Can Certain Vitamins Actually Help You Lose Weight Here’s What A Dietitian Says
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: there’s no magic pill for weight loss. Yes, that includes vitamin supplements, said Vanessa Rissetto, MS, registered dietitian and co-founder of Culina Health.
“I wouldn’t recommend taking any supplements with the intention of having it help you lose weight,” Rissetto told POPSUGAR. “That’s not actually a thing. If there was a vitamin you could take or a food source you could eat that would help with your weight, then everyone would be on it.”
Taking B12 To Lose Weight: What You Should Know
B12 to lose weight? Taking Vitamin B12 for losing weight is sometimes praised as a smart weight loss regimen, but its not fit to help everybody lose weight. The vitamin can counteract a natural deficiency in the body, which, when resolved, can provide boosts in energy and metabolism.
As with anything else, though, its best to understand a weight loss product completely before investing in it, especially when concentrated supplements are in the mix. As far as your health is concerned, theres only one person making the choices that affect the condition of your body.
The best advice is to discuss B12 options with your doctor and speak with representatives from local wellness centers to understand your choice of treatment.
Supporting Your Weight Loss Efforts
As you organize your plan to achieve successful and sustainable weight loss, you should primarily focus on balancing nutrients and increasing physical activity. But calorie restriction can often mean nutrient deficits are created. For help choosing the best womens vitamins for energy and weight loss as well as other beneficial supplements that add value to your efforts, contact your healthcare provider. They can help to evaluate your needs and examine prescription medications alongside supplement choices to avoid contraindications and identify potentially dangerous interactions. In this way, you can use dietary supplements to your benefit to safely and effectively maximize your results and increase the likelihood of sustainable weight loss.
If you need guidance identifying the best womens vitamins for energy and weight loss, BodyLogicMD can help. The BodyLogicMD network is comprised of top medical professionals who can help you analyze your baseline and create a personalized plan to accomplish and maintain healthy weight loss. Contact a local practitioner to schedule your first appointment, or take the BodyLogicMD Hormone Balance Quiz to find out how hormones may be impacting your weight and overall health.
Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. All content on this website is for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent diseases.
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Vitamins B6 And B12 For Weight Loss
It is a well-known fact in the medical world that vitamins are essential for normal body function. There are a variety of vitamins in our food with some vitamins being synthesized in our skin upon exposure to sunlight.
The B vitamins, in particular, are important in a number of metabolic processes that occur within our body. More recently however, there has been interest in vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 in particular, as they are now considered to play an important role in weight loss. We are going to cover off Vitamins B6 and B12 for Weight Loss in this article.
Follow The Sun To Increase Vitamin D
A 2011 study showed overweight adults who took vitamin D and calcium lost more fat from their abdomens than those who didnt. Vitamin D, which is a hormone, helps your body absorb calcium. To increase your levels, get sun exposure daily. You can also obtain vitamin D from a supplement or foods, such as salmon, tuna, egg yolks, and fortified milk, yogurt, and cereals.
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Vitamins And Your Metabolism
This may impact upon your weight because of its effect on the metabolism, which is assisted by a wide variety of nutrients. Importantly, your metabolism regulates the rate at which the body burns off kilojoules, and a well-functioning metabolism is important for weight control.
On the other hand, some people may blame multivitamins for weight gain or a lack of weight loss because they ignore the bigger picture of their overall lifestyle. This is especially true of people who take multivitamins because their diet is otherwise lacking.
Can Vitamins Help You Lose Weight
So, no, there’s no one vitamin you can take to help you lose weight. That said, Rissetto noted that some vitamins can have an indirect effect on your weight. Vitamin B, for example, keeps your metabolism fully functioning, allowing your body to continuously convert calories into energy. Having low levels of vitamin B means your metabolism won’t be working as efficiently as it could, which can hinder your weight loss goals. And if you’re low in iron, Rissetto added, you might experience fatigue, weakness, and low energy levels, which could make working out more difficult and lead to difficulty with weight loss.
Some research has also found a correlation between vitamin D and weight loss, with one 2011 study noting that overweight people who took calcium and vitamin D supplements lost more belly fat than people who didn’t take supplements. Exactly how vitamin D relates to weight loss and management, though, is unclear. It can help ease symptoms of depression, Rissetto pointed out, which can include weight gain or a change in eating behaviors, but the reason behind the the vitamin D-weight loss connection remains unknown.
While these vitamins could all be factors in weight loss or weight gain, “saying that one vitamin is going to help with weight loss doesn’t really tell the entire story,” Rissetto said, “and we haven’t seen that to be the case.”
