Feature: Don’t believe the claims about these fat loss supplements

The dubious “link” between fat and ovarian cancer

Dr. Sears says daily aspirin is a bad idea

Home workouts you can do in just 10 minutes

A scientific way to predict happiness

’Shrooms with a view -- toward fighting cancer

Friday, November 9, 2007

All Fat Loss Supplements Are Not Created Equal

By Anthony Colpo

Many people trying to lose weight try supplements to help burn fat and calories. And there are some legitimate, scientifically proven products out there that do just that. But all supplements are not created equal. Indeed, many weight loss supplement manufacturers will hate me for saying this, but it has to be said: Most of their products are worthless junk.

And even when their products do produce fat loss, the effect is typically so small that most people simply wouldn't notice any difference. Nor would most folks part with their hard-earned cash if they truly knew the tiny results they could expect.

To illustrate my point, let's take a quick look at three supplements currently being hyped for their alleged fat-burning properties.

CLA. A recent and widely publicized paper published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), "does have a beneficial effect on human body composition." Sounds great, until you look closely at the results. After averaging the results from various CLA trials, the authors concluded that CLA resulted in an average reduction in fat mass of 90 grams a week. At that snail-like pace, it will take you three months to shed a kilo (2.2 pounds)!

The longest-running double-blind trial compared the effects of two different CLA supplements with a placebo. After 12 months, the average body fat changes in the CLA groups were -1.7 and -2.4 kilograms, compared to +0.2 kilograms in the placebo group. For a trial that lasted a full year, these results are miniscule. Most people sticking to an intelligently structured diet and exercise program can easily lose this amount of fat in less than two weeks.

If you think the piddling fat loss effects of CLA are worth parting with hundreds of dollars, then go for it. If not, leave the CLA supplements on the shelf and get your intake of this fatty acid the way nature intended -- from animal fats. Fat from grass-fed animals, by the way, has a higher CLA content than that from grain-fed animals.

Green tea. Green tea has received a lot of press over the last decade. Deservedly so. An increasing volume of research suggests that this antioxidant-packed beverage has a whole host of important health benefits, including protection against cancer.

But don't let anyone convince you that drinking tea is the answer to your fat loss dreams.

Consider a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It reported increased fat loss in men taking a high-potency tea extract. Those who bothered to read the study for themselves quickly realized the results were little to be excited about.

For 12 weeks a group of Japanese men consumed, in double-blind fashion, one bottle daily of a "high-strength" oolong tea mixture or a bottle of low-strength oolong tea. After 12 weeks, the men drinking the high-potency oolong tea shed 1.4 kg of fat, compared to 700 g in the control group. Waist circumference decreased 3.4 cm in the treatment group and 1.1 cm in the control group. It goes without saying, but to lose an extra 700 grams of fat over three months is hardly an earth-shattering result. Folks, we're not exactly talking a dud-to-stud transformation here.

It should also be mentioned this study was conducted by the same company that produced and marketed the tea extract. Other trials, conducted by Dutch researchers, have failed to confirm a fat loss effect from green tea.

Green tea is a pleasant and potentially healthful beverage. Just don't expect it to help you lose a whole lot of weight. Current clinical evidence suggests the results will range from minimal to none.

Hoodia. Hoodia is being vigorously marketed as an appetite suppressant. I went looking for supportive data. I could only find research showing that rats injected or tube-fed with a glycoside extracted from Hoodia reduced their caloric intake and lost weight. What this means for humans taking oral Hoodia supplements is anyone's guess; I couldn't find any studies examining its use in real live humans. In other words, all the Hoodia hype is predicated entirely on rodent research.

Readers should be very careful when extrapolating the results of animal research onto humans. Calcium and DHEA, for example, produce significant weight loss in rodents but have no such effect in healthy Homo sapiens.

When presented with wild fat loss claims from marketers and media outlets, you should always ask the following question:

"Where's the tightly controlled clinical research with real, live humans to support these claims?"

If these sources cannot provide you with any such research, then keep your money in your pocket. And treat any future claims these folks make with the utmost suspicion. If these sources can provide you with concrete research citations, seek them out and read them yourself. See whether the results truly justify the fuss being made. With online resources such as PubMed and nutritional/medical journal web sites, this is actually a lot easier than it sounds. The few minutes you take to do this could easily save you hundreds of dollars.

