By Victoria Dolby Toews, MPH

Obesity rates in the US may finally be leveling off after a 26-year steady climb, according to the most recent numbers released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While that’s good news, it still leaves “two-thirds of the population overweight and one-third of the population clinically obese, which really are shocking figures,” noted Jayson Kroner, CSN, health and fitness editor at NOW Foods (Bloomindale, IL).

It seems clear that “the problem has reached epidemic status,” agreed Scott Steil, vice president of sales and marketing for Humanetics Corporation (EdenPrairie, MN). While this “negatively impacts our health, it also spells an opportunity for natural products to provide consumers with tools to fight the battle of the bulge,” he continued. “Some experts estimate that the current retail US weight loss supplement market is worth $2 billion, making it one of the biggest categories in the natural products industry.”

Bob Green, president of Nutratech, Inc. (West Caldwell, NJ), pointed out that 50 million Americans go on a diet each year yet only five percent keep the weight off (according to the recently updated website on Weight–Loss Products and Programs, Colorado State University), which explains “why there is a steady and increasing supply of potential weight management product users, as well as why the market for weight-management products continues to grow.”

Customers of weight-loss products can be divided into two groups, suggested Todd Norton, president of Sabinsa (Piscataway, NJ), “the first and most prevalent group consists of uneducated and tabloid-fed consumers who are looking for immediate gratification…and the second one, steadily growing and including well-educated, inquisitive customers who care more for their total health rather than quick-fix solutions.” This latter group understands the concept of healthy body composition and the fact that a combination of factors including lifestyle modification and nutritional intervention produces a healthy and fit body, Norton added.

The “Big, Fat Lie”

Clearly, the weight-loss niche offers tremendous sales opportunities. However, while sales might not disappoint, weight-loss results (for the consumer) with some marketed products might. The majority of companies in the core of the natural products industry offer consumers safe, well-researched products, but there are late-comers and hangers-on looking to make a quick buck that aren’t as scrupulous.
As Sabinsa’s Norton put it: “The best way to describe the current market for weight-loss supplements is confused and unmotivated with constant promises of “new,” “fat busters” and “overnight” weight-loss solutions only to face the reality that 70 percent of society continues to be overweight or obese with numbers getting larger every year.”

It shouldn’t, then, come as too much of a surprise that the FDA has recently coined the phrase “stop the big fat lie” aimed at deceptive weight-loss nutraceuticals and their manufacturers; Norton added, “and those in the industry who are well informed can only concur with the FDA. In fact, those in the nutraceutical/nutritional industry who really care for well-substantiated products should join the FDA in a campaign to define standards for acceptable nutritional aids in weight management.”

“The reality is that taking a supplement (and making no diet or exercise changes) is not going to cause anyone to lose 10 pounds in a week,” concurred Nutratech’s Green: “there are no magic pills that help consumers shed pounds if they don’t also watch what goes into their mouths and they don’t exercise. So it’s important that marketers and retailers work on breaking the myth that there could be a magic bullet out there for weight loss – in fact, it’s the overpromising that hurts our industry.”

Solid science to back up weight-loss ingredients should be the norm. As Norton explained, “long term clinical studies with IRB and/or IND approved study protocols should become a common practice in the process of introducing new weight-loss products to the marketplace.” He supports the establishment of mechanisms to protect investment into clinical research by a particular company, to thwart the “common practice referred to as “borrowed research,” i.e. using someone else’s research data to substantiate a similar product on the market.” Likewise, the intellectual property rights “earned through patents, trademarks and service marks should enjoy more respect and protection in the nutraceutical/nutritional industry,” Norton said.

It’s important to remember, suggested Norton, that products, such as the ones Sabinsa stands behind, are “hundreds of thousands of dollars and years, if not decades, in the making and supporting science. They are not necessarily ‘hot’ or ‘sexy;’ they may not even be “the answer for most people, and they are certainly not ‘trendy.’ These are products that have an ongoing commitment by the companies who own and market them to make sure that they are not only available today, but protected and nurtured for tomorrow as well.”

