2009 Studies & Research Blog

Thanks to the dramatic rise of obesity in certain areas of the world, especially modernized countries such as the United States, the health industry has responded with a large number of supplements intended to promote the demise of love handles and pot bellies. These weight-loss solutions range from "revolutionary" exercise equipment hawked on late night television advertisements and intense, carefully-designed exercise programs to meticulously measured and restrictive diet plans and miracle pills and gels. While there is obviously no shortage of these dietary aids, there is a shortage of one thing - effective, long-term answers to obesity and its associated issues, such as cardiovascular disease and Type-2 diabetes.

The problem is that most of these products, workout programs and diet plans are designed - either intentionally or coincidentally - in a way that makes them effective for only a short period. A crash diet or a workout program that one can only struggle through for a few weeks may produce great results at first, but as these activities cannot be sustained over a number of years or even months in some cases, the eager dieter may eventually end up back at square one. Yo-yo dieting is all too common, and many people find that pounds lost through painstaking effort are quite simple to gain back. Often, this either discourages the dieter and the individual abandons all further attempts, or simply concludes that whatever method was used is an ineffective scam before moving on to another equally ineffective method.

The other issue is that many popular weight loss supplements - whether they work well or not - contain an enormous number of ingredients that may not be very good for the body in the long term. A lot of weight or fat loss supplement formulations rely on obscene amounts of caffeine to provide increases in resting metabolic rate, energy expenditure and a hunger-blunting effect. One problem with this is that after time, one will develop a tolerance to the caffeine and it will not be as effective. In addition, using strong stimulants for a long period can lead to adrenal fatigue. And even worse, research has shown that caffeine can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity, which can increase the risk of obesity (1).

So is there any weight loss supplement that actually works and doesn’t contain a large list of confusing, potentially deleterious ingredients? Sure - try a natural alternative, fenugreek extract. In the past, fenugreek seeds have been found to improve blood glucose levels and insulin responses, which provide long-term benefits in the fight against obesity (2). Additionally, fenugreek seeds have also been shown to improve HDL (good) cholesterol levels and reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels (3).

But that’s not all - brand new research, published by the journal Phytotherapy Research, has found other advantages in long-term weight management offered by fenugreek. This new study found that insulin response was not only improved with fenugreek supplementation, but that powder from fenugreek led to higher feelings of satiety, with participants feeling fuller for longer periods of time (4). This tends toward reduced food intake later on, and can also train one to recognize appropriate portion size, which will aid future weight-loss efforts.

Based on this research, fenugreek seems to be a viable alternative to potentially harmful weight-loss supplements or crash diets that offer limited, if any, results.

SOURCES:

1. Keijzers GB, De Galan, Tack CJ, Smits P: Caffeine can decrease insulin sensitivity in humans. Diabetes Care, 2002; 25:364–369

2. Sharma, R.D. Effect of fenugreek seeds and leaves on blood glucose and serum insulin responses in human subjects. Nutrition Research, 1986; 6(12): 1353-1364

3. Al-Habori, Molham and Raman, Amala. Antidiabetic and hypocholesterolaemic effects of fenugreek. Phytotherapy Research, 1998; 12(4): 233-242

4. Mathern, J.R., Raatz, S.K., Thomas, W., Slavin, J.L. Effect of Fenugreek Fiber on Satiety, Blood Glucose and Insulin Response and Energy Intake in Obese Subjects. Phytotherapy Research, 2009; 10.1002