Friday 30 October 2009

Are Supplements Effective For You?

By Katherine Crawford M.S.

We are a nation that wants to lose fat. Do you want to lose fat? If you do, a whole slew of companies are willing to offer cutting edge supplements that will make fat loss a cinch.

The big problem here is that the supplement industry is NOT regulated. Anybody can put anything in a bottle, smack a label on it and put it for sale on the shelves.

However, could it really be possible that most supplements are useless? The real truth is that very very few supplements actually work. And once you do find a supplement that works, you then have to find a company that can guarantee purity.

Nonetheless, here is my review of popular supplements for losing fat:

1. Supplemental amino acids. Proceed with caution here. If you take a massive amount of one amino acid, you can limit the absorption of another. Amino acids can compete for carriers. Also, extra amino acids will not help you get more energy.

2. Acetyl carnitine pills. Carnitine is used to bring fatty acids into the mitochondria to be oxidized. However, your body makes all that it needs on its own. So supplementing is likely going to be a waste of money.

3. Insulin mimickers. The most popular insulin mimicker is chromium picolinate. And some initial work showed promise here. But the end conclusion is that chromium is a waste of money. You are far better off using this money to buy healthy food.

4. Powders. By powders I mean meal replacements. The term is very contradictory. After all, a packet of powder cannot match up to a fully balanced meal loaded with nutrients. Use meal replacements in only the most extreme situations. And even bars would be a better option here.

There will always be a steady supply of products where there is money to be made. So please be cautious whenever you hear of a new supplement that offers some insane type of benefit. And never forget that whole food will always trump any supplement hands down.

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