Do Weight Loss Pills Work?

 

When you’re trying to lose weight, getting caught up in the allure of weight loss pills can be easy. There are many different products on the market, so it’s important that you know what you’re looking for. In this article, we will go over what vitamins are good for losing weight, what weight loss pills actually work, and the best prescription pills. 

What Vitamins Are Good For Losing Weight?

When it comes to losing weight, your number one focus should be ensuring your body’s fat-burning mechanisms are functioning as efficiently as possible. While a well-balanced diet can help you get most of the nutrients you need, taking vitamins can help. Here are some of the vitamins weight-loss experts recommend:

  • B vitamins - These are some of the most recommended vitamins by experts. The main function of these vitamins is to help your body metabolize carbs, proteins, and fats.
  • Vitamin D - The main way we get vitamin D is through sunlight. Unfortunately, too many Americans spend much of their day indoors, leading to a vitamin D deficiency, this is where vitamin supplements come into play.
  • Iron - Iron plays a role in helping your body create energy from nutrients. Iron helps carry oxygen to all of the cells in your body, including your muscles. This, in turn, helps them burn fat.
  • Magnesium - This nutrient is necessary for energy production in the body.
  • Green tea extract - It’s technically not a vitamin or mineral, but green tea extract is one of the few marketed supplements worth a second look. Green tea is thought to increase energy expenditure and fat oxidation, and to reduce fat production and absorption.

While you get most of the vitamins you need through your diet, taking vitamin supplements can help. 

Are There Any Weight Loss Pills That Actually Work?

It’s no secret, there are seemingly endless amounts of weight loss pills out there, all promising different things. They tend to work in several different ways: reduce appetite, reduce absorption, and increase fat burning. More often than not, these pills don’t fully do all they claim to do. But there are some weight loss pills that have been proven to work through thorough third-party research. Here are some of the pills that work:

  • Garcinia Cambogia Extract
  • Hydroxycut
  • Caffeine
  • Orlistat
  • Raspberry Ketones
  • Green coffee bean extract

Before you begin a supplement program taking one of these products, you should do your due diligence. This means researching the product and the company you plan on purchasing the product from. It also means speaking with your doctor to ensure the product you’re taking is healthy and there won’t be any complications. 

What is the Most Effective Prescription Weight Loss Pill?

Life can oftentimes be unfair. While some lose weight with relative ease, most of us have a difficult time losing weight and keeping it off. For some, prescription weight loss drugs may help. These are weight loss pills prescribed to you by your doctors. Here are some of the most effective prescription weight loss pills:

  • Orlistat - This medication prevents your body from absorbing around a third of the fat you eat.
  • Naltrexone HCl and bupropion - This combination of drugs can help in several different ways.
  • Liraglutide - Liraglutide is a higher dose of the type 2 diabetes drug Victoza. It mimics an intestinal hormone that tells the brain your stomach is full.
  • Phentermine - This prescription pill can help curb your appetite.
  • Phentermine and topiramate - This medication also helps curb your appetite.

The best way to get the most out of these pills is by combining them with a balanced and nutritious diet. 

What is the Best Natural Supplement For Weight Loss?

There are many natural supplements on the market that promise this and that when it comes to weight loss. While there’s no magic supplement that helps you lose weight overnight, there are natural supplements that help. Here are some natural supplements that experts recommend when it comes to weight loss:

  • Caffeine - Caffeine is a substance commonly found in coffee, green tea, and cocoa beans. It’s also a popular ingredient in commercial fat-burning supplements — and for good reason. Caffeine can help boost your metabolism and help your body burn more fat.
  • Green tea extract - It’s technically not a vitamin or mineral, but green tea extract is one of the few marketed supplements worth a second look. Green tea is thought to increase energy expenditure and fat oxidation, and to reduce fat production and absorption.
  • Protein powder - Protein is incredibly important for burning fat. A high protein intake can help you burn fat by boosting your metabolism and curbing your appetite. It also helps your body preserve muscle mass.
  • Soluble fiber - There are two different types of fiber — soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber absorbs water in your digestive tract and forms a viscous gel-like substance. Interestingly, studies have shown that soluble fiber can help you burn fat by curbing your appetite.
  • Yohimbine - Yohimbine is a substance found in the bark of Pausinystalia Yohimbe, a tree found in Central and Western Africa. It’s commonly used as an aphrodisiac, but it also has properties that may help you burn fat. Yohimbine works by blocking receptors called alpha-2 adrenergic receptors.

Supplements May Help

We know the power of multivitamins, but another supplement you should look into is spermidine. Spermidine is naturally found in many of the foods that we eat and also produced endogenously by your body, but like most nutrients, we rarely eat enough to reap all of the benefits. Spermidine is a polyamine that is associated with cellular health. We need cells to be renewed throughout our life to stay healthy. As we age, our blood polyamine levels decrease along with cellular growth and renewal. 

Our body has its own recycling system known as autophagy that helps to get rid of the old, damaged cell parts for new, healthy ones. Spermidine assists in this process and in replenishing the body’s blood polyamine levels leading to a resurgence in the cellular renewal that may aid health and longevity.

  • Don Moxley - Director of Applied Science

    Don Moxley is the Director of Applied Science at Longevity Labs. Moxley draws upon his career as an athlete, a sports scientist, and an instructor to lead and educate on the science of autophagy and longevity.