FucoThin: Can It Help One Lose Weight?

FucoThin has been on the market for some years and people who sell this health supplement claim that it can help one reduce weight. The chief ingredient found in FucoThin is a chemical called fucoxanthin, a substance found in nature in several species of seaweed. The FucoThin manufacturers assert that the product enhances metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates and rapidly burns fat. The people who sell the product claim that the thermogenic effects have been shown to occur in animals that developed weight loss after being on a diet of FucoThin. However, in the scientific literature no such studies exist.

As far as humans are concerned, there have been no studies and only anecdotal reports exist about FucoThin. Moreover, there are many reports on cyberspace that FucoThin does not work in all individuals and the weight loss is modest at best. The few people who have lost weight say there is only a weight loss of a few pounds which was regained as soon as the diet was stopped. Finally it is not even known whether FucoThin is safe to ingest for a long time as there are no studies.

For those individuals who would like to lose weight, FucoThin is just another hyped up product without any clinical data to back up what the manufacturers’ claims. For individuals interested in losing weight, the core ingredients include a healthy diet and exercise. Cyberspace is full of seductive weight loss products which generally only thin your pockets and FucoThin is one of them.

Bitter orange for weight loss?

Many people seem to be buying bitter orange in bulk in the hope that it can help with weight loss. Bitter orange (citrus aurantium) has been more in the news ever since ephedra was taken off the market for health concerns.

People who take bitter orange claim that is it a great alternative to ephedra and works well for weight loss; however, there is no clear evidence that it does in fact reduce weight.

Recent studies indicate that while bitter orange may work in a few individuals it is also associated with similar side effects like ephedra. Extracts of the bitter orange plant have revealed two potent chemicals called synephrine and octopamine. Both these compounds are very similar in their activity to ephedrine in ephedra.

Experts claim that excess ingestion of these substances can increase blood pressure, alter heart rate and rhythm and can even induce heart attacks, strokes and even sudden death.

More over bitter orange can also interfere with many pharmaceutical drugs leading to adverse side effects.

The problem with bitter orange is that it is listed as a health food supplement and does not undergo the rigorous testing that is required of pharmaceutical drugs. Further, many potent and toxic substances found in the product are not even listed on the label. For this reason, many people who take bitter orange are prone to develop side effects and dangerous complications. Individuals who have heart disease, high blood pressure or problems with their heart rate should avoid bitter orange. While some individuals may lose weight with bitter orange this is not a universal finding. The best and surest way to lose weight is to eat less and walk more. This may not sound too appealing but it definitely works and is a lot cheaper than any health supplement.