Hello there!
It's that time of year when we all hear about another round of the flu stalking the office or the school or your family or friends have all got it. My first reaction is to avoid them like the plague and run to the local shop and pick up some Beroccas. nothing helps me like they do, even if it's all psychological and a boost can't do any harm, though i do only use them for when I'm feeling run down.
However I read an article the other day in Women's Health about the pills you should and shouldn't be swallowing and I found it really interesting. So interesting in fact that I've decided to pretty much copy it straight into a blog post for you to read and see which pills you really shouldn't waste your money on.
We've all been there in a store reading how the latest vitamin can help shift those last few pounds, how something can rev up your metabolism and draw out toxins and they can be very appealing. But after reading this list i was surprised that most are completely pointless and can do more harm than good.
So let's just be clear, I'm copying this from November's edition of Women's Health and it's not my own research or hard work really, aside from typing it up in my own words, but I thought it was worthy of knowing so you don't waste your money or do yourself some harm:
1) Raspberry Ketones - one I'm sure we've all heard of and al of the weightloss claims it has. Actually, there's no scientific evidence to confirm they promote weightloss in humans at all. Save your money!
2) Korean or Panax Ginseng - I've never heard of these and don't know what they claim to do but they do speed up your heart rate and affect your oestrogen levels....sounds terrifying. Save your health by avoiding this one.
3) Guarana - found in sports drinks and although it does give you energy, it's because it contains caffeine so you might as well save your money by sticking with something more natural and also guarana can leave you feeling jittery and nervous...save your sanity in this case!
4) Bio-identical Hormones - Again no idea what these are supposed to do for you or why you would voluntarily take them but they are prescription only and therefore should only be given to you by your doctor, scary stuff!
5) Soy Isoflavones - Derives from a plant however they have a serious effect on your hormones that nobody has quite worked out how yet, that should be enough to scare you off too.
6) Chitosan - allegedly a fat binder though it drags all fats out and doesn't discriminate between the ones we need and the ones we don't. Save your health and your money.
7) High doses of Vitamin C - totally pointless and no evidence to show that anything over 1g is helpful at all. Save your cash as these can be quite expensive!
8) Bentonite Clay - another one to allegedly draw out toxins. Don't think there's any evidence to support these claims but regardless, it wouldn't draw out the toxins fast enough if you had a bad diet so it's no excuse.
9) Acai - totally pointless unless in the original fruit form which you can't get as it would go off by the time it reached the UK....sigh
10) Senna - taking laxatives is never a good way to help you lose weight but even as a helping hand when things get sluggish it can make your own digestive system lazy. My family have always said that orange juice is a much better antidote which I've no idea if it's true but chia seeds most definitely work to get things going again.
11) DMAA - had to look this one up......essentially it has killed people who have taken it and can still be found in some online pills for fat burning. It's really not worth the risk!
12) Garcinia Cambogia - So many people talk about Garcinia the internet, Facebook adverts are the worse for scams like these sending them to you for a few pounds but still no scientific evidence.
13) Evening Primrose - borage is the key ingredient in this and is found in much higher doses in Starflower Oil so skip buying this one.
14) Vitamin E - famed for helping with skincare issues it can actually give you thrombosis and blood clots when you take too much of it. Save yourself!
15) Vitamin A - if you've ever used My Fitness Pal to log your daily intake of food and checked out the vitamins section it's likely you will have exceeded in your does of Vitamin A as it is in so many fruits and vegetables. you certainly don't need to take extra when it's that easy to find and high levels with damage your liver - again, terrifying.
16) Thermogenic supplements - I've been caught by this one, was so excited to think that they would work whilst eating clean and working out as much as possible. Funnily enough, they never worked and there's no scientific evidence for them either. Waste of cash!
17) St John's Wort - claims the be a mood enhancer but can actually increase the metabolism of any prescribed drugs that you can take and therefore make them less effective which could be extremely dangerous. Get into the gym to get your endorphins going and enhance your mood the natural way!
18) Brindleberry - never heard of this one but the US claims its an appetite suppressant but when compared with a placebo there wasn't any change whatsoever.
19) Beta Carotene - claims to help against cancer, but actually has no effect in supplement form. Stick to eating the real deal from orange foods like carrots and pumpkins.
20) Calcium - it seems you just cannot beat having things in its natural form. Milk is fine, the supplements appear to increase risk of cardiovascular disease.
21) Glucosamine - can alleviate stiffness if you suffer from arthritis but is no help whatsoever in preventing you from getting it like previously thought.
22) Milk Thistle - doesn't help against binge drinking. I know many people who take this on nights out and have said it works for them but it is possible that maybe it's just because you drink water taking it? Either way, if it does help your hangover it definitely doesn't help your liver recover.
23) Chlorophyll - the chemical that makes plants green has been claimed to help with detoxification. There's no evidence to suggest this is correct so you might as well stick you drinking lots of free water instead, it's the best way to flush out anything from your system.
24) Fat Binders - another one I tried and had no results from. 'Obesity' found that over the course of a day only 10 calories were bound and removed, TEN! Might as well just skip on that extra biscuit or crisps and save yourself 200.
25) Capsaicin - The chemical in chillies that helps you burn fat. You might as well just eat the chilli's for exactly the same effect and probably a cheaper alternative too!
So there we have it, 25 pills you should run a mile from.
What do you think? Have you tried many of these? Were there any that surprised you?
It's scary to think you can buy so many of them on the internet even though they are prescription drugs and can be extremely harmful, some even causing death!
Let's just stick to the real things in life and get them from a healthy diet right??
L xxx
