Fool yourself into feeling full
Dr. David Lau is a professor of medicine at the University of Calgary and the president of Obesity Canada, a not-for-profit organization. He says that Obesity Canada assessed more than 130 alternative drug therapies for weight loss as part of the development of the new Canadian clinical guidelines for obesity. None were deemed effective in the battle of the bulge.
Supplements that curb your appetite
Popular supplements claiming to help suppress appetite include guar gum, glucomannan and hoodia. The first two are innocuous soluble fibres that create feelings of satiety as they absorb water and pass through the intestinal tract.
A combined analysis of 11 trials on the weight-loss benefits of guar gum showed no benefit. Glucomannan, from the roots of the konjac plant, shows slightly more promise: A 2005 review of studies on the supplement in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine indicated two to four grams per day were well tolerated and resulted in significant weight loss. But several other reviews say the proof is limited at best.
Hoodia, an endangered African plant species with an active ingredient that is thought to somehow stave off hunger, was buoyed by a massive e-mail spamming campaign in North America in the first half of 2006. But there are no studies showing that it works (despite what the Hoodia Power-Pops lollipop packaging tells you) or assessing long-term side-effects.
Is hoodia a hoax?
Early reports from a researcher at Pfizer, which interestingly dropped its rights to hoodia in 2002, stated that it could have unwanted effects on the liver and that dieters should be wary. A 2006 Consumer Reports investigation proclaimed there is no evidence that it works.
Hoodia supplements are being sold in Canada, but the Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD) has yet to authorize any specific products, and rated the supplement a low-risk priority. Until the NHPD gets through the backlog of products waiting to be approved, you may notice some products labelled "NHN# pending."
This labelling is in violation of Health Canada's policy and does not assure consumers of anything. Also, be on the lookout for over-the-counter supplements that contain sibutramine. Several products containing this ingredient recently made Health Canada's adverse reaction list. They are manufactured in China and being sold illegally in Canada.
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