Industry Member Questions Weight-Loss Products Studies

STOCKHOLM, SwedenCommon weight-loss ingredients were found to be no more effective than placebo in two studies presented at the International Congress on Obesity in Stockholm, Sweden. However, Mitch Skop, director, new product development, for Pharmachem Laboratories Inc., questioned the integrity of the unpublished,  non-peer-reviewed studies in a press release from the company.

One randomized controlled study, lead by Dr. Thomas Ellrott, head of the Institute for Nutrition and Psychology at the University of Göttingen Medical School, Germany, tested nine supplements (L- carnitine, polyglucosamine, cabbage powder, guarana seed powder, bean extract, Konjac extract, fiber pills, sodium alginate formulations and selected plant extracts) against placebo. Researchers purchased these supplements at various German pharmacies, but changed the packaging and product names. Researchers also rewrote leaflets to remove the original product names.

Ellrott and his team gave 189 obese or overweight middle-aged consumers either one of the nine supplements in doses recommended by the manufacturer or placebo for eight weeks. Some of the products came with dietary advice, while others didnt, so the researchers provided exactly the same advice as that written in the relevant product leaflets.

They found the average weight loss was between 1 kg and 2 kg across seven of the products, depending on the supplement, but was not significant when compared with the placebo group, who lost an average of 1.2 kg.

Skop said the researchers in this study skipped over positive results which showed up to a 4-lb. weight loss for some of the supplements compared to placebo. The major flaw here is that the researchers may have been looking for the magic bullet approach, that is, significant weight loss attributed to each of the dietary supplements used, Skop said. Responsible and ethical manufacturers and suppliers in the industry do not make claims for such dramatic results in a short time. We also acknowledge that healthy weight loss and subsequent weight management is a lifetime commitment. Dietary supplements are part and parcel of the overall goal of developing and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits for the long term.

In a second study presented at the congress, Dr. Igho Onakpoya of Peninsula Medical School at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, United Kingdom, conducted a systematic review of clinical trials on weight loss supplements. The analysis summarizes the state of evidence from reviews of studies involving nine popular supplements, including chromium picolinate, Ephedra, bitter orange, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, guar gum, glucomannan, chitosan and green tea.

We found no evidence that any of these food supplements studied is an adequate treatment for reducing body weight, Onakpoya said in the press release.

The authors of both studies criticize the lack of rigorous studies on dietary supplements. In response Skop noted research conducted on Pharmachems Phase 2 Carb Controller. He said one double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 40 overweight human subjects showed that those who took a supplement containing Phase 2 several times a day for 12 weeks experienced statistically significant weight loss and BMI reduction (Journal of Intl Medical Research 2000; 28: 229-233) . Additionally, a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 27 subjects published in Alternative Medicine Review showed those taking Phase 2 lost nearly a half pound per week (3.8 lbs over eight weeks), on average, or 129-percent more than those on placebo ( Volume 9, Number 2, March 2004). He mentioned a double blind, placebo-controlled study of 60 human subjects, those who took Phase 2 lost an average of 6.45 lbs. in 30 days, compared to those on placebo, who lost less than 1 lb. on average. International Journal of Medicinal Sciences, 2007).  Lastly, he noted an open-label, six-arm crossover study with 13 randomized subjects using standardized glycemic index testing showed that the glycemic index of Wonder Brand White Bread was significantly reduced by the addition of Phase 2 white bean extract in powder form. (Nutrition Journal, 2009, 8:52).

Ellrotts study was funded by a German consumer issues magazine, while the study by Onakpoya and colleagues had no particular funding, but Onakpoyas position is funded by an unrestricted grant from GlaxoSmithkline, which makes the obesity drug orlistat.

 There are many dedicated supplement suppliers and manufacturers who are working diligently to develop safe, effective products for the consumer, Skop concluded. We are very concerned about the growing obesity epidemic. Many physicians treating obesity are starting to consider natural supplements which do not have the serious side effects often associated with drugs. Taking a holistic approach, rather than one focused strictly on a prescription, will help us to find a solution to the serious problem of obesity.