Weight Loss Supplements

There are a number of weight loss supplements on the market and some may be very safe and effective. However this site is about the benefits of antioxidants and fortunately one of the best antioxidants is also a safe and effective weight loss supplement. Obesity is the number one health problem that North America and Europe face today. As a result we receive a daily barrage of weight loss diets and programs for losing weight. Unfortunately there is no one magic pill or weight loss supplement that is going to result in us quickly returning to our normal healthy weight. We need to eat healthy food full of antioxidants and phytochemicals, exercise more, and take vitamin supplements. Fortunately Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10, one of the best antioxidants, is also one of the best weight loss supplements. First we need to understand a little bit about CoQ10 and how it works in the body. CoQ10 is a quasi-vitamin or coenzyme that is made in the body and as we age the body produces less and less of this product. CoQ10 is a key element in the body’s metabolic process. Within each of the body’s cells, tiny mitochondria work ceaselessly to produce energy from the fats and carbs that you eat. This is known as the metabolic process and is what provides cellular energy for the body. Most of the B vitamins, Vitamin C and coenzymes like CoQ10 are involved in this metabolic process. CoQ10 is also a powerful antioxidant that works synergistically with Vitamin E to protect the cells against oxidation. A lot of recent research has been directed at the way CoQ10 protects the heart because more advanced heart disease is associated with low levels of CoQ10. This quasi-vitamin is also thought to significantly aid the body’s ability to recover from a heart attack. Other benefits attributed to Coenzyme Q10 are weight loss due to increased metabolic activity, and promising results in the treatment of cancer and Parkinson’s disease. The benefit that we are concentrating on in this section on weight loss supplements is its ability to raise our metabolism level. Just think of all the antioxidant benefits and an increase in energy and weight loss as well! Recent studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between low CoQ10 levels and obesity.

In recent years, statins have become a very widely prescribed drug to lower cholesterol levels. Unfortunately statins also lower the body’s production of CoQ10. If you are a statin user, you should talk to your physician about taking CoQ10 supplements as they won’t interfere with the statins. However CoQ10 supplements may interact with blood thinners such as warfarin, so if you are taking prescription medicines always talk to your physician before starting to take supplements.

Weight Loss Diets

Most weight loss diets fail because they require significant behavioral and life style changes. We can be successful on a diet and lose significant amounts of weight in the short term but it becomes increasingly difficult to continue to modify our behavior over time.

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Therefore when you are considering which diet program to choose, you need to find one that suits your lifestyle. There have been a number of popular weight loss diets over the years. Some require significantly lowering the amount of a particular food group (fats, carbohydrates or proteins) that we eat and some require eating some strange combinations of foods. In order to lose weight we must expend more calories than we eat. However a recipe for failure is to try and reduce our food intake below an already low level of energy output. You must find ways of increasing your level of physical activity to burn more calories. It doesn’t have to be a significant increase in physical activity but it should be regular and often. Just make small changes like climbing the stairs, taking a short walk at lunch, walking the dog every evening, or working in the garden. This increase in energy expenditure coupled with some healthier food choices will guarantee you lose weight. Carbohydrates provide our body and brain with the energy it needs to function. Low-carbohydrate diets can result in significant early weight loss but after some period of time your weight plateaus and you feel tired and lethargic. This tends to discourage you from physical exercise and is not a long term weight control solution. When you return to normal eating the body replenishes its carbohydrate reserves and weight gain will result. Similarly a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet is difficult to follow over the long term because many of our favorite flavors like cheese and chocolate are contained in high fat products. Healthy weight loss diets come in many different food group combinations. A common factor in all healthy diets is to choose carbohydrates that are complex and raise blood sugars slowly and also to choose fats that are unsaturated as much as possible. You can start by trying to replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats - like replacing butter on your bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. You should also start trying to replace carbohydrates that raise your blood sugar levels quickly with those that raise the levels slowly.

Glycemic Index

Scientists have done a lot of testing of carbohydrates and have developed the Glycemic Index or GI to compare the capability of different carbohydrate containing foods to raise the body’s blood sugar levels. Pure glucose was set at 100 and the other foods are compared to its profile. Some of the results of the testing have been counterintuitive and somewhat surprising. Many of the starches in rice, bread, potatoes and many cereals were found to raise our blood sugar levels much quicker than the sugars in fruit, candy and ice cream. In other words many of the starchy foods had a much higher Glycemic Index than many of the sugary foods. . The rate of absorption is very dependant on how the carbs are bound up with the food fiber and the particle size. For example less gelatinized products like al dente spaghetti and oatmeal have lower GI values and stone ground flours have lower GI values than finely ground flours. The fibrous coat surrounding beans and seeds stop enzymes from getting at the starchy carbs inside and will slow the digestion of grainy breads, legumes and barley. The acidity of foods also slows down digestion and vinegar, lemon juice, pickles and sourdough bread will result in lower GI meal values.

The slow digestion of low GI foods and the gradual rise and fall in blood-glucose response helps people with diabetes control their blood sugar levels and increase their sensitivity to insulin. Low GI foods will help healthy people delay hunger pangs and promote weight loss in overweight individuals. In addition low GI carbohydrates can reduce blood cholesterol levels and also reduce our risk of heart disease. So keeping our blood sugar levels fairly level and low seems like what we should be trying to achieve through healthy eating. See our article on Healthy Eating for more information on the Glycemic Index and how to substitute foods with lower GI values for higher GI value carbohydrates. A few simple substitutions might include: changing your breakfast cereal for one based on oats, barley and bran; replacing white and whole wheat bread with pumpernickel or sour dough bread; replacing potatoes with pasta and noodles; replacing your salad dressing with a vinaigrette dressing; and enjoying lots of fruits and vegetables.