People who are finding it hard to lose weight run to diet pills—they are an attractive option for them.
Diet pills make it easier for people to get rid of excess weight. Many weight loss supplements also promote fat burning without the need to follow exercise regimens and strict diets.
One example is Lipozene; it provides exceptional results.
Here we review Lipozene’s effectiveness, whether or not it is safe to use.
What is Lipozene?
An excellent weight loss supplement, Lipozene contains a water-soluble fiber called glucomannan, which comes from the roots of the konjac plant or elephant yam.
Having an extraordinary ability to absorb water, a single capsule with glucomannan fiber can turn an entire glass of water into a gel.
That’s why it is often used as a food additive for emulsifying or thickening food.
Glucomannan’s water-absorbing property allows it to offer many health benefits, including relief from constipation, reduced blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and weight loss.
Having glucomannan as the only active ingredient, Lipozene is said to provide all these benefits.
What’s more, it contains stearic acid, magnesium silicate, and gelatin. Although none of these are weight loss-friendly, they add bulk and keep the product from getting lumpy.
How does it promote weight loss?
People who consume more dietary fiber have been found in observational studies to weigh less.
Although the reason is yet unknown, there are several ways for soluble fiber to help you lose weight.
Low in calories: The capsules will help you feel full even without adding extra calories to your diet because they are low in calories.
Reduces dietary calories: It may reduce nutrient absorption, like fat and protein, which allows you to get fewer calories from the food you eat.
Keeps you feel full: Having the ability to absorb water and expand in your stomach, it slows stomach emptying, making you feel fuller for longer.
Promotes gut health: It promotes good bacteria in your gut, making you less prone to weight gain.
Several other types of soluble fiber may offer similar results.
Is it effective?
Several studies have examined glucomannan’s effects on weight loss. Small but positive effects were observed in many studies.
For instance, 176 individuals were randomly assigned to a 1,200-calorie diet with fiber supplement either containing glucomannan or a placebo in a five-week study.
Those who were able to consume the fiber supplement experienced a 1.7-kg weight loss compared to the placebo group.
Similarly, glucomannan has been concluded in a recent review to help reduce body weight in obese or overweight people in the short term.
However, weight loss benefits of fiber supplements are believed to disappear after about six months. Better results can be achieved when combined with a calorie-controlled diet.
It can be concluded that diet changes are necessary to achieve long-term results.
Other health benefits
Soluble fiber is associated with several health benefits besides weight loss; thus, taking Lipozene can have other potential health benefits as well. This includes the following:
Improved gut health: Having prebiotic properties, glucomannan feeds the good bacteria in the gut, which may help lower your risk of developing several diseases by producing short-chain fatty acids.
Reduced constipation: Taking the recommended dose of 1 gram, three times a day, glucomannan can help reduce constipation.
Lower disease risk: It may also lower blood fats, blood pressure, and blood sugar—risk factors for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Dosage and side effects of Lipozene
The manufacturers recommend taking 2 capsules, 30 minutes before meal, with at least 230-ml water three times a day, allowing a maximum of 6 capsules to spread throughout the day.
This is equivalent to taking 4.5 grams per day in total, which is beyond the amount known to be effective for weight loss, namely between 2 and 4 grams per day.
Timing is however very important. Unless you take glucomannan before a meal, it doesn’t affect weight loss.
Taking it in capsule form is way better than taking the powder from inside the capsules. Washing it down with a lot of water is also very important.
Being very absorbent, glucomannan powder, if taken incorrectly, could expand before it reaches your stomach, thereby causing a blockage. What’s more, inhaling the powder could also pose some serious side effects.
Moreover, starting with a small amount is ideal; you can increase your intake gradually. Suddenly introducing a lot of fiber in your diet can lead to digestive problems.
Although Lipozene is often well tolerated, some people may experience stomach discomfort, constipation, diarrhea, and nausea.
If you are however taking other medications, such as diabetes medication, you should speak with your doctor first before taking Lipozene, as it may block its absorption, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the drug.
But this can be avoided by taking your medication at least four hours after or an hour before taking the supplement.
Finally, Lipozene and glucomannan both offer similar health benefits, which means you can buy a cheaper, unbranded glucomannan supplement if you want.
It is also noteworthy that the main ingredient in shirataki noodles is glucomannan, which costs less.
Conclusion
Glucomannan in Lipozene has been suggested to help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Since Lipozene and glucomannan offer similar benefits, you can purchase and take any unbranded supplement if you want.
You can find a good variety of these supplements on Amazon.
Although there can be a lot of awesome Lipozene results, it is important to note that these supplements are not silver bullets for weight loss. It can’t help you achieve your weight loss goals on its own.
Following a healthy diet and exercise regimen is still the best way to lose weight.