NCCAM Clinical Digest
National Institutes of Health • National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
The NCCAM Clinical Digest is a monthly e-newsletter that summarizes the state of the science on complementary health practices and a health condition (diabetes, cancer, sleep disorders, etc.)—clinical guidelines, literature searches, research highlights, and information for patients.
In each issue, you'll find evidence-based information for several complementary health practices used for the highlighted condition.
If a friend or colleague has directed you to this resource, we encourage you to subscribe to NCCAM Clinical Digest.
Weight Loss and Complementary Health Practices
More than two-thirds of adults and one-third of children in the United States are overweight or obese. Achieving a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, and being physically active can help lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar—and may also help prevent weight-related diseases, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, as you know.
Your patients may ask you about complementary health approaches for losing weight, such as dietary supplements marketed for weight loss, which are available in supermarkets, pharmacies, health food stores, and the Internet. Although patients may be tempted by the “quick fix” claims of these products, most of these products haven’t been proven safe or effective. Two important safety concerns about dietary supplements for weight loss are the possibilities of drug interactions and product contamination. This issue provides information on “what the science says” about a few popular dietary supplements marketed for weight loss, including acai, bitter orange, ephedra, and green tea, as well as several mind and body practices that are being studied for weight loss.
