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Losing weight can be a challenge — but supplements can help.
In conjunction with eating healthy meals and exercising, taking a supplement that is known for its fat-burning powers won’t automatically make you lose weight, but it will support your efforts to lose weight.
Not sure where to start? Here are four supplements doctors swear by to shrink your waistline over 40.
As we age, our metabolisms get slower and it can become even more difficult to lose weight and keep it off. A variety of factors influence our body’s ability to burn more fat over age 40 — including our metabolisms, added stress, hormonal changes, and poor food choices.
Adding a natural supplement to your daily regiment is a smart way to boost your metabolism. It’s important to talk to a doctor before starting any new supplement, and it’s equally important to remember that supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA. In other words: those that make lofty promises often aren’t able to keep those promises.
But these four supplements can help, according to experts.
Green Tea Extract
Green tea extract (along with caffeine) is one of the most common ingredients you’ll find in supplements that are marketed for weight loss. Green tea has been proven in studies to boost your metabolism and help you burn fat, thanks to a type of antioxidant called catchins. It isn’t easy to drink the amount of green tea that can help rev up your metabolism, which is why taking a supplement is a good idea.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant that increases your metabolic rate significantly, according to studies. But taking a caffeine supplement isn’t always your safest bet. Sticking to one or two cups of coffee in the morning is a better and safer way to give your metabolism a boost, curb your appetite, and provide a burst of energy that can power you through your morning (and workouts).
Fish oil
Fish oil contains important omega-3 fatty acids that your body can’t produce naturally. In addition to boosting your brain health, fish oil curbs inflammation in the body, according to Healthline — which is associated with obesity and other health conditions. There are also some studies that show fish oil can boost your metabolism.
Resveratrol
Resveratrol is found in red wine and a few other foods and has been linked to lower cholesterol, better brain health, and a metabolism boost. According to studies performed on rats, resveratrol can increase insulin sensitivity and fight inflammation.
A glass of red wine can provide some of these health benefits, but you’re more likely to achieve these results from a supplement that contains higher amounts of resveratrol.
