You only have to switch on your television or check your emails or surf the internet for about 10 minutes to be flooded with all sorts of ads promoting supplements for weight loss. The past decade, especially has seen a surge in such promotion and advertising. This is probably related to the fact that obesity has been and still is a major health concern and of course the leading factor of death in many of the developed nations across the world.
Also there is an undeniable fact that our current lifestyles have made it very easy to pile on extra flab, while it takes a lot of hard work to get rid of it. Humans have a basic tendency to go with the easier option.
Reason for Popularity of Supplements for Weight Loss
Again, here the basic human nature kicks into action and it seems to be a great and easy decision to pop in supplements for weight loss, and look forward to a fit and slim body, rather than the harder options like regulating the diet or working out.
Another reason for the popularity of these supplements is that many of them have been endorsed by celebrities and fitness trainers themselves. Some people fall for the fact that weight loss supplements are claimed to be made up of natural or herbal components and it is a mass misconception that everything that is natural or herbal is safe for health. Nothing could be more erroneous than this.
There are many nuts, fruits and seeds that you could find in Nature and are obviously herbal but still possess the power to snuff out a human life. So the point I want to emphasize here is that you simply cannot consider natural or herbal supplements for weight loss as safe, without proper research.
Different Types of Supplements for Weight Loss
There are so many different types of weight loss supplements available nowadays, each promising a certain benefit. Some of the popular ones are green tea supplements, Goji berry supplement, Acai berry supplements, Hoodia, Bitter orange, Caffeine, Beta Glucan, Garcinia, HCA, Chitosan, Whey, Cinnamon supplements for weight loss and so on.
Of these some are claimed to be sourced from natural fruits or herbs like Acai and Goji berries, while others like Chitosan are sourced from the shell of insects and crustaceans, Beta Glucan from yeast and Whey supplements from milk.
These supplements for weight loss are packaged and sold in different forms as pills, powder, liquid etc. Many of them are also claimed to have other benefit like reducing cholesterol, increasing energy, improving concentration levels, clear skin, better sex drive and so on.
Precaution to Take Before Using Supplements for Weight Loss
First of all you must realize the fact that anything that you pop into your system has an effect on your health, either beneficial or harmful. There are certain natural ingredients sourced from herbs and plants that could be perfectly fine in moderate doses (like for example caffeine) but are dangerous in larger doses.
There also could be certain supplements that are quite safe and even quite effective in bringing about weight loss but some of their ingredients could turn out to be potentially dangerous to certain people who are on certain medications or suffering from some disease. A good example is the Garcinia supplement, which reduces cholesterol and diabetes, but could be dangerous for people who are already taking anti-cholesterol or anti-diabetes medications.