Weighty Risks

Weight management products go beyond vanity; they can literally save lives. The risks for diabetes, cardiovascular problems, poor joint health and general poor quality of life increase from being overweight, noted Humanetics’ Steil, while “losing as little as five pounds can greatly reduce the risk of those diseases.”

“It’s sad, actually, how we instantly associate being overweight with what people see on the surface; because in all honesty, appearance is the least dangerous aspect of having an unhealthy body composition, with the exception of the stress and sadness that can result,” said NOW Foods’ Kroner. In fact, “maintaining an unhealthy body weight for any significant length of time is clearly one of the most dangerous things a person can do.”

In addition to the health risks of excess pounds, Norton pointed out that the costs involved in the management of obesity and its associated conditions have a significant economic impact on the US healthcare system. “These conditions also have an indirect impact on the country’s economy by way of decreased productivity, restricted activity, absenteeism, sick days and increased premature mortality,” he added. Even so, prescription medications for obesity management don’t offer a viable solution, since as Norton stated, they are “often associated with side effects related to their mechanisms of action in the body. For example, side effects associated with appetite suppressants include raised blood pressure, elevated heart rate, restlessness, nervousness, difficulty sleeping and dry mouth. Besides the health risks, appetite suppressant weight loss drugs are not a permanent solution to controlling weight and are generally prescribed for short-term treatment.”

Modify Metabolism

Metabolism is how the body uses, stores and burns energy. Sluggish, stingy metabolism results in the body clinging to calories and saving them for a rainy day, while a peppy metabolism requires the burning of more calories to get through a day. Undoubtedly, when it comes to weight management in our land of plenty (where rainy days of not being able to acquire enough calories never seem to come), a high metabolic rate will help keep the scale at a healthier number. Some ingredients for weight control work by increasing metabolism, while others alter how energy is used.

7-Keto, a substance related to DHEA, works as a non-stimulant thermogenic fat burner, said Steil. “Multiple clinical studies have shown that 7-Keto produces three times greater weight loss than placebo. This translated to an additional five pounds of weight loss above diet and exercise alone,” noted Steil. 7-Keto is found in the human body but declines with age; by age 40, 7-Keto levels have dropped by half, which results in less ability to burn fat.

Nutratech supplies Advantra Z to many weight management products; Advantra Z is a patented form of bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) supplying five adrenergic amines with thermogenic activity, as well as p-synephrine. As Nutratech’s Green stated: “most of the research conducted on Citrus aurantium has, in fact, used Advantra Z, so it is the most studied Citrus aurantium ingredient on the market.” Furthermore, he believes that “consumers want weight management supported by sound scientific research, so they keep coming back to products that are tried and true. Products like Citrus aurantium–and in particular Advantra Z–that have been proven in numerous studies to help stimulate thermogenesis...Advantra Z also has added benefits of increasing the percentage of lean muscle mass in relation to total body mass, improving athletic performance and suppressing appetite.” Advantra Z boasts nine human studies covering 200 subjects showing that Advantra Z increases resting metabolic rate, curbs appetite and induces weight loss, without increasing heart rate or blood pressure, according to Green.

Fucoxanthin, a carotenoid extract from wakame seaweed, promotes weight loss through a process called adaptive thermogenesis. Deb Vickery, MBA, the director of marketing and product development for Nutraceuticals International, who launched a fucoxanthin product called FucoPure, explained that it “works by adaptive thermogenesis; targeting abdominal fat, breaking it down into protein which can be used by the body for energy.”

Pyruvate supports weight loss efforts by increasing the body’s use of fat as an energy source and boosting metabolic rates. Research shows that supplementing with pyruvate, while engaging in an exercise program, leads to greater weight loss and improved loss of fat mass than exercise alone.
Yet another ingredient that can affect metabolism is green tea. Research with green tea finds that it can boost metabolism by about four percent; a small amount but one that can add up to noticeable benefits over time. The herbs guarana and yerba maté also serve as a metabolic stimulants.

