Many vitamin supplements make extraordinary claims about their ability to produce all manner of health benefits, from curing cancer to dissolving cellulite. But rarely do these claims ever amount to anything more than fanciful statements that simply do not stand up to scrutiny.
Diet supplements are particularly prone to making proud boasts of all they can achieve if only we’d just take one of their magic bullets. But ask yourself this – if a claim seems too good to be true, is it precisely that? Here are 3 of the most common claims about diet supplements and the harsh reality.
The claim: Drinking green tea or taking green tea supplements is a fast way to burn fat.
The reality: Any weight loss effects with green tea are most likely to come from its caffeine content. Caffeine is a stimulant so if you drink lots of green tea, you are likely to have more energy and move more, thus burning more calories. But don’t expect that weight loss to be significant and don’t expect it to stay off.
The claim: Taking the African herb hoodia will suppress your appetite.
The reality: There has been no research involving humans taking hoodia and so such claims cannot possibly be backed up. The basis for the claim that hoodia is an appetite suppressant is research where an active ingredient in hoodia, the compound P57, was injected into the brains of animals. Any human studies are a long way off so beware of outlandish claims about the effectiveness of hoodia – there’s no proof as yet.
The claim: A weight-loss supplement alone will help you shed pounds with no need to exercise or change your eating habits.
The reality: The only way to lose weight in the long term is to eat less and move more. Taking a diet supplement may aid your efforts to shed pounds but taking off significant weight and, more importantly, keeping that weight off can only be achieved by a healthy, balanced diet combined with exercise.
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