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Vitamin B Can Help You Lose Weight
Vitamin B deficiencies in particular turn up often in those struggling to lose weight. One reason for this is that our bodies dont store the B vitamins in the same way that they store other vitamins. We end up excreting whatever B vitamins we take in but dont use right away. So stocking up on B vitamins in one sitting doesnt do us any good the next day. If we dont resupply our bodies with those essential nutrients, the systems that require vitamin B to function efficiently will suffer.
B Vitamins For Energy
B vitamins make up a group of eight water-soluble vitamins that play an important role in metabolizing food into energy, reports the Office of Dietary Supplements.
Because they’re necessary components of your metabolism, you may think getting more B vitamins in your diet will rev up your metabolism and help you lose weight. That’s not the case, however. Because they’re water-soluble, your body is unable to store B vitamins, and any excess you take beyond what you need is eliminated in your urine.
Making sure you meet your B-vitamin needs, however, may help control appetite, and keep energy levels up. They’re found in a variety of B-rich foods, according to MyFoodData, including:
- 6-ounce pork chop
- One cup fortified tofu
- 6-ounce cooked fillet yellowfin tuna
- One cup cooked shiitake mushrooms
- 6-ounce cooked fillet of wild salmon
- One cup edamame
- 6-ounce skirt steak
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Top 10 Best Natural Supplements For Weight Loss
Most people have lived with extra body weight at one point in life, and know how difficult it is to sustain healthy weight loss. Ready to explore natural supplements for weight loss?
Of course, healthy,natural weight loss comes from a well-rounded diet and exercise routine, not commercial weight loss pills. Although, principles of integrative medicine can help support different hormones, neurotransmitters, and metabolic reactions that work with your individual physiology.This will help you burn fat more efficiently.
Experts at CentreSpringMD, the Atlanta areas leading integrative medicine center are here to provide medical advice on healthy weight loss.
Check out these superfoods, amino acids, and special botanicals that help people lose weight naturally.
What If I Cant Get The Amount Of Vitamin A That I Need From Food
It isnt likely that you dont get the amount of vitamin A that you need from food. However, there are certain circumstances that may prevent you from getting it. Around 45 percent of people have a condition where their bodies cant absorb the full amount of vitamin A from vegetables.
If you are trying to lose weight, you will probably be eating a lot of vegetables. If you happen to be one of the 45 percent, then you may not get the recommended daily amount that you need which means that you wont be ingesting enough of vitamin A for weight loss. In this case you could take supplements. Vitamin A supplements are usually marketed for skin issues, but this can still help you with your weight loss goals.
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Can Vitamin D Help You Lose Weight
The correlation between low vitamin D and weight gain is unquestionable. But can vitamin D help you shed some weight and perhaps keep it off? If evidence from a series of recent studies is something to go by, then yes â vitamin D supplementation can indeed improve your likelihood of losing weight and decreasing body/belly fat.
In one double-blinded study involving 218 obese and overweight female participants, all of whom were on an exercise program and calorie-limited diet, 114 were given a vitamin D supplement while the rest was the control group. At the end of the 12-month study, scientists discovered that participants who met their vitamin D requirements lost more weight than those who had lower-than-required blood levels.
The findings of the above study were backed by another 2018 clinical trial whose results were published in theInternational Journal of Preventive Medicine. In this study in which similarly obese and overweight women were put on a vitamin D supplement treatment for six weeks, researchers noted a significant reduction in the BMIs, waist circumference, and overall weight.
Scientific corroboration
Together, these studies reiterated an earlier assumption about low vitamin D and weight gain. In particular, they suggest that vitamin D supplementation may, as part of a weight loss regimen combined with exercise, improve the chances of weight loss success.
The role of hormones
The advantage of lowering blood cholesterol
Stress Less Weigh Less
Much research points towards stress as a major culprit. Each time we stress, our cortisol levels rise and the stress hormone increases the level of glucose in the bloodstream to help us deal with the stressor.
Unfortunately, many people suffer from chronic stress, meaning their cortisol levels are raised for long periods of time.
A recent study from 2017 published in Obesity Society Research Journal suggests that high stress lifestyles lead to weight gain.
People tend to reach for high energy or comfort foods when stressed, which is why it is important to practice mindfulness and learn how to destress when necessary.
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Vitamin A For Heart Health
Having a healthy heart is important for weight loss. For one, your body is going through a radical change as you lose weight so your heart needs to be strong enough to cope with it. Another consideration is that you will most likely be exercising on your weight loss journey, so you definitely need your heart in tip-top shape for that.
Just like with antioxidants, vitamin A doesnt directly keep your heart in shape for weight loss and exercise, but it has been shown to aid in preventing certain conditions that would affect your ability to lose weight and/or exercise safely.