Fat Blockers and Appetite Suppressants

The compound HCA, isolated from Garcinia cambogia and Garcinia indica fruits, blocks fat storage and serves as an appetite suppressant. Sabinsa’s Norton noted that “the potential of HCA as a weight management compound has been recognized for several decades.” Sabinsa holds several patents related to HCA; their Garcitrin product combines “a distinct composition of HCA with garcinol, a polyisoprenylated benzophenone isolated from Garcinia cambogia and Garcinia indica fruits... The combination of calcium salt HCA and garcinol reduces fatty acid and lipid synthesis and improves lean body mass much more effectively than HCA alone.”

Sabinsa’s Garcitrin product “has been shown in clinical studies to promote a reduction in total body weight, body mass index, body fat and perceived appetite level, as well as increase lean body mass and body water content,” Norton stated. In addition, double-blind clinical research comparing Garcitrin to a calcium salt HCA product found that the Garcitrin group “reported statistically significant decreases in body weight and fat content, as well as statistically significant increases in lean body mass and total body water compared to baseline values and those of the HCA only group. Appetite levels were also significantly less in the Garcitrin group than the HCA only group,” said Norton.

The fiber-like extract from crustacean shells, called chitosan, reduces fat absorption, which is why many weight control products include this ingredient in the product to serve as a fat blocker.

An amino acid, L-carnitine, appears helpful for weight control since it is involved in fat metabolism. Research with overweight people supplementing with L-carnitine (while also engaged in diet and exercise changes) reported greater weight loss.

Many weight loss products include the mineral chromium, since it plays a role in the metabolism of fat and carbohydrates, as well as influencing the action of insulin. Chromium picolinate and niacin-bound chromium both have been studied for improving body composition, namely losing fat while preserving muscle. CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) also has research showing that it reduces body fat.

Feeling less hungry makes it easier to restrict calories when trying to lose or maintain body weight. Dietary supplements that work as appetite suppressants take a bit of the sting out of calorie restrictions. Hoodia has some research showing that it makes a dent in the amount of food one eats. “NOW offers two unique, high potency Hoodia products—Mega Hoodia and Tru-Hoodia Complex. Each of these products contains only Sans certified, legally-harvested Hoodia gordonii,” mentioned NOW’s Kroner. 5- HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) functions as another appetite suppressant. This compound is a precursor to serotonin and research shows that it curtails appetite and leads to weight loss.

Additional Weight Management Agents

Coleus enhances lean body mass at the expense of body fat. As Norton from Sabinsa, the supplier of ForsLean (an extract of Coleus forskohlii root) described: “it possesses versatile biological actions and helps to mobilize the body’s ‘second messenger.’ The ‘second messenger’ is known as cyclic AMP and literally is indispensable in supporting many biochemical reactions and biological functions in the body.” Several recent studies have found that Sabinsa’s coleus extract promotes favorable changes to body composition, based on results from 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of overweight men and women. Study participants “showed marked improvements in lean body mass levels and reductions in body fat percentages, body weight, and body mass index,” shared Norton.

Sabinsa offers LeanGard, which consists of a proprietary ratio of ForsLean, Garcitrin and Bioperine. Bioperine is a standardized piperine composition derived from black pepper extract that has been shown to increase the absorption of nutrients in nutritional supplement formulations.

“We don’t consider our products to be weight loss ones, but rather ingredients that can help maintain a healthy weight; the Danisco ingredients Litesse, xylitol and lactitol can be used to replace fat and reduce sugar in food products, while providing satiety,” explained Ariella Gastel, senior business manager of health and nutrition, Danisco USA (New Century, KS). Litesse is a branded polydextrose that lowers the caloric density and glycemic response of a food while adding dietary fiber, all of which contributes to a feeling of fullness, without adding unnecessary calories.

“Human clinical studies have shown that Litesse and xylitol can actually reduce subsequent food intake, with total caloric reductions between five to 25 percent,” said Gastel. In addition, “these consumers did not overcompensate at their next meal by eating more calories.”

Another food ingredient that promotes weight management is Sabinsa’s CitrinK, a Garcinia cambogia extract that recently received independent GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) designation for use in non-alcoholic beverages.

For the weight management segment of the dietary supplement industry, complete success for product users would mean putting themselves out of business. Even though there are numerous research-backed legitimate products in this sector of the industry that do help manage weight, it seems clear that business isn’t in any immediate danger of drying up for this strong and growing part of the supplement industry. NIE