[Ed. Note: Anthony Colpo is an independent researcher, physical conditioning specialist and author. Learn more about Anthony's latest book, The Fat Loss Bible, by clicking here.]

A new study has been touted as showing that a low-fat diet can reduce the risk for ovarian cancer. But the results are a lot iffier than you might believe.

The data came from the Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification trial. Women who decreased the amount of dietary fat they ate were 40 percent less likely to develop ovarian cancer than women who followed "normal dietary patterns."

Here's the problem. When people follow what they think is "healthy" advice (like eat less fat), they are also more likely to do other things that can have health benefits (like stop smoking or eat more vegetables or exercise more). There's no way to account for how much the results are due to outside factors (what researchers call "confounding variables") like these.

In addition, a lot of research has shown that even when people are counseled to "eat less fat," eventually their fat intake starts to creep up. In this study the women were counseled to eat a diet containing 20 percent fat. By the end of the first year they were in fact up to 24 percent. By the end of the study, it was 29 percent.

Most important, the "fat reducing" women also increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables. There's absolutely no way to know whether their lower rate of ovarian cancer had to do with the reduced fat or the increased anti-cancer compounds, anti-inflammatories and anti-oxidants from the plant foods.

There's no doubt that obesity puts you at increased risk for a host of diseases, including some cancers. But fat on the body isn't the same as fat in the diet. We need to we get over the idea that "fat makes you fat." Insulin makes you fat, and carbohydrates, especially processed carbs, drive up insulin. The real culprits in our diet are sugar, processed carbs and junk food.

[Ed. note: Dr. Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health. A board certified nutritionist with a Master's degree in psychology, he is the author of several best-selling books including "Living the Low Carb Life" and "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth." For more information, click here.]

Yesterday, my neighbor asked me if it was a good idea to take aspirin to avoid heart attacks and stroke. I responded with a question of my own: "Would you take a painkiller if you weren't in pain?"

TV commercials make it sound logical, but taking aspirin regularly just causes a new set of problems. What I call "the law of unintended consequences."

A new study published in Lancet Neurology found that older people who are taking aspirin "preventively" may be seven times more likely to have a stroke. The same researchers estimated that if the misuse of drugs like aspirin continues to increase, it may soon overtake high blood pressure as the leading cause of stroke in those over 75.

Instead of taking aspirin, take steps to lower your homocysteine levels. Your cells dump this "toxic waste" product into your bloodstream as they burn energy. Too much homocysteine is a serious health risk. In fact, homocysteine levels are a better predictor of heart disease -- and stroke, by the way -- than anything else, including cholesterol.

You can lower your homocysteine levels simply by supplementing with B vitamin. No harsh drugs are necessary. Here's what I recommend:
• Vitamin B6 - 75 mg daily
• Vitamin B12 - 400 mcg daily
• Folic Acid - 800 mcg daily

[Ed. Note: This article ran in a recent issue of our sister publication, Early to Rise. We thought it was so important, we wanted to be sure Total Health Breakthroughs readers didn't miss it! Dr. Sears, Chairman of the Board of Total Health Breakthroughs, is a practicing physician and a leading authority on longevity, physical fitness and heart health. To learn more, click here.]

Before I heard about Dr. Sears' breakthrough fat buster, I thought
I was doomed to be tired and overweight... And let me tell you
another thing: I love to eat.

Turns out, Dr. Sears' plan is based on decades of clinical research.
It all boils down to this: In just 10 minutes you can activate your
body's natural fat burner. This kicks off up to 24 hours of fat
burning in an easy-to-follow plan. You can't lose with this one...

To read more of my personal story, click HERE…

How do you know if, say, starting a new business will really make you happier? Here's how -- with the final step in my plan for forecasting your happiness. 

You simply ask yourself questions about your level of happiness in the future tense. For example, change the question about, say, companionship. Ask yourself if: "I will be satisfied with the amount of companionship I receive from my spouse or romantic partner if I work most nights and weekends."

You can do this for all the questions about happiness and contentment that I have compiled on my website. If your level of happiness is higher in the future, then you should make the change. Go ahead and start that new business.

