The internet is filled with ads for resveratrol “free trial offers” that claim to help you lose incredible amounts of weight. If you use these advertised resveratrol “free trial” products you will lose weight… in your wallet! We have documented the resveratrol scams on this site and have put little weight into resveratrol weight loss claims (pardon the pun) – but now it looks like a legitimate study has shown some connection between resveratrol and weight loss.

Resveratrol and Weight Loss is There a Connection?

In a study published on 6/22/2010 in BMC Physiology, researchers from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, France found that mouse lemurs (primates) who were given resveratrol decreased their energy intake by 13%, while increasing their resting metabolic rate by 29%. What makes the study very significant is that mouse lemurs are primates.  I know, they have “mouse” in their name, but they are primates, not rodents.  As far as we know, this is the first time that resveratrol has been shown to increase resting metabolic rate in primates.

Resveratrol, Weight Loss and Primates

We could give our take on what the study showed, but why not give an exact quote of the Conclusions from the study itself -

“In conclusion, we demonstrated for the first time the short-term effects of resveratrol on the metabolism of an heterothermic primate. Resveratrol activates energy expenditure by inducing an increase in resting metabolic rate and a decrease in torpor patterns that play key roles in energy saving in this primate. Moreover, resveratrol had a satiety effect in this primate that reduced their spontaneous food intake. All of these changes participated in the limitation of pre-wintering fattening processes in which the increase in the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide levels would play an additive role. These results provide novel information on the potential effects of resveratrol on energy metabolism and control of body mass in a primate.”

- Resveratrol suppresses body mass gain in a seasonal non-human primate model of obesity, 6/22/10

In laymen terms, resveratrol increased metabolism,  increased satiety, decreased weight and decreased the need for food in lemurs while maintaining energy levels.

So the Free Trial Resveratrol Products Really Will Help me Lose Weight?

No, no and NO! The “free trial” resveratrol products are very low quality resveratrol supplements and automatically bill you for their inferior supplements every month.  You really want to AVOID any “free trial” resveratrol supplement.

Will a 99% Pure Trans-Resveratrol Supplement Help Me Lose Weight?

Yes… if you are a lemur!  While our blog is well read, I don’t think we reach many lemurs.  While lemurs are primates, and results in non-human primates may translate to humans,  much more research needs to be done.   We do feel that more and more research in showing strong potential health benefits from resveratrol, but we still need to determine the best resveratrol dosage for humans.   So, if you take a pure resveratrol supplement like the Perfect ResGrape Resveratrol for all the other health benefits and also end up losing some weight – you can thank us later!

When you think of whey protein you tend to think of body builders and people looking to “bulk up”.  The idea of drinking down 50 grams of protein shakes a day does not bring up images of people looking to lose weight.

New Study Shows Whey Protein May Help Overweight People

A new study done by Associate Professor Sebely Pal and colleagues from Curtin University and funded by Dairy Australia, evaluated the effects of whey protein supplementation on a number of health risk factors in a group of overweight or obese adults. What they found was that whey protein improved a number of health risk factors in overweight or obese adults.

“The subjects – 70 overweight or obese men and women – were randomly allocated to replace a portion of their normal diet with whey protein, casein or glucose for 12 weeks.

After the 12 weeks, the researchers found that the whey protein group showed improvements in their cholesterol levels, insulin levels, blood pressure and artery stiffness.”

- Dairy Australia Study – May 10, 2010

Is Dairy Australia Really An Objective Source?

We are with you – we had the same reaction when we read the story, however, the study looks like it is for real.  The study is set to be published in two peer-reviewed journals – Obesity and the British Journal of Nutrition.  Yes, it was only done with 70 subjects, but it does show that whey protein has more health benefits then we may have imagined.

Whey Protein – Not Just For Body Builders Any More

Is Whey Protein really some diet miracle  – no.  The study does not show people lost weight when using whey protein, but it did show that overweight and obese people who consume whey protein have less health issues.   It does seem that if you are looking to lose weight the idea of replacing a high calorie meal with a good whey protein shake can help you shed some pounds and reduce some of the health risks associated with being overweight.

You have no doubt seen the ads….

Take Acai Berry to magical melt the pounds away. But wait, don’t order yet – you also need to take a Colon Cleanse – to flush 30 pounds of waste out of your system. Yes, take Acai and a Colon Cleanse and in 30 days you will be the next Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model!

Are Acai and a Colon Cleanse Really Like Peanut Butter and Jelly?

No! We get a large number of questions regarding the use of a colon cleanse with an acai berry supplement. As numerous other web sites are claiming that you need to take Acai and a Colon Cleanse together, we are often asked why we don’t recommend a colon cleanse along with the Perfect Acai.

Well, there is a very simple answer – we don’t feel like misleading you today! Go ahead and do a search online to try to find one clinical study showing a positive effect from combining Acai with a Colon Cleanse. Go ahead, we will wait…

Back so soon? You probably found a million websites trying to sell you Acai and a Colon Cleanse – but did you find one clinical study to support their claims? No. We don’t mean to be cynical, but the real reason everyone else is pushing a Colon Cleanse with Acai is that they make more money if you buy two supplements instead of one.

Is a Colon Cleanse Useless?

Maybe. We do not claim to be experts on all the various colon cleanse products on the market. What we do know is that the body absorbs the calories from food before it reaches the colon. So, claims that you will lose lots of weight from a colon cleanse are not valid.

