A Comprehensive Review on natural ways to Lose Weight

 

P. Shanmugasundaram*¹, T. N. Uma Maheshwari², Praveen. D¹, A. Harini¹

¹School of  Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vels University (VISTAS), Chennai, India.

²Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha University, Chennai, India.

 

ABSTRACT:

Obesity has become more of a global epidemic these days termed as Globesity. Present day world demands for more alternate ways to manage this trend. The Phytoconstituents present in these foods can have an impact on the body weight by suppressing the appetite and thereby reducing the food intake. There are certain foods that tend to be avoided in order to maintain a healthy weight. This article deals with such naturally available foods and their mechanisms in which they maintain a healthy body weight and thereby reducing the morbidities and mortalities of obesity.

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Obesity is universally prevalent with a prevalence rate increasing year by year. It might lead to a number of health issues including type II Diabetes, hypertension, Coronary heart disease, Dyslipidaemia etc¹.

 

The chances for systematically authenticated food products aimed at body weight maintenance are notable. Diet and lifestyle modifications continue to be the foundation of treatment for obesity, but the subsequent weight loss is usually lesser and durable success is tremendously rare and unsatisfactory. Drug therapy has been considered for persons with a body mass index (BMI) larger than 25 to 30 kg/m² if person suffers from other co-morbidities.

 

Obesity is defined as the unnecessary build-up of fat in the body and is determined by calculating a person’s Body Mass Index (BMI).

 

The Water Therapy:

Water is an essential aspect of daily living. An interventional study on 29 middle aged women suggested that the obese women have augmented weight loss when consumed higher amounts of water with an increased physical activity. Water is a very significant factor in any weight reduction package. Consumption of water rinses the toxins from the body in the form of urine. Drinking about 4 to 5 litres of water every day improves weight loss. Different bodies have different requirements of water. Hence water therapy is one of the most essential weight loss methods.²

 

GREEN TEA:

The efficacy of green tea on body weight reduction in long-term are yet to be studied. Consumption of hot green tea each dawn on avoid stomach can rinse out the toxins from our body. It can also help to decrease the difficulty of constipation. Green tea has little calories than other dairy items. Green tea has Polyphenols like flavanols and catechins. The main catechins in green tea are epicatechin, epicatechin-3-gallate, epigallocatechin and, the one with the highest concentration, epigallocatechin-3-gallate or EGCG.³ They help in enhancement of the metabolism. Catechins also inhibit an enzyme called catechol-O-methyltranferase, (COMT), which essentially reduces the body's primary fat-burning hormone, norepinephrine and thereby it helps to upraise the norepinephrine levels and prolong thermogenesis. A study showed that green tea capsules in a dose of 100mg/day EGCG can raise energy disbursement and fat oxidation inobese subjects in 12weeks period.⁴

 

LEMON JUICE:

Lemon juice is one of the finest home therapies for treating obesity. It supports to increase digestion and helps in detoxification. Strong digestion is an important pre-requisite for weight reduction as it usually aids our body to get the essential nutrients needed to burn cholesterol and fats. Moreover, it helps in the removal of toxins from our body and thereby enhancing the body metabolism.

 

Lemon juice consists of polyphenols. Polyphenols usually include antioxidant flavonoids. In addition to this, they are also composed ofa very little levels of vitamin A, and also other flavonoid anti-oxidants such as alpha carotenes, and ß-carotenes, ß-cryptoxanthin, xanthin and lutein. These compounds are established to have antioxidant properties.⁵

 

Lemon polyphenols overturns body weight gain and body fat build-up by aggregating the peroxisomal β-oxidation, which was likely, arbitrated through up-regulation of the mRNA levels of PPARα in the liver. In addition, the levels of serum insulin, glucose and leptin were expressively improved by lemon polyphenols, thereby refining the insulin resistance. Supplementation with lemon polyphenols may avert or improve obesity and insulin resistance by moderating lipid metabolism and averting metabolic syndrome as anillustrative, lifestyle-related bunch of diseases caused by an disproportionately high fat diet.⁶

 

REDUCTION IN CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE:

There is a mutual association between the % fat and % carbohydrate in the daily diet since these two nutrients usually contribute over80% of the total energy. Larger population studies have established that those who have high total energy uptakes incline to have a tall total sugar intake. Sweetening upsurges the deliciousness of numerous foods and it has been recommended that sugariness may lead to overconsumption.^7,8

 

APPLE CIDER:

Uncooked, non-filtered apple cider vinegar is additional home therapy to reduce the excess body weight. Although the actual weight loss mechanisms of this are still unknown, primary research has revealed that it can aid protect against obesity. It helps in cessation of fat accumulation.

