Heavyweights for weight management

Dietary supplements are frequently utilized by adults seeking to control their weight. A survey of 3,500 people trying to lose weight found that 70 percent attempt to drop pounds on their own, without a doctor’s assistance, and weight-conscious adults prefer to use supplements rather than drugs to control weight. One-third of those surveyed used supplements exclusively, and only 15 percent used prescription drugs for weight-loss management.

Some supplements users are rightly concerned about the safety of weight-loss drugs, while doctors appear to be more concerned about the safety of supplements. The withdrawal of the herbal stimulant ephedra from the marketplace gave a bad name to all supplements used for weight management or blood-sugar control. However, the short list of Food and Drug Administration-approved weight-loss drugs, all of which are fraught with undesirable side effects, prompts many people to search for safer alternatives.

More than 100 supplements are marketed for weight loss, including natural diuretics like uva ursi, juniper berries and dandelion root, or as other remedies that work in a variety of ways, such as chitosan, guar gum, ginseng, green tea, chromium, conjugated linoleic acid, hydroxycitric acid, psyllium, fiber and many others. Here are eight top weight-loss supplements and ingredients to keep on your radar.