If you’re looking for a supplement that is the most effective for weight loss, you should do a little research first. Below is a short list comparing synthetic and natural weight loss supplements, including Phentermine, and other natural supplements such as raspberry ketone, garcinia cambogia, and others. There are expert reviews of different supplements on Research and You that compare the price, ingredients and other aspects of a supplement if you need more information about a certain brand.
The difference between natural and synthetic supplements is how they are made. Synthetic supplements are completely man-made. They are created to mimic the way vitamins and minerals absorb into your system. However, your body recognizes those kinds of supplements as a different ingredient than a natural supplement. Sometimes, synthetic supplements are stored in your body until you can create the nutrients to absorb the supplement, or it depletes your body of its minerals in order to be absorbed, which may put you in danger of a deficiency. Natural supplements are much safer to use. They have ingredients from plant-based sources, and use the roots, leaves, seeds or oils from plants. They may be combined with other vitamins and minerals to help your body recognize and absorb them immediately.
For weight loss, you want a supplement that is fast, effective and safe. This doesn’t necessarily mean that natural supplements are safe – there are plenty of things grown in nature that are harmful or even poisonous. We will analyze the differences between synthetic and natural weight loss supplements, reporting how safe, easily absorbed, and effective they are.
Synthetic supplements
The most popular form of weight loss pill is a variant of the drug phentermine, which is sold under various names and different combinations of other drugs. The way phentermine works is it has the synthetic form of the amino acid called glutamine. Glutamine helps repair your muscles, keep the bacteria in your stomach working well, and regulate your blood sugar levels. Taking a synthetic form of glutamine decreases your appetite, which helps you lose weight by avoiding overeating. It also helps speed up your metabolism, which helps burn through calories more quickly, avoiding larger fat deposits after eating.
There are also supplements that are based on natural ingredients but are synthetic as well, such as raspberry ketone. Raspberry ketone is a supplement derived from the chemical that gives raspberries their unique smell. Just like glutamine, the ketones regulate your blood sugar, curb your appetite and boost your metabolism. Regulating your blood sugar levels helps your body avoid low blood sugar, which causes intense cravings of sugary, fatty foods. By boosting your metabolism, raspberry ketones burn the fats stored in your body for energy, assisting you in losing weight faster.
The side effects of synthetic supplements, however, are severe. Many supplements like those listed above are stimulants, which can affect the heart. Because of this, the supplements are easily addictive, causing the user to suffer from depression or extreme tiredness if they stop taking them. The effects will also wear off after a while, rendering the drug useless to weight loss. Most weight loss supplements advise the user to use the drug only for a few weeks, to avoid harmful side effects and to ensure that he or she does not develop a dependency. High doses of synthetic supplements can even be deadly.
Severe side effects from taking phentermine include:
- high blood pressure
- chest pain
- dizziness
- swelling in the lower half of your body such as your ankles
There has not been a lot of research on weight loss supplements, and so drug interactions or long-term side effects are unknown. This could also add an element of danger to taking these kinds of supplements.
Why natural is best
Natural supplements such as forskolin or green tea extract have ingredients taken from different flowers, seeds and the roots of plants. Most of these supplements aid not just in weight loss, but with other health issues as well, and have been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years to treat various illnesses. Research is limited with natural supplements, and there are fewer laws concerning testing these supplements before the are available on the market. Therefore, there are some supplements that are marketed as natural, but have been found to have synthetic ingredients in them after being studied. Added hidden ingredients increase the risk and potential side effects of these supplements.
Forskolin is a plant related to mint and is an extract from the roots. Green tea extract comes from the leaves of the plant that makes the delicious tea we all know. Both of these supplements help boost your metabolism and burn fat cells, but they are also originally used for much more. Forskolin has been used in Ayurvedic medicine to heal symptoms from asthma, allergies and glaucoma. Green tea has been used to boost immunity and rejuvenate the mind from its high amount of antioxidants it contains. The added bonus of these supplements is also weight loss.
Like any supplements, there are side effects if you overdose. Green tea contains a stimulant which can cause heart palpitations and may damage other organs if you take more than 100 mg a day. However, unlike synthetic supplements, there is no shortage or recommendation to stop taking the capsules after a certain amount of time. They also absorb faster due to their natural ingredients. As long as you stick to the correct dose, you can lose weight and get many other benefits as well.
Wrap up
If you’re looking for a diet supplement, it is better to go natural than synthetic. The dosage is much more manageable and these supplements can be taken for longer periods of time than synthetic ones. Your body metabolizes natural supplements better than synthetic pills. Although both kinds of supplements have severe side effects when taken in higher doses, there are clear advantages to natural supplements than man-made pills.