Scam warning: often overpriced, herbal food supplements do not help you lose weight.
- In France, women consume more food supplements than men.
- 15% of Americans trying to lose weight have purchased a dietary supplement to help them.
A gigantic study finds that herbal food supplements sold in pharmacies are ineffective for weight loss.
No health benefits
To reach these conclusions, the researchers synthesized the results of 121 randomized trials, including nearly 10,000 adults. Presented at European Obesity Congress (ECO)their results indicate that herbal food supplements, presented in pharmacies as miracle products helping to lose weight, are not beneficial to health.
“Over-the-counter weight loss supplements are becoming increasingly popular, but unlike drugs, there is no need for clinical evidence of their safety and effectiveness before they are put on the market. Marlet”explains the director of the study, Erica Bessell. “Our rigorous evaluation of these products shows that there is insufficient evidence to recommend them for weight loss, even though their consumption is not harmful in the short term,” adds the Australian researcher.
Green tea, mate, liquorice roots… Nothing works
The plants taken into account in the analysis of food supplements were the following: green tea; garcinia cambogia and mangosteen; White bean ; ephedra; African mango; yerba mate (infusion made from the leaves and twigs of the Ilex paraguariensis plant); wine grape; licorice root; and blessed thistle from eastern India. The analysis revealed that only the white kidney bean caused weight loss, but not significantly better than the placebos.
.