Do Weight Loss Pills For Women Work?

Many women struggle with losing weight and opt to use a supplement to assist them in getting rid of unwanted pounds.

There are hundreds of weight loss pills for women available online and in retail stores, widely touted as safe or downright miraculous.

Even Dr. Oz, has made headlines because he’s featured weight loss supplements on his show, including Garcina Cambogia, Raspberry Ketones, and Green Coffee Bean Extract. So, do these weight loss pills for women really work?

Garcina Cambogia

A fruit native to Southeast Asia, Garcinia Cambogia is also known as tamarind. Claims surrounding its ability as miraculous weight loss pills for women are based on the presence of hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which appears to inhibit an enzyme called citrate lyase and interferes with fatty acid metabolism.

Unfortunately, a number of highly reputable scientific studies indicate that the effects of HCA are limited to the petri dish, and do not translate to the body in individuals who take Garcinia Cambogia supplements.

As far back as 1998, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association was unable to find any weight loss benefits associated with Garcinia Cambogia supplementation. The randomized controlled trial was the first of its kind to involve Garcinia Cambogia, and looked at 135 overweight men and women age 18 to 65.

Half of the group was given Garcinia Cambogia and the other half a placebo three times a day before meals. Both groups ate a high-fiber diet. At the end of the 12-week trial, there were no important differences in weight loss between the two groups.

In 2011, the Journal of Obesity published a meta-analysis of 12 trials involving Garcinia Cambogia that failed to find any weight loss benefits. And in 2013, research published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine found that overall the evidence backing Garcinia Cambogia’s weight loss benefits was “not compelling.”

However, marketers of Garcinia Cambogia supplements claim that their products inhibit the body’s ability to absorb fat from food, replace the body’s own fat with toned muscle, and even improve mood to reduce stress eating.

Raspberry Ketones

Raspberry ketones are the newest miracle-food fad, defined as “a natural phenolic compound that is the primary aroma compound of red raspberries. It is used in perfumery, in cosmetics, and as a food additive to impart a fruity odor.”

Manufacturers of raspberry ketone claim the supplement accelerates weight loss by eliminating the absorption of fat, increasing metabolism, and by removing fat from the body cells to be burned.

However, according to research, although products containing this compound are marketed as weight loss pills for women, there is “no clinical evidence for this effect in humans.”

Additionally, Dr. Oz also aired a segment on raspberry ketone supplements, which faced FTC charges of false advertising.

Green Coffee Bean Extract

Green coffee beans are essentially unroasted coffee beans, getting their name from their unroasted color. The extract is popularly sold in natural weight loss pills, with several human studies suggesting that it can help reduce the level of carbohydrates the digestive tract absorbs.

This extract also purportedly reduces blood sugar levels and insulin spikes, with animal studies indicating that it can help reduce fat absorption and encourage the fat burning hormone adiponectin. Even though these studies indicate positive effects for green coffee bean extract, this may be due to a change in diet or some other unknown mechanism.

However, the FTC calls these claims bogus and has initiated a lawsuit against a Florida-based company who markets the dietary supplements as weight loss pills for women, and were widely promoted on the popular Dr. Oz Show as a “miracle” and a “fat-burner.”

According to the FTC, the manufacturer made deceptive and unsubstantiated claims about weight loss products as guest on “Dr. Oz” and elsewhere.

Additionally, at a Senate hearing in June, lawmakers specifically took aim at Dr. Oz’s promotion of Pure Green Coffee Beans, a green coffee bean extract product, marketed as weight loss pills for women and touting that the supplements help users lose 20 pounds in four weeks and 16 percent of body fat in three months. The FTC sued the product’s Florida-based makers in May.

Weight Loss Supplement Lawsuits

These claims regarding garcinia cambogia extract pills, raspberry ketones, and green coffee bean extract are not backed by any real, reliable scientific evidence, yet supplement makers continue to make these misleading statements, marketing their products as “magic” weight loss pills for women and inducing untold numbers of consumers to pay hefty prices for products that offer no real benefits.

Attorneys are currently investigating weight loss claims concerning Garcina Cambogia, Raspberry Ketones, and Green Coffee Bean Extract, which are promoted and advertised as weight loss supplements, even though prevailing science does not appear to support these claims.

If you have been misled by weight loss supplement manufacturer’s labeling claims, you may be entitled to financial compensation.