Guidelines

[ffviifan]

Are there any sites that you can trust that can provide you with guidelines regarding dietary supplements. You know, sites that you can trust to tell you what ingredients should be avoided or which ones are promising, etc.? I know that dietary supplements are unregulated, but it would be nice for some official and well-respected organization to give some sort of recommendation, right? Am I asking too much here or is there a place that I can trust to help me out?

[jan]

I have no idea...have you tried Mayo Clinic or Web MD? Maybe one of those sites will be of use to you. They are trustworthy at the very least. That said, I don't think even they will provide you with any real advice. That's sort of the trouble with unregulated stuff. A legitimate place isn't going to tell you to do something when there is no proof that it is safe or that it works. I think the best thing you can do is do as much research as possible, get the opinion of a medical professional and make decisions from there.

[Mike]

Yeah...good question. I really don't think there is any site you can trust to guide you. It's really all about learning as much as you can about the ingredients that interest you, reading studies, etc. and then talking to your doctor about what you find, if you're aiming for the safest route. I wish there was something a little more foolproof and easier, but there isn't.

[chefmel]

No, there really isn't. All you can really do is look into each ingredient you find on the label of the product you're interested in taking and do your best to research it. WebMD and the Mayo Clinic are great resources for researching stuff but they won't give you any recommendations. It really sucks that there isn't anything out there, though. :(

[ffviifan]

No, there really isn't. All you can really do is look into each ingredient you find on the label of the product you're interested in taking and do your best to research it. WebMD and the Mayo Clinic are great resources for researching stuff but they won't give you any recommendations. It really sucks that there isn't anything out there, though. :(

Bleh. Well that's really disappointing! Thanks for sharing your thoughts anyways guys. Is it just me or do you think that this should change? Why doesn't the medical industry do anything about this...or government or someone? Why does regulation stop with drugs?

[Beth]

Honestly, it boils down to time and money. For the FDA to start regulating herbs and things, money would have to be spent on lots of studies. Plus, since lots of studies would need to take place to determine the true effects of these substances, this isn't something that happens overnight This would take decades of research and trials. it's just easier for these things to be called food supplements and not medications.

[jan]

Honestly, it boils down to time and money. For the FDA to start regulating herbs and things, money would have to be spent on lots of studies. Plus, since lots of studies would need to take place to determine the true effects of these substances, this isn't something that happens overnight This would take decades of research and trials. it's just easier for these things to be called food supplements and not medications.

That maybe so, but they should do something about it. Time and money can't always be valued over people's health. These agencies know how much of a problem overweight and obesity is. They can't just look after those who are obease, but also try to help those of us who are overweight find healthy solutions, too.

[ffviifan]

That maybe so, but they should do something about it. Time and money can't always be valued over people's health. These agencies know how much of a problem overweight and obesity is. They can't just look after those who are obease, but also try to help those of us who are overweight find healthy solutions, too.

I agree, but doesn't it always seem like our world is designed to deal with problems once they are there and not do anything to help prevent them? I feel like more support needs to be given to prevent problems.

[MomNeedsCoffee]

I'm not sure how i even stumbled upon this forum, but glad I did. I felt stuck. Gradually put on 40lbs. My sister has always struggled with her weight and has tried every supplement out there, even the ones I told her to stay away from. Last Nov, 2017 my friend gave me a sample of a new "weight loss" coffee. I assumed it was another gimmicky product with either unsafe ingredients, was outrageously expensive, or it just was not effective. I researched this coffee and couldn't find any ingredients that gave me red flags. Then i find out it's an MLM. That's a big red flag for me. But I was still very intrigued because of the ingredients. I have worked in healthcare for more than 20yrs now so I'm fairly knowledgeable when it comes to how the body breaks-down and utilizes what we ingest. Long story short, I tried the coffee and I lost 14lbs in the first month, 30lbs total. My husband is down 24lbs. My sister is down 55lbs and counting. My cousin started in Jan and is now down 105lbs. And even my 86 year old grandmother has lost more than 25lbs (she won't get back on the scale. Because of the weight loss, her labs have significantly improved ~ cholesterol is within normal limits for the first time in the past 2 years and her A1C went down 2 point (shes DM type 2). My husband who has high blood pressure and high cholesterol, saw the same results in his labs. This has been a blessing for many of our family and friends

[freddyboy]

I'm not sure how i even stumbled upon this forum, but glad I did. I felt stuck. Gradually put on 40lbs. My sister has always struggled with her weight and has tried every supplement out there, even the ones I told her to stay away from. Last Nov, 2017 my friend gave me a sample of a new "weight loss" coffee. I assumed it was another gimmicky product with either unsafe ingredients, was outrageously expensive, or it just was not effective. I researched this coffee and couldn't find any ingredients that gave me red flags. Then i find out it's an MLM. That's a big red flag for me. But I was still very intrigued because of the ingredients. I have worked in healthcare for more than 20yrs now so I'm fairly knowledgeable when it comes to how the body breaks-down and utilizes what we ingest. Long story short, I tried the coffee and I lost 14lbs in the first month, 30lbs total. My husband is down 24lbs. My sister is down 55lbs and counting. My cousin started in Jan and is now down 105lbs. And even my 86 year old grandmother has lost more than 25lbs (she won't get back on the scale. Because of the weight loss, her labs have significantly improved ~ cholesterol is within normal limits for the first time in the past 2 years and her A1C went down 2 point (shes DM type 2). My husband who has high blood pressure and high cholesterol, saw the same results in his labs. This has been a blessing for many of our family and friends

No offense, but that does sound very gimmicky. What is the product you're talking about called? I can't imagine drinking any coffee (or any beverage for that matter) that would lead to that much weight loss...still I'm intrigued. Is it expensive and where did you get it?

[chefmel]

No offense, but that does sound very gimmicky. What is the product you're talking about called? I can't imagine drinking any coffee (or any beverage for that matter) that would lead to that much weight loss...still I'm intrigued. Is it expensive and where did you get it?

I agree. That does sound bogus. Nothing works like that.