Weight Loss Supplements: Boon or Bane?
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ansari RM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5545612 | biostudies-other | 2017 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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Project description:ObjectiveDietary supplements and alternative therapies are commercialized as a panacea for obesity/weight gain as a result of the minimal regulatory requirements in demonstrating efficacy. These products may indirectly undermine the value of guideline-driven obesity treatments. Included in this study is a systematic review of the literature of purported dietary supplements and alternative therapies for weight loss.MethodsA systematic review was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of dietary supplements and alternative therapies for weight loss in participants aged ≥18 years. Searches of Medline (PubMed), Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Embase (Ovid) were conducted. Risk of bias and results were summarized qualitatively.ResultsOf the 20,504 citations retrieved in the database search, 1,743 full-text articles were reviewed, 315 of which were randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of 14 purported dietary supplements, therapies, or a combination thereof. Risk of bias and sufficiency of data varied widely. Few studies (n = 52 [16.5%]) were classified as low risk and sufficient to support efficacy. Of these, only 16 (31%) noted significant pre/post intergroup differences in weight (range: 0.3-4.93 kg).ConclusionsDietary supplements and alternative therapies for weight loss have a limited high-quality evidence base of efficacy. Practitioners and patients should be aware of the scientific evidence of claims before recommending use.
| S-EPMC8231729 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Weight loss supplements that have illegal additives of pharmaceutical drugs or analogues have additional health risks, and customers may not be aware of what they are taking. This research is an essential investigation and quantification of illegally added pharmaceuticals or prescription medications, specifically fluoxetine, phenolphthalein, and sibutramine, in herbal weight loss supplements offered for sale in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In this case, 137 weight loss supplements were collected and analyzed in this study. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with UV absorption detection coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (RP-HPLC-MS/MS) analyses were used to determine the presence of the pharmaceutical chemicals. Among the weight loss supplements, 15.3% (95% CI: 9.2-21.4) contained undeclared sibutramine, 13.9% (95% CI: 8.01-19.7) contained undeclared phenolphthalein, and 5.1% (95% CI: 1.4-8.8) contained undeclared fluoxetine. Amongst all weight loss supplements, 17.5% (95% CI: 11.07-24) contained significant concentrations of either sibutramine, phenolphthalein, or fluoxetine. Whilst weight loss herbal supplements offered for sale in the UAE have relatively low percentages of undeclared pharmaceuticals, many people take several different supplements daily and may encounter quite high levels of combined exposure to toxic compounds.
| S-EPMC8621677 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The use of food supplements for weight loss purposes has rapidly gained popularity as the prevalence of obesity increases. Navigating through the vast, often low quality, literature available is challenging, as is providing informed advice to those asking for it. Herein, we provide a comprehensive literature revision focusing on most currently marketed dietary supplements claimed to favor weight loss, classifying them by their purported mechanism of action. We conclude by proposing a combination of supplements most supported by current evidence, that leverages all mechanisms of action possibly leading to a synergistic effect and greater weight loss in the foreseen absence of adverse events. Further studies will be needed to confirm the weight loss and metabolic improvement that may be obtained through the use of the proposed combination.
| S-EPMC7551574 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundGiven the high prevalence of dietary and herbal supplement (DHS) use in tandem with the growing ease of internet access, patients commonly search online for consumer health information about these products. One common reason for DHSs use includes weight loss. Healthcare providers need to be aware of the quality of online information about DHSs for weight loss so they can adequately counsel their patients and provide them with guidance surrounding the identification of high-quality information resources. This study aimed to assess the quality of online DHSs consumer health information for weight loss that a "typical" patient might access online.MethodsSix search terms were used to generate the first 20 websites on the Google search engine in four countries: Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States (n = 480 websites). After applying exclusion criteria, eligible websites were quality assessed using the DISCERN instrument. This tool is comprised of 16 questions, each evaluated on a 5-point scale. The averages and standard deviations for each DISCERN instrument item, in addition to overall summed scores between 15 and 75 were calculated.ResultsAcross 87 eligible websites, the mean summed score was 44.80 (SD = 11.53), while the mean overall DISCERN score of each website was 2.72 (SD = 0.99). In general, websites detailed and achieved their specified aims and described treatment benefits. However, most websites failed to describe the impact of treatment on overall quality of life and the impact of a no treatment option. The highest-scoring websites were largely government or health portal websites, while the lowest-scoring websites were largely commercial in nature.ConclusionHigh variability in DISCERN instrument scores was found across all websites assessed. Healthcare providers should be aware of the fact that their patients may be accessing misinformation online surrounding the use of DHSs for weight loss. Therefore, it is important for healthcare providers to ensure that they are providing their patients with guidance on how to identify high-quality resources online, in order that safe, effective, and evidence-based decisions are made surrounding the use of DHSs for weight loss.
