Caralluma – The Best Fat Burning Supplement?
Type the search term “weight loss” into Google and you’ll be rewarded with close on 60 million pages to choose from – clear evidence, if any more were needed, of the obsession with this topic which seems to permeate our over-abundant Western societies. And needless to say, with this kind of potential market to play for, a hugely lucrative industry has grown up intent on meeting the apparently insatiable demand for weight loss products and services of all kinds.
These can range from simple diet plans and information to highly invasive and radical surgery, but also include innumerable fat burning supplements of one kind or another. Typically these are sourced from one or more natural herbs, but although their origin and characteristics vary considerably, they tend to fall in to one of two distinct categories. In essence, a fat burning supplement works either by stimulating the metabolic rate or by suppressing the appetite.
In the first case, the body burns energy (calories) at a faster than normal rate, making it more likely that it will need to call on stored fat reserves. In the second case, where the appetite is suppressed, and food intake consequently limited, the body will be unable to derive all the energy it needs from food and will again be forced to call upon stored fat. This might be regarded as a natural, and far safer, version of the stomach stapling surgery which is occasionally required in cases of life-threatening obesity. But both types of supplement may be accurately described as fat burners, although they will work in slightly different ways.
The type of fat burning supplement to choose…
… is largely a matter of personal preference, although there are certain considerations to be borne in mind. The main drawback of the metabolic stimulant type is that they frequently contain significant amounts of caffeine, and although this is a useful stimulant in moderate quantities, it does bring with it some significant potential side-effects, which may include insomnia, digestive upsets, elevated heart rate and blood pressure and a feeling of slight shakiness or dizziness. This is not necessarily to detract from the value of such popular supplements of this type as guarana and yerba mate, but merely to point out these potential effects of which users should be aware.
As an alternative to these supplements, Chinese green tea has been shown to be a very effective metabolic stimulant, even its de-caffeinated form. But for those who prefer an even gentler, yet effective, approach it is probably towards the appetite suppressant type of supplement that they should turn.
One that is currently becoming ever more popular is the Indian plant, caralluma.
Caralluma is an edible plant of the cactus family which can be eaten either raw or cooked and has been known in India for its ability to suppress the appetite and ward off hunger for many centuries. Extract of the plant has also been used in traditional Indian (Ayurvedic) medicine and recent Western research has appeared to confirm its effectiveness. In essence, it seems that the active ingredient of caralluma acts to regulate and normalise blood sugar, thereby reducing the cravings for food, particularly the energy rich carbohydrates, which low blood sugar may otherwise induce. The plant may also inhibit the action of certain enzymes which stimulate the body to feelings of hunger.
So, with all these potential benefits to be derived from a perfectly natural and safe product, what’s the potential downside? Simply this, with a reduced desire for food, there is a danger that you may not consume enough to provide you with all the proteins, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients your body requires. This is a particular risk for those who are very active physically, are in high stress occupations, or are athletes who need to reduce their body fat ratio for competition purposes.
Fortunately, however, with a little care and attention, this problem is easily solved. It is simply a question of ensuring that you take in a good supply of nutritionally dense – i.e., natural, whole foods, including abundant fresh fruit and vegetables, as opposed to the calorie rich, but nutritionally impoverished processed foods that are sadly typical of the modern Western diet. And as an extra precaution there is no harm (and everything to gain) by supplementing your diet with a comprehensive multi-vitamin and mineral supplement.
Caralluma is by no means a “magic pill” for weight-loss. It cannot and should not be seen as a replacement for sound nutrition and exercise. But used with the above common sense precautions, it may well be a very useful extra weapon in the battle.
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