Hypertrophy is one of these conditions. Hypertrophy is an enlargement of the heart. More specifically, it is a response to certain internal or external stimuli such as hypertension. It can also be caused by and/or compounded by sarcomeric gene mutations. Hypertrophy can rarely be a good thingsometimes it can normalize wall tension, but in general, its very bad and can lead to sudden death.
Studies have shown that retinoic acid a derivative of vitamin A, can suppress sarcomeric gene mutations. With the suppression of gene mutations, a person has a significantly smaller chance of developing hypertrophy which means they can safely exercise and meet their weight loss goals.
Do Weight Loss Supplements Work
It’s important to understand that there is no “magic pill” when it comes to weight loss. A strategic diet and exercise plan remain a mainstay of any healthy weight loss effort.
However, including carefully curated supplements can enhance the effects of other healthy lifestyle changes by boosting metabolism, helping to manage appetite or cravings, increasing fat burning, reducing fat absorption, or improving gut health.
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Will Fruit Help Me Lose Weight
Eating three cups of fresh or frozen berries each week could help you shed four pounds monthly without dieting, reveals research in the British Journal of Nutrition. Berries contain nutrients , which block sugar absorption and help your cells burn blood sugar for fuel before it can be converted into fat, said study co-author Leo Niskanen. Bonus: Those healthy polyphenols nourish your insulin-producing pancreas, cutting your risk of pre-diabetes by 31 percent, Yale researchers said.
Integrative Medicine For Safe Effective Weight Loss
Have you continued to struggle with popular weight loss efforts?Has your weight loss plateaued? Your functional medicine provider can help you navigate your unique chemistry to restore balance to systems that are holding you back.
Working with the support of integrative medicine will give you access to genetic testing, nutrient deficiency tests, and a health coach who can truly help you implement the changes that others continue to struggle with.
Learn about natural supplements for weight loss, including one that wont cost you a penny!
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How Does Vitamin A Affect Weight Loss
Vitamin A isnt a specific weight loss supplement. With vitamin A you dont pop a pill, get a caffeine boost, and burn fat. It is more of an indirect collaborator in helping people lose weight. Vitamin A provides a lot of cellular support in organs that can help your body on a metabolic level.
You could compare Vitamin A to a pit crew in a racethe driver and the car are doing all the work but every now and again they have to stop and get their car serviced. If there was no pit crew, they could still keep goingfor a whilebut eventually, their fuel will run out and the car will break down. This is how Vitamin A helps you with weight loss. Its a support system that helps you make it to the weight loss finish line. In the next section, we will give you three reasons to consider vitamin A in your weight loss plans.
Vitamin B Increases Energy Levels To Workout
As the B vitamins break down the carbs, fat, and protein in your diet, they also turn that food into energy. If you often feel too tired to exercise, it may not be that youre working too hard or getting insufficient sleep. Instead, it may point to a vitamin B deficiency. A vitamin injection may be just what you need to get yourself up on the treadmill and stay there long enough to make a difference.
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Vitamin A As An Antioxidant
You probably hear about antioxidants all the time. Many people know that antioxidants are good for them, but have no idea what they are or what they do. Antioxidants help to clean up harmful waste in our digestive systems, especially free radicals. Free radicals are substances that come from external sources, but can also be generated internally. Free radicals can bind to your cells and damage them. They can even cause conditions as serious as cancer.
So how does cleaning up free radicals help you with your weight loss journey? While there has been no direct link between antioxidants and losing weight, the foods that supply antioxidants are healthy and low in calories, and they also contain a good supply of other vitamins. If you make it a point to ensure that you have a good supply of antioxidants in your body from your eating habits, you will automatically be eating foods that are great for losing weight.
Losing Weight And Gaining Strength
As weight decreases, strength typically increases. Weight loss is a combination of diet and exercise The less body mass an individual must move around, the less strain the muscles and bones will be under. Vitamins alone will not do much to promote weight loss. The key to weight loss is lifestyle changes. A healthy diet and exercise will do far more for long-term weight loss than vitamins alone. Vitamins are meant to be a support to weight loss, not the only cause. Vitamin B, D, iron, and magnesium are 4 popular supplements for weight loss. Speak with a pharmacist to learn more about vitamins to try.
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Vitamins To Lose Weight Vitamin C
Glassman says studies have shown that people who arent getting enough vitamin C might be more resistant to weight loss than people who have adequate levels. So supplementing vitamin C is a possibility there . However, she also says more doesnt always equal better because vitamin C is water soluble, any extra will simply leave your body after you use the restroom. In short: When using vitamin C for weight loss, dont overdo it! But if you feel that youre not getting enough, here are a few one-a-day vitamin C supplements you can take.