| S-EPMC8317391 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The gut microbiota has been shown in recent years to be involved in the development and severity of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The aim of the present study was to test the effect of a 2-week functional food intervention on the gut microbiota composition in prediabetic individuals. A randomized double-blind, cross-over trial was conducted on prediabetic subjects. Fifteen volunteers were provided products made of: (i) 50% taro flour + 50% wheat flour; (ii) these products and the probiotic L. plantarum IS-10506; or (iii) these products with beetroot adsorbed for a period of 2 weeks with 2 weeks wash-out in between. Stool and blood samples were taken at each baseline and after each of the interventions. The gut microbiota composition was evaluated by sequencing the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene and anthropometric measures were recorded. The total weight loss over the entire period ranged from 0.5 to 11 kg. The next-generation sequencing showed a highly personalized microbiota composition. In the principal coordinate analyses, the samples of each individual clustered closer together than the samples of each treatment. For six individuals, the samples clustered closely together, indicating a stable microbiota. For nine individuals, the microbiota was less resilient and, depending on the intervention, the beta-diversity transiently differed greatly only to return to the composition close to the baseline during the wash-out. The statistical analyses showed that 202 of the total 304 taxa were significantly different between the participants. Only Butyricimonas could be correlated with taro ingestion. The results of the study show that the highly variable interindividual variation observed in the gut microbiota of the participants clouded any gut microbiota modulation that might be present due to the functional food interventions.
| S-EPMC8875853 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveDespite the myriad negative effects of weight self-stigma, its role in weight loss intervention has not been thoroughly examined. The aim of this study was to examine the association between weight self-stigma and weight loss.MethodsThis longitudinal study examined the association between weight loss and changes in self-stigma, assessed by the Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire, which distinguished between self-devaluation and fear of enacted stigma. Participants were adults with overweight or obesity enrolled in a 24-month weight loss intervention trial (groups were collapsed for this post hoc analysis) who were assessed at baseline, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months.ResultsBaseline levels of self-stigma were not associated with weight loss outcomes. However, mixed models analysis showed that reductions in one aspect of weight self-stigma, self-devaluation, was associated with greater weight loss (p = 0.01). Cross products mediation analysis showed that increases in use of weight control strategies mediated the association between reductions in self-devaluation and greater weight loss (F = 14.86, p < 0.001; CI 0.09-0.37).ConclusionsResults suggest that there may be potential for incorporating intervention methods targeting the reduction of self-stigma in order to improve weight loss outcomes.
| S-EPMC6381303 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Dietary supplements sold for weight loss (WL), muscle building (MB), and sexual function (SF) are not medically recommended. They have been shown to be ineffective in many cases and pose serious health risks to consumers due to adulteration with banned substances, prescription pharmaceuticals, and other dangerous chemicals. Yet no prior research has investigated how these products may disproportionately burden individuals and families by gender and socioeconomic position across households. We investigated household (HH) cost burden of dietary supplements sold for WL, MB, and SF in a cross-sectional study using data from 60,538 U.S. households (HH) in 2012 Nielsen/IRi National Consumer Panel, calculating annual HH expenditures on WL, MB, and SF supplements and expenditures as proportions of total annual HH income. We examined sociodemographic patterns in HH expenditures using Wald tests of mean differences across subgroups. Among HH with any expenditures on WL, MB, or SF supplements, annual HH first and ninth expenditure deciles were, respectively: WL $5.99, $145.36; MB $6.99, $141.93; and SF $4.98, $88.52. Conditional on any purchases of the products, female-male-headed HH spent more on WL supplements and male-headed HH spend more on MB and SF supplements compared to other HH types (p-values < 0.01). High-income ($30,000 < annual income < $100,000), compared to low-income (annual income < $30,000) HH, spent more on all three supplements types (p-values < 0.01); however, proportional to income, low-income HH spent 2-4 times more than high-income HH on WL and MB supplements (p-values < 0.01). Dietary supplements sold for WL, MB, and SF disproportionately burden HH by income and gender.
| S-EPMC5377432 | biostudies-literature
Project description:RNA Sequencing of human adipose tissue before and after diet-induced weight loss
2017-10-28 | GSE106289 | GEO
Project description:Background: Slimming products represent a dynamically growing group of food supplements worldwide. The efficacy of safely usable natural ingredients is usually below consumers' expectations. Certain manufacturers add unauthorized or prohibited ingredients to weight loss supplements in order to increase their efficacy. Hence, many of these products are adulterated and may pose a risk to the consumers' health. Aims: The aim of our work was to give an overview on natural ingredients used in slimming products, to summarize the frequently used synthetic adulterants and also to assess the trends of adulterated and illegal food supplements in the European Union based on the warnings of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) in the time period of 1988-2019. Methods: Reports between 1988-2019 were extracted from the RASFF portal on January 1, 2020. Each entry was individually reviewed. Results: 2,559 records of food supplements with quality problems were identified in the RASFF, several of which [319 (12,5%)] were marketed to facilitate weight loss. 202 (63,3%) contained unapproved, synthetic drug ingredients. The major adulterant (113 of 319, 35.4%) was DNP (2,4-dinitrophenol), whereas sibutramine was the second most frequent adulterant agent (69 products, 21,6%) between 1988 and 2019. Conclusion: The number of approved medicines for the indication of weight loss is relatively low and their efficacy (and also that of the natural ingredients) is limited. Therefore, a significant number of weight loss supplements is adulterated to satisfy patients' expectations. Hence, these products may cause serious adverse effects in sensitive patients.
| S-EPMC7870490 | biostudies-literature