AARP Hearing Center
If you want to lose weight, you already know what you’re supposed to do: eat healthier and move more. But as anyone who has ever tried to slim down knows, shedding those extra pounds is a lot harder than it sounds – especially over age 50.
Unfortunately, no over-the-counter weight loss vitamin or supplement is going to magically help you slim down.
But there are some vitamins, minerals and supplements that may be able to support you in your weight loss journey if you pair them with a healthy diet and exercise routine, says Bill Willis, a biomedical scientist at Ohio State University who conducts research for Examine.com, an independent site that examines the evidence on nutritional supplements.
“There are so many gimmicky, magic-bullet fixes out there that say, ‘Take this, you’ll lose weight,’” Willis says. “Your diet and lifestyle need to be squared away first. Before you consider supplements, do two things. First, get moving. Number two, change your diet.”
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Manufacturers of weight loss supplements don’t have to prove the accuracy of claims on their product labels, so it can be tough to know which ones, if any, are effective and safe, says Mark Huntington, M.D., a family medicine physician and professor at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine who has studied supplement effectiveness.
In addition, nutritional supplements are hard to study because there can be varying concentrations of the active ingredient in each batch.
Vitamin supplements
A multivitamin could be helpful – and certainly won’t hurt – if you have changed your diet to try to lose weight, Huntington says.
“Anytime you’re trying to lose weight, vitamins are important,” he explains. “If you’re decreasing your oral intake of food, there is potential to have a nutrient deficiency.”
If you eat a balanced diet, however, a vitamin may not be needed for your weight loss journey.
Among the different vitamins, B12 has probably received the most attention as a weight loss tool. One study found that vitamin B12 could play a role in fat metabolism. Other studies have linked low vitamin B12 levels to obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol in animals.
Experts say more research is needed and that there is no conclusive evidence that a vitamin B12 supplement is helpful for someone who already gets enough of the vitamin through food.
Huntington warns that taking large doses of some vitamins can be toxic.
What is the scientific evidence for weight loss supplements?
A 2021 systematic review published in Obesity analyzed 1,743 clinical studies of vitamins and supplements for weight loss. Another 2021 review in the International Journal of Obesity looked at 121 randomized, placebo-controlled trials.
In both studies, compared to a placebo, some people taking supplements reported small amounts of weight loss. But the researchers said there wasn’t enough high-quality evidence to prove effectiveness, and no supplement was linked to long-term, clinically significant weight loss.
If you want to try a supplement or vitamin for weight loss, keep in mind that they can have side effects, Huntington says. It’s also important to talk to your health care provider before taking a weight loss supplement.
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