The Dark Truth about Weight Loss Supplements | Dhruv Rathee
In this video, we dive into the world of weight loss supplements. We explore the booming weight loss industry, the false promises of magical weight loss products, and the reality behind their claims. From fat burners and green tea to exotic fruit pills, we uncover the truth about these products and their potential side effects. We discuss why a balanced diet, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle are the real keys to effective weight loss. Tune in to learn why you should avoid these supplements and start your weight loss journey naturally and scientifically.
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00:00Namaskar, friends.
00:01According to the recently released Lancet Global Health Report,
00:03around 50% of Indians in the country are physically unfit.
00:07The World Health Organization says that
00:09every person should do at least 2.5 to 3 hours of moderate exercise per week.
00:15Which is not being done by half of the population in our country.
00:18India is the 12th worst country out of the 195 countries in the world in this regard.
00:24Because of this, crores of people in the country gain unhealthy weight
00:27and a lot of people try to take shortcuts to lose weight.
00:31Some say that they drink rose green tea every day.
00:34Some say that they drink apple cider vinegar every day.
00:36And some run after weight loss supplements.
00:39In today's video, let's find out the truth behind them.
00:42Should you take these supplements?
00:44If yes, then which ones?
00:46Which magical weight loss supplement will help you lose weight overnight?
00:51Let's find out in today's video.
00:58Junk food is the food that has a lot of sugar, salt or fat.
01:03Which is harmful to our health.
01:06But do you know how much it costs?
01:08According to Fortune Business Insights 2020,
01:11the global market size of this junk food industry is $862 billion.
01:17According to another state's research,
01:19in 2023, its market size was $772 billion.
01:23It is due to this junk food that obesity has become a global pandemic.
01:29Chronic Capitalism, due to which this industry has seen an increase in the world.
01:32On one hand, it creates disasters.
01:34On the other hand, it also finds opportunities for disasters.
01:37First, people should eat junk food to earn money.
01:39And when people become obese,
01:41they should sell weight loss products to earn money.
01:44According to Research from Facts and Factors,
01:46the market size of the weight loss and weight management industry in the world
01:50is $224 billion as of 2021.
01:53According to marketresearch.biz,
01:55in 2022, the market size was $260 billion.
01:59In this report, three categories of the weight loss industry were taken into account.
02:03First, diet, i.e. supplements, eating and drinking.
02:06Second, fitness equipment and surgical equipment.
02:09And third, services, i.e. fitness centers, gyms and online weight loss programs.
02:14It sounds like a good industry.
02:16It will have a positive impact on the world if people become fit.
02:19But a big portion of this weight loss industry is made up of weight loss products.
02:23So-called weight loss products,
02:25which claim that they will magically reduce your weight.
02:28Such products that say in their ads that there is no need to exercise.
02:32If you want to eat junk food, keep eating.
02:34But just drink a spoonful of this magical portion of ours
02:37and your fat will keep getting reduced overnight.
02:40Sometimes it will be in the form of syrup,
02:42sometimes it will be weight loss pills,
02:43sometimes it will be capsules,
02:44sometimes it will be called tummy tea,
02:46so that your belly fat is reduced.
02:48Sometimes apple cider vinegar,
02:49sometimes herbal nutritious shake.
02:51In ads, it will often be said that
02:53clinically proven,
02:54backed by science.
02:55Some products will say that
02:57this will increase your leptin hormone,
02:59which will signal to your brain that
03:01there is no need to eat anymore.
03:02These products will claim that
03:04the absorption of fats will be reduced,
03:06your metabolism will increase,
03:07your gut health will improve,
03:09and fat burning will happen better in your body.
03:12If you have ever seen ads,
03:14then you must have found it very convincing to hear.
03:16They are talking very scientifically.
03:18These are also available in the form of tablets and capsules
03:20and are available in pharmaceutical stores.
03:22If a medicine store is selling such a product,
03:24then we become even more convinced of it.
03:27But the biggest difference between real medicines
03:29and such products is that
03:31real medicines are put in the category of medical drugs
03:33and such products are put in the category of
03:35dietary supplements.
03:37Something has to go through a lot of trials
03:39to become a medical drug.
03:41There are a lot of regulatory checks.
03:43But there are not many rules
03:45for these studies.
03:47Often these companies show their own studies
03:49and say that this is the research study
03:51which proves that our product is good
03:53and works.
03:55The sample size of these studies is often very small
03:57and studies are not done in a very scientific way.
03:59Not only that,
04:01sometimes they blow up the whole science.
04:03For example, there are supplements of one category
04:05on which it is written,
04:07Leptin Supplement for Weight Loss.
