he most popular fat loss supplements on the market today are
those containing herbal ephedra and caffeine. These supplements
including: Cytodyne Xenadrine, Twinlab Metabolift, and NVE Stacker 2
have helped millions of people lose weight. While proven effective for
helping people lose fat, the medical community has long questioned the
safety of these products. Recently published research proves that when
taken in the proper dosages, herbal ephedra and caffeine supplements
are both safe and effective for weight loss.
The study, published in the Journal of Obesity Research was performed
using overweight volunteers who supplemented with either a placebo or
ephedra/caffeine supplement for a period of six months. Results from
the study found that the subjects supplementing with herbal
ephedra/caffeine lost almost double the amount of bodyweight and body
fat as the placebo group. Subjects in the ephedra/caffeine group also
showed improved blood lipid levels while the placebo group showed no
change. The only negative side effects the ephedra/caffeine group had
were a slight increase in blood pressure and heart rate.
The take home message from this study is using am herbal
ephedra/caffeine weight loss supplement is a safe and effective way for
losing not just bodyweight but body fat. When combined with a diet and
exercise program that includes strength training the benefits could be
even greater than the results in this study. Although herbal
ephedra/caffeine supplements were found to be safe in the overweight
but otherwise healthy individuals in this study make sure to read to
warning label before using any of these products and speak to your
physician since it may still not be safe with people who have certain
medical conditions.
Source: Boozer CN, Daly PA, Homel P, Solomon JL, Blanchard D, Nasser
JA, Strauss R, Meredith T. Herbal ephedra/caffeine for weight loss: a
6-month randomized safety and efficacy trial. Int J Obes Relat Metab
Disord 2002 May;26(5):593-604.

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