This acts as an appetite suppressor and makes to eat little by making a feeling of satiety sooner. It also contains potassium and fibers that keeps our blood sugar low, which is essential to losing weight. Consuming apple cider vinegar before meals helps slow the release of glucose into bloodstream, which, in turn, slows the digestive process. ACV stimulates the metabolism and makes to burn fat faster. It contains a lot of organic acids and enzymes that speed up the metabolism and increase the rate at which body fat is burnt Insulin affects fat storage. This hormone is closely linked to blood sugar levels and its secretion is disturbed in people suffering from type 2 diabetes. Scientists suggested that ACV may work in a similar way to some diabetic drugs and have a potential in controlling diabetes. When our body gets rid of toxins, all the processes (including digestion and metabolism) become more efficient. ACV flushes the body and helps it use the nutrients from food. It is high in fibre that absorbs toxins and improves bowel movement.

 

Apple cider vinegar alkalizes the body, stabilizes blood sugar, suppresses hunger, and cleanses our systems. Cinnamon discourages fat storage by suppressing the blood glucose spikes that typically occur just after meals. Together, the two make an effective weight loss treatment.

 

Vinegar has long been proposed as agents to enable weight loss; a proposed mechanism is that it prolongs the sensation of satiety after eating. Pectin – helps to regulate blood pressure and reduce bad cholesterol. Pectin is a soluble fibre that provides bulk and digests slowly. It encourages weight loss in that it helps to limit the amount of fat cells can absorb. Pectin also has a water binding property that allows it to absorb watery substances and penetrate cells. These watery substances then bombard the cells and cause them to release fat deposits.⁹

 

GARLIC:

Garlic is worthy for the circulatory system as it decreases both systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as triglycerides apart from increasing good cholesterol. Garlic has excellent anti-obesity properties too! Every minute our body cells die and our body makes new cells to replace them. Adipocytes (also called lipocytes and fat cells) are the cells in our body which primarily compose adipose tissue (body fat). In the adipose tissue, there undergoes a process wherein pre-adipocytes are converted into full-fledged adipose tissue or fat. This process is known as adipogenesis. Studies show that garlic inhibits this process of adipogenesis or the process of making fat. So, garlic stops our pre fat cells from converting into fat cells.¹⁰

 

Cranberries:

Cranberries are one of the rich sources of organic acids like malic acid, citric acid, and quininic acid that function as digestive enzymes. These acids act as emulsifying agents on stubborn fat deposits in the lymphatic system which transports all the waste products that your liver cannot process. Cranberry juice digests these lymphatic wastes and helps to reduce the body fat. And it also helps in the treatment of Achlorhydria.¹¹

 

Cayenne Pepper:

Cayenne pepper supports to reduce obesity and helps in weight loss. It contains capsaicin which helps in burning calories and increase energy expenditure. Capsaicin can stimulate digestion by intensifying metabolic processes and suppresses excess appetite caused by malabsorption of nutrients in the body.¹²

 

Curry Leaves:

Studies have shown that curry leaves contain mahanimbine, anatural alkaloid that has an anti-obesity activities and lipid-lowering effects.¹³ Thus; it could help in lowering body weight and reduces the body total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

 

The other compounds that are useful in weight reduction are capsaicin, cucumber, carrot, Peach, bottleguard etc.

 

CONCLUSION:

The above mentioned products and their major phytoconstituents aid to drop weight without any of the adverse effects and each of them follow different mechanisms to decrease the weight in the human body. So, these many ingredients may be used for better weight loss programmes.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

The authors are thankful to the Vels University (VISTAS) and its management for their constant support in this study.

 

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Accepted on 22.08.2017           © RJPT All right reserved

Research J. Pharm. and Tech 2017; 10(11): 4030-4032.