.”
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