Ready for confident curves
ACCORDING to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2015, obese and overweight people make up nearly half of the 30 million people in Malaysia.
Almost 50% of Malaysians above the age of 18 had high cholesterol in 2015, while 17.5% had diabetes.
Obesity can reduce a person’s life expectancy by up to nine years and cause chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type- 2 diabetes, and extra pressure on joints and limbs.
The World Health Organization has determined poor diet, lack of exercise, office- oriented and sedentary lifestyles as serious threats to health.
But a wide variety of weight management strategies are available and some involve the use of dietary supplements as slimming aids.
Garcinia cambogia
Among the natural products for obesity and weight control, garcinia or hydroxycitric acid ( HCA) extracted from garcinia has been widely used.
Garcinia has been used for centuries in Asian countries for culinary purposes.
The fat stored in the body is actually the product of unused energy or glucose, which is converted by enzymes into fat deposits. HCA blocks these enzymes and prevents the formation of fatty deposits.
By doing so, HCA allows the body to burn stored fat cells by breaking down the protective proteins – known as perilipin – increasing fat metabolism and burning.
HCA also encourages the release of serotonin in the brain and influences the neuropeptide Y function, which suppresses the desire to eat fatty and sweet foods.
Besides lowering LDL ( bad cholesterol) and triglycerides, HCA increases HDL ( good cholesterol).
Raspberry
The ketone compounds contained in raspberry have anti- obese functions. They can reduce absorption of dietary fat and increase lipolysis ( the breakdown of fat) in fat cells and are believed to aid thermogenesis ( increasing metabolism slightly for a few hours after ingestion and helping the body burn calories).
Green tea
Green tea contains polyphenols such as catechins that can reduce absorption of dietary fat and fat accumulation.
Another green tea ingredient, epigallocatechin gallate, is said to increase resting metabolism and stimulate fat- burning.
This article is brought to you by Herbs of Gold. For enquiries, call 1800 183 288.