Abstract
Overweight and obesity are growing health problems in the United States, with approximately one-third of adults being obese and more than one-third are overweight. Many overweight individuals turn to dietary and herbal supplements for weight loss, and millions of dollars are spent on these products. However, there are concerns about the safety and efficacy of many supplements. Supplements are believed to help weight loss by several mechanisms of action, including increasing energy expenditure, increasing satiety, increasing fat oxidation, blocking dietary fat absorption, modulating carbohydrate metabolism, increasing fat excretion, increasing water elimination, and enhancing mood. This topic is changing rapidly, and this review gives a perspective of the current state of the evidence on selected dietary and herbal supplements and combination products. Many supplements have not been studied in randomized controlled trials and require more research to determine efficacy. Nutrition and healthcare professionals need to discuss use of dietary supplements with patients and report any adverse events to the Food and Drug Administration. Additional regulations on production, sales, and marketing of these supplements would be needed.