04:09Now this thing sounds very hi-fi.
04:11If you search on Google about Leptin,
04:13Leptin is a hormone in our fat cells.
04:15It tells our brain
04:17whether we should eat more or not.
04:19How hungry we feel.
04:21It controls it.
04:23If the levels of Leptin in our body are high,
04:25then the brain gets a signal that
04:27there is a lot of fat in the body,
04:29there is no need to eat more.
04:31But if the levels of Leptin are low,
04:33then the brain feels that there are fewer fat stores in the body
04:35and the body needs to eat more.
04:37If you look at it superficially,
04:39it will make sense that
04:41there is Leptin in the body.
04:43If Leptin comes in my body through this supplement,
04:45then my brain will know that
04:47the fat levels of the body are very high,
04:49so my tendency to feel hungry will automatically reduce.
04:51And if I eat less food,
04:53it will cause weight loss.
04:55But now I will tell you something that
04:57these companies will not tell you.
04:59The obese people,
05:01their body fat is already quite high.
05:03This means that the levels of Leptin
05:05are already quite high in their body.
05:07So the signal should reach the brain
05:09that they do not need to eat more.
05:11But still they keep eating more,
05:13they keep feeling more hungry.
05:15Why is this? This is because
05:17Leptin resistance develops in their body.
05:19Constantly high levels of Leptin,
05:21staying high for a long time,
05:23the signal does not reach the brain.
05:25The brain still feels that
05:27there is a need to eat more.
05:29The fat stores are not so much
05:31and the person keeps eating more.
05:33So in such a case,
05:35you have to take a Leptin supplement for weight loss.
05:37Does it make any sense?
05:39It will not affect your body at all.
05:41The next category is Fat Wrappers.
05:43They are also called Fat Binders.
05:45These products have a chemical
05:47called Kytosan,
05:49which is made from powdered shells
05:51of shrimps, crabs and shellfish.
05:53The shells of the crabs
05:55are crushed and powdered
05:57to produce this chemical.
05:59When you eat it,
06:01it sticks to the fat molecules
06:03in our body,
06:05and our pancreatic enzymes
06:07cannot break down
06:09those fat molecules.
06:11As a result,
06:13those fat molecules
06:15do not digest in our body
06:17but pass through
06:19and come out.
06:21It sounds like a very convincing
06:23and scientific method.
06:25There is a chemical that
06:27sticks to our fat molecules
06:29and those fat molecules
06:31cannot be digested in our body
06:33and is preventing fat molecules
06:35from being digested in our body.
06:37So, fat-soluble nutrients
06:39cannot be absorbed by the body.
06:41Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K,
06:43and many other
06:45disease-fighting phytochemicals
06:47found in fruits and vegetables
06:49cannot be digested by the body.
06:51Not only this,
06:53the positive impact of this on weight loss
06:55is very small.
06:57You won't even be able to notice
06:59according to studies.
07:01When you hear the word
07:03fat burners,
07:05you might imagine
07:07a drilling machine
07:09burning fat deposits.
07:11But actually,
07:13the reason behind their effectiveness
07:15is caffeine.
07:17Caffeine is found in coffee
07:19and some research suggests
07:21that caffeine stimulates our nervous system
07:23which sends a direct signal
07:25to the fat cells to break down the fat.
07:27Studies also show that
07:29caffeine increases our RMR
07:31i.e. resting metabolic rate.
07:33Green coffee beans,
07:35which are unroasted coffee beans,
07:37contain a lot of chlorogenic acid
07:39which gives anti-oxidant
07:41and anti-inflammatory effects.
07:43There is no doubt that
07:45this is a good thing for the body.
07:47But the point here is that
07:49if we get the same caffeine
07:51from a cup of coffee,
07:53then why should we take
07:55these weight loss supplements?
07:57We should focus on our overall health.
07:59To take care of our health,
08:01health insurance is very important.
08:03The medical inflation in our country
08:05has reached 14%.
08:07In a November 2023 article,
08:09one of the highest medical inflation rates
08:11in Asia is in India.
08:13According to the 2021 Finance Commission report,
08:1570% expenditure on health
08:17by Indians is out of pocket.
08:19Because of this,
08:2160 million Indians
08:23are pushed towards poverty every year.
08:25The amazing thing is that
08:2773% of the country's population
08:29does not have health insurance.
08:31Taking health insurance does not
08:33cause health problems.
08:35Health insurance provides
08:37financial support and peace of mind.
08:39If you have a health emergency,
08:41you will not have to face
08:43financial difficulties.
08:45Today's video's sponsor is Star Health Insurance.
