Nearly every major vitamin and supplement brand has at least one diet supplement to offer. However, consumers should be wary of these products and their claims.
Diet supplements containing ephedra and ephadrine have been shown effective for modest weight loss in the short term, but the dangers of these substances appears to outweigh their benefits, and inclusion of these substances in unregulated products has been banned by the FDA.
The supplement 5-HTP has been shown in studies to increase feelings of fullness, or satiety, which can lead to a decrease in calorie intake. 5-HTP should only be use under recommendation and supervision of a doctor.
There are several prescription weight loss medications that are more effective for weight loss than the diet supplements now on the market, though of course prescription weight loss medications are not without side effects.
There has been increased interest in green tea, which appears to offer many health benefits, from cancer prevention to protecting the heart. Researchers have found that taking green tea extract significantly increased thermogenesis, or energy expenditure, in the human participants.
The study suggests that green tea alters the body's metabolism in such a way that may aid weight loss. Since green tea extract gives the beneficial green tea substances in a concentrated form, but with reduced caffeine, subjects did not experience the potentially dangerous cardiac side effects observed with substances such as ephedra. This suggests that green tea may be a safer diet supplement for weight loss.