The simplest way to slim down!
Cutting calories and losing weight would be a breeze if it weren’t for one hitch—hunger! To the rescue: Fiber supplements, which can double your ability to lose weight, plus improve your health at the same time. Experts recommend:
Controlling cholesterol with glucomannan
This fiber extract—made from the yam-like veggie konjac— stops hunger within 30 minutes, and can double your weight loss if you take 1,500 mg. daily, say University of Connecticut researchers. ■ Bonus: Stanford University researchers say glucomannan can lower cholesterol levels as much as 19 points in two months. Important: Always check with a doctor before starting a new supplement.
Koing germs with beta-glucans
Taking this soluble fiber supplement— found in yeast, shiitake mushrooms and grains like barley and oats—could help you melt eight pounds in three months, suggests a study in the journal Nutrition Research. Beta-glucans stimulate your intestines to produce PYY, a hormone that signals your brain to stop eating, explains study coauthor Eleanor Beck, PH.D. Follow the package directions for dosage. ■ Bonus: Beta-glucans also energize immune cells, cutting your risk of colds and other viral infections 25%, German research reveals.
Cutting glucose with psyllium
Psyllium is the main ingredient in popular fiber supplements like Metamucil and Konsyl —and adding 12 grams of it to your daily diet could help you lose 10 pounds in six months, say Canadian researchers. This gel-like fiber soaks up fluids in the belly, so you feel full sooner— and for longer—after meals. ■ Bonus: University of Kentucky research shows that psyllium slows sugar absorption, cutting blood-sugar levels 19%.
Taming blood fats with chitosan
Dietary fats stick to this fiber extract made from shrimp and crab shells, and because chitosan isn’t absorbed, that trapped fat isn’t absorbed either, says Jay Trivedi, PH.D., coauthor of a recent chitosan study in the Nutrition Journal. Dose: 1,000 mg. twice daily—ideally, 30 minutes before your two heaviest meals. ■ Bonus: In one Japanese study, chitosan lowered triglycerides 18%.