08:47They have a network of more than
08:4914,000 hospitals across the country
08:51and provide 24x7 support.
08:53Star Health is the first
08:55standalone health insurance company
08:57that has settled more than 1 crore claims.
08:59This company has been running
09:01since 2006 and is very reputable.
09:03Whether you need a routine checkup
09:05or emergency medical treatment,
09:07they also offer cashless anywhere facilities.
09:09If you are interested,
09:11you can find their link in the description
09:13and you can find a perfect health insurance plan for your family.
09:15Coming back to our topic,
09:17some people will compare coffee
09:19with a weight loss supplement and say
09:21caffeine is present in both.
09:23But in weight loss supplements,
09:25caffeine is present in a concentrated form.
09:27That is why it is better.
09:29If we take these supplements,
09:31our body will get more caffeine
09:33which will give us more benefits.
09:35But it is also worth noting that
09:37anything is good only in moderation.
09:39Similarly, a high amount of caffeine
09:41can also have negative effects
09:43on the body.
09:45Like anxiety, insomnia,
09:47rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat,
09:49restlessness,
09:51and digestive problems.
09:53People who drink coffee excessively
09:55can also notice these negative effects.
09:57Most of these weight loss companies
09:59keep quiet about their supplements
10:01that how much effect
10:03their supplements will have.
10:05I had told in the fruit juice video
10:07that how these fruit juice companies
10:09will write on the packet of their juice
10:11very rich in vitamin C.
10:13A lot of vitamin C is present
10:15in these juices.
10:17It doesn't seem like a lot
10:19but in reality,
10:21vitamin C is very easy to get.
10:23A 1-6 small portion of gooseberry
10:25can meet your daily requirement
10:27of vitamin C.
10:29Similarly, green tea is marketed
10:31by saying that it has caffeine
10:33and a flavonoid called catechin.
10:35Due to these two compounds,
10:37the metabolism of the body increases
10:39and theoretically,
10:41weight loss is stimulated.
10:43But the question here is
10:45look at this meta-analysis
10:47published in 2014.
10:4914 different studies have been examined
10:51to see how much weight loss
10:53green tea actually causes.
10:55All these 14 trials were conducted
10:57for 12 weeks.
10:59Normally, when we drink green tea,
11:01we keep the teabag in hot water
11:03and make a cup of tea.
11:05But in these trials,
11:07more caffeine and catechin
11:09were used.
11:11These substances were used
11:13but what was the effect?
11:15The weight loss seen in people
11:17was not statistically significant.
11:19To put it bluntly,
11:21the weight loss was negligible.
11:23Look at this meta-analysis
11:25done in 2011 on green coffee.
11:273 different trials were conducted.
11:29In conclusion, it was seen that
11:31green coffee promotes weight loss
11:33but the magnitude of weight loss
11:35was very small.
11:37In short,
11:39black coffee, green tea or green coffee beans
11:41can help in weight loss
11:43but along with exercise,
11:45they can only supplement.
11:47They cannot substitute exercise.
11:49Don't expect that
11:51by taking these,
11:53you won't need to exercise.
11:55In 2021, a study conducted in Spain
11:57showed that by taking caffeine,
11:59the maximum fat oxidation rate
12:01in our body increases.
12:03Studies also showed that
12:05our performance in cardio, exercise
12:07and strength training also enhances
12:09by taking caffeine.
12:11So, one hour before exercise,
12:13drinking black coffee or green tea
12:15can be a good idea.
12:17But the issue of leptin resistance
12:19can also be seen in caffeine.
12:21If you regularly take caffeine
12:23every day,
12:25a caffeine tolerance develops
12:27in your body.
12:29Due to this,
12:31the small positive impact
12:33on weight loss due to caffeine
12:35will not be visible.
12:37Stop drinking coffee for 2 weeks
12:39before exercise.
12:41Start drinking coffee again for 2 weeks.
12:43Coffee and green tea
12:45can be easily made at home.
12:47But these companies
12:49don't want you to adopt
12:51such easy solutions.
12:53That's why they make powder shakes,
12:55multivitamins,
12:57capsules
12:59to make people lose weight.
13:01There is a company called Herbalife
13:03which also uses
13:05the MLM marketing model.
13:07In 2016, the Federal Trade Commission
13:09of the American government
13:11filed a court case on Herbalife.
13:13They said that they fooled people
13:15into selling their products
13:17to earn money.
13:19Herbalife had to pay $200 million
13:21as compensation.
13:23The company also agreed
13:25to fundamentally restructure
13:27its business model
13:29so that it cannot be labeled
13:31as MLM or Pyramid Scheme.
13:33We don't need to go into details
13:35in this video.
