Vitamins/Minerals
If you have been yo-yo dieting for a number of years, either restricting your food intake or trying different diet drinks or pills, it is likely that you are deficient in a number of vitamins and minerals. Supplements could certainly help if you know you’re been depriving yourself for a long time. You may want to find out if you are deficient and there are a number of signs to look for in your body.
Multivitamin and Mineral
A good quality multivitamin and mineral can be beneficial for your weight loss program and will ensure that you are getting a ‘little bit of everything’. You can then either add in the nutrients listed below or increase your intake of certain foods.
B vitamins
These are important vitamins in terms of weight loss, and they are often known as the ‘stress’ vitamins. Vitamins B3 and B6 are especially important because they help to supply fuel to cells, which are then able to burn energy. Vitamin B6 together with zinc is necessary for the production of pancreatic enzymes which help you to digest food. If your digestion is good, you will be much more likely to use your food efficiently, instead of storing it as fat.
Vitamins B2, B3 and B6 are necessary for normal thyroid hormone function production, so any deficiencies in these can affect thyroid function and consequently affect metabolism. B3 is also a component of the glucose tolerance factor which is released every time your blood sugar rises.
Vitamin B5 is involved in energy production and helps to control fat metabolism.
As you can see, the B vitamins as a group are important and the best way to get them is in a good B-complex supplement.
Chromium
This mineral has been the most widely researched nutrient in relation to weight loss Chromium is needed for the metabolism of sugar and without it insulin is less effective in controlling blood sugar levels. This means that it is harder to burn off your food as fuel and more may be stored as fat. It also helps to control levels of fat and cholesterol in the blood. One study showed that people who took chromium over a ten-week period lost an average of 1.9kg (4.2lb) of fat while those who took a placebo lost only 0.2kg (0.4lb).
Zinc
This is an important mineral in appetite control and a deficiency can cause a loss of taste and smell, creating a need for stronger tasting foods (which tend to be sweeter, saltier and more fattening!) Zinc also functions with vitamins A and E to manufacture the thyroid hormones.
Co-enzyme Q10
Co-enzyme Q10 is needed for energy production. It is found in all the tissues and organs in the body. As we get older we may become deficient, which results in a reduction of energy. It has been used to help heart problems, high blood pressure, gum disease and immune deficiencies.It has also been shown to help with weight loss. A study showed that people on a low-fat diet doubled their weight loss when taking Co Q10 compared to those using diet alone.
Amino Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of the protein that you eat. Certain amino acids can be very helpful for weightloss as they can improve your insulin sensitivity and also can have an effect on weight loss e.g. n-acetyl cysteine, carnitine, tyrosine, arginine, glutamine, isoleucine, leucine and valine.
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