Can a colon cleanse help some people? Maybe. You can do your own research. All we are saying is that this connection between the Acai Berry and a Colon Cleanse is a marketing creation. We guarantee you that the people of the Amazon Rain Forest are not washing down their Acai bowls with a colon cleanse chaser!

Quality Acai Products Can Stand on Their Own

Pure Organic Acai Berry products such as the Perfect Acai, can stand on their own as an incredibly nutritious supplement. If a company is telling you that you need a Colon Cleanse to make their Acai product work – that would be a company we would avoid.

We have an Obesity issue in this country – so Weight Loss Supplements are sold as the solution to our weight problems.

We have an issue with drug addiction and crime associated with drug use, so the War on Drugs is our solution to our drug problem.

We have an issue with global warming and oil dependency, so Hybrid Cars are the solution to our energy problems.

Weight loss supplements, The War on Drugs and Hybrid Cars are all connected because they are presented as solutions to real problems, but they are actually flawed and failed solutions!

Why Our Solutions Don’t Address the Problems and Just Treat the Symptoms

We humans, we are a complicated bunch. We often do things that we know are not healthy (smoking, over eating, excessive drinking, drugs, driving too fast, etc) because there are deeper reasons why we are indulging in something we know is not healthy. I don’t think I am breaking any news here, we all know we sometimes act in a way that benefits us short term, but hurts us long term.

The problem is that when we come up with solutions to our problems, we only address that short term issue – and this misses the whole root of the problem. Let’s take a look at our examples again…

The War on Drugs

We have been waging a War on Drugs for over 30 years and addiction rates are still very high. The War on Drugs looks to address the short term issue – make it harder to buy drugs by reducing the supply of drugs on the street. The problem is, the real long term issues – why people turn to drugs, the issues in their lives that force them to want to do drugs (even when they know they are bad) and of course the chemical addiction – are not addressed by this War on Drugs Solution. In the end, the War on Drugs is a failed solution to drug abuse because it fails to address the deeper issues of why we use drugs in the first place.

Oil Dependency and Global Warming

If reducing our Oil Dependency was as simple as making hybrid cars, then we could cure obesity by making only small size clothes. Again, making Hybrid cars is great, but the solution has to lie in figuring out what it is in humans that makes us WANT to drive high powdered, gas guzzling cars. Short term – we know driving a gas guzzler is bad, but many of us still do even as hybrids enter the market. It is hard, but we need to dig deeper and figure out the root of our problems and not just treat the symptoms of our problems.

Weight Loss Supplements

This is a nutrition blog, so let’s look a little deeper at the whole weight loss supplements issue. Let’s assume that weight loss supplements actually were very effective and helped you lose some amount of weight. A major assumption, but let’s run with it. The problem is, dealing with getting our body to burn more calories is only a small part of the problem. The real problem is why we want to eat more than we should, or eat the wrong foods, or not exercise. It may be because we are depressed and food is a comfort to us. A weight loss supplement will not address the real problem – why we are depressed, why we are eating too much and why we are not exercising.

You might argue that it doesn’t matter why we are eating, if a weight loss supplement helps us lose weight, then we have a solution to obesity. I would argue at best we have a very short term solution to obesity. Once we realize we can pop a pill and lose weight, we will eat more – because we can and because we have done nothing to address the issue of why we are overeating. In addition, all the issues that come with overeating – diabetes, heart disease, etc – will still be present.

Obesity is a symptom of a larger problem – we need to address the larger problem.

2010 New Year’s Resolution – Figure Out Why You Eat

I get it – this sounds silly, but it really is more important than just saying you want to lose 10 pounds. We have sold weight loss supplements over the years and some really do help you lose weight – but strangely the results are very temporary. People lose their 10 pounds (treat the symptom), but the larger issue or why they are eating more than they should or why they don’t exercise is not addressed. Eventually their body adapts to the supplement, they don’t continue to see the same weight loss results and since they have not figured out why they eat, the weight goes right back on.

We really are not making light of this, it can be very hard to figure out why you eat more than you should or the “wrong” foods. In addition to mental aspects, there are real biological and chemical reactions at play in the body. However, once you can resolve the real reasons for your weight gain, you will have a much easier time solving the problem.

Let’s make 2010 the year we stop looking for quick fixes and start moving toward real long term solutions.

I have no problem with patches – they really make a pirate… well a pirate. The problem comes when supplement companies try to sell products such as the Acai Patch or the Weight Loss Patch or the Cure Everything that is wrong with you patch.

On paper, the idea of a transdermal patch for dietary supplements seems to make sense. A patch can allow the ingredients to be absorbed directly into the bloodstream and bypass the digestive system.

There is just one tiny problem with making a Dietary Supplement in patch form, there is no such thing as a dietary supplement in patch form!

Remember that boring post defining Dietary Supplements…

In our article on the FDA definition of Dietary Supplements we explained that for something to be consider a dietary supplement it must be ingested. As the FDA states:

In addition, only products that are intended for ingestion may be lawfully marketed as dietary supplements. Topical products and products intended to enter the body directly through the skin or mucosal tissues, such as transdermal or sublingual products, are not dietary supplements.

- FDA Warning Letter

The Secret is out – A Dietary Supplement can NOT be a patch.

Our advice, steer clear of Acai patches, weight loss patches and all the other patches that claim to be dietary supplements.