13:37Let's take a look at Herbalife's
13:39products.
13:41This is their meal replacement
13:43shake ingredient list.
13:45It looks like a healthy
13:47and nutritious product.
13:49Soy protein isolate is at number 1
13:51and fructose is at number 2.
13:53In nutritional information,
13:55only 24 grams of sugar is added
13:57and they are marketing it
13:59as a healthy drink
14:01It has become common
14:03to add a lot of sugar
14:05to so-called healthy breakfast cereals.
14:07A lot of sugar is added
14:09to so-called healthy packaged juices.
14:11A lot of sugar is added
14:13to healthy protein bars.
14:15A lot of sugar is added
14:17to healthy muesli.
14:19A lot of sugar is added
14:21to healthy granola.
14:23There are reports about Herbalife
14:25that their weight loss supplements
14:27can cause suspected liver damage.
14:29In some cases, people had to
14:31undergo liver transplants.
14:33In some cases, people died.
14:35These reports are not from one country
14:37but from India, Israel, Spain,
14:39Switzerland, Iceland, Argentina, USA.
14:41Why did this happen?
14:43After analysis, we found out
14:45that some Herbalife products
14:47contain heavy metals,
14:49undisclosed toxic compounds
14:51and highly pathogenic
14:53bacterial communities.
14:55The biggest marketing trick
14:57People think that if the name
14:59of the company is Herbal,
15:01then there must be no chemicals in it.
15:03Herbal means natural thing
15:05which is good for health.
15:07Some people will say that
15:09there is no weight loss
15:11but it is a Herbal product
15:13so there must be no side effects.
15:15The important thing here is
15:17that not every natural thing
15:19becomes safe automatically.
15:21There are many plants and fruits
15:23that are poisonous for humans.
15:25Many herbal medicines and supplements
15:27can damage the liver or kidney.
15:29Dr. A.B. Phillips,
15:31whose username on Twitter is TheLiverDoc,
15:33has highlighted many dangers
15:35that are hidden in alternative
15:37medicine cures.
15:39There is a risk of liver injury.
15:41Due to highlighting these things on Twitter,
15:43he had to face many court cases.
15:45For example, one court case
15:47was filed by Himalaya Wellness Corporation.
15:49Why? Because TheLiverDoc had
15:51written a Twitter thread on their
15:53Twitter account.
15:55The doctor told India Today that
15:57the company is behaving like Cairo.
15:59The company should have
16:01answered the post scientifically.
16:03Some people have blind faith
16:05in weight loss supplements
16:07that they buy literally anything.
16:09Two companies in America
16:11had started selling
16:13caffeine-infused underwear.
16:15The company claimed that
16:17there are microcapsules of caffeine
16:19in the microfibre made by them
16:21that speed up the breakdown of fat.
16:23The Federal Trade Commission
16:25fined these two companies
16:27$2,00,000 and $13,00,000.
16:29So the question is,
16:31which weight loss supplement is useful?
16:33The right answer is,
16:35none. There is no weight loss supplement
16:37that will magically
16:39make you lose weight.
16:41Melinda Menor, a professor at Oregon State University,
16:43reviewed hundreds of different
16:45weight loss supplements.
16:47She concluded that
16:49no research evidence exists
16:51on a single product
16:53that can prove
16:55significant amount of weight loss.
16:57There can be some minor weight loss,
16:59like the example of
17:01caffeine and green tea.
17:03But you won't see noticeable weight loss
17:05from anyone. On the contrary,
17:07it can have a negative health impact.
17:09Registered dietitian
17:11Melissa Matteo also said
17:13that no over-the-counter fat burner
17:15should be taken.
17:17There are only two things that work in this world.
17:19The first is calorie restriction
17:21and the second is exercise.
17:23Look at all these forms of exercise on the screen.
17:25For how many minutes?
17:27Moderate intensity physical activity counts.
17:29Walking 3.5 km for 30 minutes.
17:31Climbing up and down the stairs for 15 minutes.
17:33Swimming for 20 minutes.
17:35Or gardening for 30 minutes.
17:37You have to ensure that
17:39in a week, at least
17:41for 3 hours,
17:43do these moderate intensity activities.
17:45It is very easy to make yourself physically active.
17:47And this is the difference
17:49between making the whole country physically active.
17:51I am talking about the same research
17:53that I did in the beginning of the video.
17:55Now if you really want to know the step-by-step
17:57plan to lose weight,
17:59then I have explained it in this YouTube video.
18:01You can click here to watch it.
18:03Thank you very much.
18:05If you are interested, then you will find
18:07their link in the description and you can
18:09find the perfect health insurance plan for your family.