Losing weight can be a daunting task. Eating right is an important part of the equation. I found some human studies demonstrating that the foods and herbs listed below may be helpful. Try incorporating oats, flax, and grapefruit into your diet! Further, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, and green tea may also be useful.
Especially if ingesting quantities beyond normal food intake amounts, discuss possible contraindications with a Doctor.
Human Studies on Oats, Flaxseed, & Grapefruit
- Oats: A human study of 43 adults showed a diet containing oats consumed over 6 week resulted in greater improvements in systolic blood pressure and lipid profile (1).
- Flaxseed intake decreased glucose and insulin as well as insulin sensitivity in overweight patients (2).
- Grapefruit: In one twelve week randomized double blind trial of overweight men, intake of a polyphenol citrus extract had a slimming effect. It further improved muscle mass metabolism (3). In another randomized placebo controlled study of 91 obese patients, a twelve week intake of grapefruit juice reduced glucose insulin levels and weight (4).
Recipes to Help with Weight Loss
More Human Studies: Herbs for Weight Loss
Further, you may also want to incorporate the herbs listed below into your diet. I found the following human studies on cinnamon, vinegar, and green tea.
- Cinnamon: A double blind randomized controlled study with 84 overweight women showed serum lipid levels reduce with the use of a cinnamon supplement (5).
- Vinegar: A review of studies on the anti-diabetic affect of vinegar intake was summarized. More, larger scale human studies are warranted (6).
- Green Tea: In a meta review of trials, drinking green tea lowered cholesterol levels in overweight people (7).
RESEARCH
- From: Saltzman, E., Das, S. K., Lichtenstein, A. H., Dallal, G. E., Corrales, A., Schaefer, E. J., … & Roberts, S. B. (2001). An oat-containing hypocaloric diet reduces systolic blood pressure and improves lipid profile beyond effects of weight loss in men and women. The Journal of nutrition, 131(5), 1465-1470.
- From: Hutchins, A. M., Brown, B. D., Cunnane, S. C., Domitrovich, S. G., Adams, E. R., & Bobowiec, C. E. (2013). Daily flaxseed consumption improves glycemic control in obese men and women with pre-diabetes: a randomized study. Nutrition research, 33(5), 367-375.
- From: Cases, J., Romain, C., Dallas, C., Gerbi, A., & Rouanet, J. M. (2015). A 12-week randomized double-blind parallel pilot trial of Sinetrol XPur on body weight, abdominal fat, waist circumference, and muscle metabolism in overweight men. International journal of food sciences and nutrition, 66(4), 471-477.
- From: Fujioka, K., Greenway, F., Sheard, J., & Ying, Y. (2006). The effects of grapefruit on weight and insulin resistance: relationship to the metabolic syndrome. Journal of medicinal food, 9(1), 49-54.
- From: Borzoei, A., Rafraf, M., Niromanesh, S., Farzadi, L., Narimani, F., & Doostan, F. (2018). Effects of cinnamon supplementation on antioxidant status and serum lipids in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Journal of traditional and complementary medicine, 8(1), 128-133.
- From: Petsiou, E. I., Mitrou, P. I., Raptis, S. A., & Dimitriadis, G. D. (2014). Effect and mechanisms of action of vinegar on glucose metabolism, lipid profile, and body weight. Nutrition reviews, 72(10), 651-661.
- From: Yuan, F., Dong, H., Fang, K., Gong, J., & Lu, F. (2018). Effects of green tea on lipid metabolism in overweight or obese people: A meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials. Molecular nutrition & food research, 62(1), 1601122.
More Information
Click here to find more herb research for weight loss: Herbs for Weight Loss.
When your body absorbs toxins, it stores them in fat, which is why fiber and probiotics are strategic weapons for weight loss. Fiber keeps your colon healthy and reduces your body’s absorption of toxins.
-Suzanne Somers
By: Kathy Sadowski, MS in Aromatherapy, RA (ARC), NAHA and AIA Professional Member, LMT
Posted: 10/28/18
