Scaling down: lose that pear shape with these safe supplements.(dietary supplements for weight loss)(Brief Article)

Good news: There are dietary supplements that can help promote weight loss without over-stimulating the nervous system. They work by improving metabolism, increasing exercise endurance, promoting the breakdown of fat and decreasing appetite. These benefits--along with a healthy diet and regular exercise--will put you on the road to a shapelier you.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a dietary fatty acid that occurs naturally in dairy products and most meats. As a nutritional supplement, it's derived from linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid. Studies published in both the Journal of Obesity And Related Metabolic Disorders (2001) and Journal of Nutrition (2000) show CLA reduces body fat in overweight and moderately obese people. The fatty acid also is reported to increase lean body mass, muscle strength and exercise endurance.

For long-term use, the amount usually recommended is 500 milligrams (mg) three times daily before or with meals. (Note: The amounts used in the aforementioned studies were two to three times higher, but the treatment period was only 12 weeks.)

Pyruvate, available in supplement form, is found in foods such as red apples, red wine and cheese. Research suggests pyruvate acts to promote weight loss by enhancing metabolic rate. Human studies reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1992, 1994) have found that pyruvate not only promotes the loss of body fat, but, as reported in Journal of Obesity And Related Metabolic Disorders (1996), it also helps to keep it off. To demonstrate this, overweight people who had lost weight in a previous related study were divided into two groups. Each group was put on an increased-calorie diet, but only one group was given pyruvate. The pyruvate group regained significantly less weight and less fat than the group on the increased-calorie diet alone. Jacob Farrin, ND, a naturopathic physician and head of the weight loss clinic at The Center for Traditional Medicine in Lake Oswego, Oregon, recommends 100 mg of pyruvate daily, although some studies have used 6 grams daily or more.

Farrin recommends chromium to help stabilize blood sugar levels, so you're less likely to get tired and hungry. He also finds that it decreases sugar cravings in his patients. Chromium, an essential dietary mineral, interacts with insulin ...