But if your happiness score is lower, you should consider another way of increasing your income. Try another idea -- perhaps cutting your expenses. Then go through the exercise again, asking if this action will improve your future contentment.

When your future score is higher than your current happiness level, your plan of action will actually make you happier and more content and satisfied with life.

[Ed. Note: Dr. Douglas Ramm is a psychologist, philosopher, author and leading researcher in the field of emotional well-being, contentment and life satisfaction. He has appeared on numerous radio and television talk shows where he shares insights for enhancing quality of life. Discover how to enhance yours here.]

No one is too busy for a fat-loss workout, because everyone has 10 minutes per day to work on burning belly fat. All you need to do is choose the right exercises. And that means total body, multi-muscle movements that you can do anywhere, including the comfort of your own home.

So here's my gift to you: 10-minute workouts you can do at home. You can find descriptions of these exercises by clicking here.

1. Bodyweight Circuit:
• Prisoner Squats
• Pushups
• Pullups or Inverted Bodyweight Rows

Do 10 repetitions per exercise. Do not rest between exercises. Rest 30-60 seconds after completing the circuit and repeat until 10 minutes have elapsed.

2. Dumbbell-Bodyweight Fusion Fat Loss Superset:
• Dumbbell Split Squats
• Decline Pushups

Do 10 repetitions per exercise. Do not rest between exercises. Rest 60 seconds after completing the superset and repeat until 10 minutes have elapsed.

3. Dumbbell Upper Body Workout:
• Dumbbell Chest Press
• Dumbbell Row

Do 10 repetitions per exercise. Do not rest between exercises. Rest 60 seconds after completing the superset and repeat until 10 minutes have elapsed.

4. Dumbbell Total Body Workout:
• Dumbbell Incline Press
• Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Do 10 repetitions per exercise. Do not rest between exercises. Rest 60 seconds after completing the superset and repeat until 10 minutes have elapsed.

5. The Ultimate Dumbbell Total Body Workout:
• Dumbbell Chest Press
• Dumbbell Squat

Do 12 repetitions per exercise. Do not rest between exercises. Rest 60 seconds after completing the superset and repeat until 10 minutes have elapsed.

If you find yourself with another 10 minutes, you can up the fat-burning ante by doing 10 minutes of intervals.

[Ed. Note: Craig Ballantyne is an expert consultant for Men's Health magazine. If you're looking to burn fat, build muscle and quickly step into the body you have always wanted with just three workouts each week, check out Craig's fat-loss system by clicking here.]

Say goodbye to long, slow boring cardio exercises and start incinerating maximum fat in minimum time with killer workouts you can do in the
privacy of your own home.

Click here for details and to get on board now!

This simple dish is low in calories but high in cancer-fighting nutrients. A recent study published in the Journal of Complementary Medicine proves it. It found that compounds in shiitake mushrooms destroyed both malignant breast cancer and myeloma cells. Researchers found that the compound in shiitake mushrooms caused "cell suicide" in 50 percent of these tumors. This mushroom medley works great as a topping for your favorite organic meats or serve alongside a salad.  

Serves: 4

Time to Table: 10 minutes

Healing Nutrient Spotlight
• "Mycochemicals"
• Good Source of vitamin B6, niacin, riboflavin, potassium, selenium

Ingredients
1 cup organic chicken or vegetable broth
3 whole organic shallots
1 Tbsp organic Worcestershire sauce
3 cups whole organic mushrooms (try shiitake and baby Bella)
2 cloves organic garlic, minced
Truffle oil

Preparation
Preheat sauté pan to medium. Clean mushrooms and remove stems, set aside. Add shallots and garlic to sauté pan with 1 tablespoon broth. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, remaining broth and Worcestershire, then stir well to combine and cover. Let simmer for 3 minutes covered. Remove from heat, drizzle with truffle oil (if desired).

Nutritional Information
44 calories, 0.0 g total fat, 0.0 g saturated fat, 0.0 g trans fat, 0.0 g monounsaturated fat, 0.0 g polyunsaturated fat, 0.0 mg cholesterol, 172 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, 0.8 g fiber, 2 g sugars, 3 g protein

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