A Heads-Up on Natural Weight Loss Supplements

For most of us, our motivation for weight loss is two-fold - we want to shed the excess fat to be healthier and to boost our self-confidence. We all have an idea of what the perfect body should be and there are a host of diet plans and fitness aids available in the market to help us out. One of the most popular diet tools offered are natural weight loss supplements. With more than a hundred and fifty different brands to choose from, the question is which one would be the most effective?

The common denominator

Natural weight loss supplements have one thing in common: they contain herb extracts in varied amounts. The only difference is the "technology" that produced the pills as per the manufacturer's press release. One thing that you should keep in mind is that being made of natural ingredients doesn't make these products safe. While they may be effective in removing excess body fat, they can also prove to be detrimental to your health.

The key is to look at the labels and verify what these products are made of. Here are a couple of natural ingredients that you should be wary of.

Ephedra sinica and caffeine

In moderate amounts, these two substances may prove to be harmless. But in order to get significant weight loss effects, some diet pills contain large amounts of Ephedra sinica extracts and caffeine which both act as metabolic stimulants. Theirs is a potent combination that is purportedly effective in increasing the body's energy expenditure. However, recent studies show that this combination is also connected to increased risk in cardiovascular and psychiatric disorders.

Licorice

Licorice works to increase thermogenesis - a process by which the body burns fat. Again, the intake of licorice can cause a significant decrease in a person's body fat index. However, this substance can also cause hypertension and hypokalemia among others.

The bottomline is that proper caution and monitoring should be employed in taking commercialized natural weight loss supplements. It is important to consult your physician before anything else just to make sure that these pills are not causing any harm to your body.

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