5 plants that help you lose weight
Did you put on weight this summer? Don’t worry. Taking a break from our usual commitments, changing our routines and eating out can all cause us to gain a few extra pounds.
If you’re looking for a natural way to get back to your ideal weight, several natural dietary supplements are available to help you burn fat after the excesses of summer and at other times when needed. If you combine these supplements with a balanced diet and exercising as much as possible, you’ll get your figure back in no time.
At Anastore you’ll find a range of the highest quality products that are based on active compounds of plants whose properties offer benefits that aid natural weight loss and burn fat.
Glucomannan
Glucomannan is a natural fibre extracted from konjac (Amorphophallus konjac K. Koch), a tuber traditionally grown in China and Japan whose root is almost 100% fibre12.
This dietary fibre has a high capacity to absorb water and reduce weight1 because, when ingested mixed with water, it increases in volume in the stomach, creating a feeling of fullness2 which helps to stop us eating too much.
Anastore’s Glucomannan (Konjac) food supplement is made with dry extract of konjac tuber, carefully selected from the best quality plants for its glucomannan content. Glucomannan helps you lose weight when taking 3g per day of this supplement alongside a low-calorie diet.
Green Tea
One of the most popular options is green tea. This Camellia sinensis plant helps you lose weight naturally. The green tea plant helps to reduce appetite and stimulate fat burning4.
Studies have found positive effects on controlling body weight5 from using blends of green tea and caffeine, as it can increase energy expenditure using tea catechins and caffeine. Green tea and caffeine improve weight maintenance through thermogenesis and fat oxidation while sparing fat-free mass5.
Anastore’s Green coffee (Svetol®) and green tea product contains dry extract of green tea leaves. It is obtained through aqueous extraction, meaning only water is used as the extraction solvent. We recommend taking 2 capsules per day with half a glass of water. We also offer a Green tea supplement for those who prefer not to combine it with coffee.
Garcinia
Other great natural products that help with weight loss and burning fat include those containing dry extract of garcinia gum resin, Garcinia Cambogia (GC), or the next product from the PLANTAE range – garcinia fruit extract, which has been studied and used as a natural weight loss supplement6. Studies point to positive results for garcinia’s efficacy in the weight loss process, and have also found little evidence of side effects.
Garcinia, a plant that grows in Asia, contains hydroxycitric acid, or HCA. This acid suppresses the formation of fats in the metabolism (a process known as lipogenesis), reducing their build-up in the body and inducing weight loss7. To achieve this, including Anastore’s Garcinia Cambogia as a dietary supplement as part of a healthy diet will aid natural weight loss.
Nopal
You’re familiar with the fruit known as prickly pear, right? Well, this fruit comes from the plant called barbary fig or nopal. Nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) is a Mexican cactus and can be a great natural weight-loss aid, as it helps decrease appetite8.
In recent studies9 to evaluate nopal’s effectiveness, significant reductions in body mass index and body fat percentage were observed9. The components of this plant promote the absorption of fat and sugars8, so a dietary supplement containing prickly pear extract will help us towards our goal of losing weight naturally.
Anastore’s Organic Nopal provides the help you need to lose weight.
L - Glutathione and Papaya
We end our profile of the key plants that aid natural weight loss with our papaya and glutathione combination. Papaya is well known as one of the most exquisite tropical fruits. But one of its most active compounds – papain – may not be so well known. Papain is a molecule with diuretic and proteolytic activity10 capable of breaking down sugars and collagen fibres from cellulite, so has traditionally been used to reduce body fat10.
Meanwhile, glutathione, a protein produced naturally by the body, helps protect against oxidative stress. It is key to regulating cell proliferation and immune function11.
The combined action of these two components creates an ideal synergy for losing those extra pounds or helping with weight-loss diets, and is available in Anastore’s L-Glutathione and Papain product.
In addition to these dietary supplements, don’t forget that we need a varied and balanced diet combined with regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle to help maintain ideal body weight.
Bibliography
- Kaats GR, Bagchi D, Preuss HG. Konjac Glucomannan Dietary Supplementation Causes Significant Fat Loss in Compliant Overweight Adults [published online ahead of print, 2015 Oct 22]. J Am Coll Nutr. 2015;1‐7. doi:10.1080/07315724.2015.1009194.
- Chua M, Baldwin TC, Hocking TJ, Chan K. Traditional uses and potential health benefits of Amorphophallus konjac K. Koch ex N.E.Br. J Ethnopharmacol. 2010;128(2):268‐278. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2010.01.021.
- COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 432/2012 of 16 May 2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods, other than those referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children’s development and health.
- Extracted from the EFSA health claims application list, under evaluation (ID 1107).
- Westerterp-Plantenga MS. Green tea catechins, caffeine and body-weight regulation. Physiol Behav. 2010 Apr 26;100(1):42-6. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.02.005. Epub 2010 Feb 13. PMID: 20156466.
- Fassina P, Scherer Adami F, Terezinha Zani V, Kasper Machado IC, Garavaglia J, Quevedo Grave MT, Ramos R, Morelo Dal Bosco S. THE EFFECT OF GARCINIA CAMBOGIA AS COADJUVANT IN THE WEIGHT LOSS PROCESS. Nutr Hosp. 2015 Dec 1;32(6):2400-8. doi: 10.3305/nh.2015.32.6.9587. PMID: 26667686.
- Extracted from the EFSA health claims application list, under evaluation (ID2651).
- Extracted from the EFSA health claims application list, under evaluation (ID2733).
- Onakpoya IJ, O'Sullivan J, Heneghan CJ. The effect of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Nutrition. 2015 May;31(5):640-6. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2014.11.015. Epub 2014 Dec 19. PMID: 25837206.
- Extracted from the EFSA health claims application list, under evaluation (ID 2710).
- Lu SC. Glutathione synthesis. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2013 May;1830(5):3143-53. doi: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2012.09.008. Epub 2012 Sep 17. PMID: 22995213; PMCID: PMC3549305.
- Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed) [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); 2006–. Glucomannan. 2021 Sep 20. PMID: 30000957.