This piece is sponsored by Sanford Health.
Dr. Jennifer Schriever is a Sanford Health family medicine physician specializing in providing comprehensive weight management care. The goal is to help patients achieve a sustainable healthy lifestyle.
During a “Health and Wellness” podcast hosted by Sanford Health’s Alan Helgeson, Schriever addressed the perils of getting your nutritional information from the internet via social media platforms like TikTok and Facebook. Some of it, not-so-shockingly, is unverified, ineffective or even harmful.
It is wise to separate fact from fiction before embracing products or new dietary fads that promise miracles. Conversations with experts like Schriever at Sanford Weight Management Center, coupled with common sense, can go a long way toward avoiding the pitfalls that come with following the wrong advice or taking an unsafe supplement.
“Is it too good to be true?” Schriever asked. “Does it promise short-term weight loss or is it something you can do long term? Typically, after short-term weight loss, people return to their old habits and the weight comes right back.”
Many wellness fads are loosely regulated and can be dangerous to people with chronic conditions or who are taking medications. A better, safer way is a visit to Sanford Health’s Weight Management Center, where experts can guide you to lifestyle changes that help you lose weight, feel good and reach your goals.
“We use all the tools – they’re called ‘pillars of obesity medicine,’” Schriever said. “That includes nutrition guidance, physical activity, behavioral modification and medications if needed to help you.”
The center’s work is based on treating obesity as a chronic disease with an essential cornerstone: It is not a lack of willpower causing problems.
“We recognize that it isn’t the patient’s fault that things have gotten to that point,” Schriever said. “We’re ready to help you through the ups and downs and through the difficult times and to help you improve your weight in the right way – and then maintain it.”
Often, Schriever and her colleagues will answer questions about products and dietary information their patients have learned about via the internet or on television. The benefits can sound convincing and can be misleading.
What you need to know
A review of some current trends:
Powdered greens – These are dietary supplements made with dehydrated and powdered fruit, vegetables and other plant-based ingredients. Products are marketed as a convenient way to meet fruit and vegetable recommendations.
Schriever advises seeking out a third-party review of the product you’re interested in using and finding specifics on the ingredients. If you’re taking a blood thinner or blood pressure medication, they may be affected by your use of powdered greens.
“Nutritionally, they might have a lot of vitamins and things that are helpful,” Schriever said. “But really, you’re best off still eating the fruit and vegetables because you’ve lost out on the fiber content through the processing by taking powdered greens. Also keep in mind there might be bad ingredients.”
Pre-workout supplements – Usually taken in the form of a beverage, pre-workout supplements are intended to boost energy and endurance while exercising. Caffeine tends to be the most impactful ingredient in these supplements, along with other herbal elements marketed as energizers.
Knowing the ingredient list and the amounts of those ingredients in the product are keys to safe usage.
“Sometimes, it can be very difficult to determine that,” Schriever said. “If it’s difficult to determine, I’d choose another product so you can reliably know how much you’re getting.”
Dry scooping – Powdered supplements are intended to be mixed with water and then consumed as a beverage. Dry scooping skips the add-water step and is consumed as powder. The thinking is that by taking it in a higher concentration, you’re going to be able to intensify a supplement’s effects.
Schriever sees a lot of problems in the logic behind it.
“To start with, you place yourself at risk for choking and aspirating, which is not good for your lung health and could lead to infections,” she said. “Also consider these kinds of supplements tend to have a lot of caffeine in them. If you’re going to swallow it that quickly, you’re going to absorb all that caffeine so quickly it can elevate your heart rate, which could cause heart damage.”
Liquid chlorophyll – This is a semi-synthetic form of the natural green pigment found in plants. It is marketed as a supplement and claims to aid in detoxification, improve skin health and reduce body odor.
Suffice it to say Schriever and the medical community remain unconvinced.
“There’s no evidence that it’ll improve your health,” she said. “You’re better off eating spinach, kale, green beans and peas if you’re interested in getting more chlorophyll naturally,” Schriever said. “Eat those and you have the added benefit of fiber and vitamins.”
Magnesium – Some studies suggest taking magnesium can help in weight loss but only for people who are insulin-resistant or if you have a magnesium deficiency. And even then, the effect likely will be minor.
“There are other benefits to taking magnesium – it can help with bowel regularity, and for some, it helps with sleep,” Schriever said. “But I wouldn’t rely on it to help you with your weight.”
CBD – “CBD” is cannabidiol, an ingredient in marijuana that has been connected with weight loss, though studies do not offer convincing proof. People do not use it to get high, nor is it addictive, and it has found a place in the wellness market as a way to alleviate anxiety and address chronic pain.
While lowering stress can sometimes help in weight management, there is no direct connection with CBD use for losing pounds.
“Stress interrupts your weight management,” Schriever said. “So it could indirectly benefit you as far as your weight-management journey, helping you adjust your lifestyle to improve, but there is nothing to support actual benefits for weight loss currently based on studies.”
Cleanses and detoxes – These often claim to remove toxins from the body to improve health and promote weight loss. The reality is that the human body already does a good job of detoxing itself.
“Again, it goes back to are you on medications?” Schriever said. “Do you have health problems that could make that risky and you throw your potassium off based on a medication you’re on? In the short term, if you’re going to clean out, you might lose a few pounds, but in the long term, you’re just going to start eating again and gain it back.
“If you are struggling with your bowels, then I would certainly talk to a doctor about how to correct that and help you through that rather than risk going through one of these cleanses.”
For information
The complete podcast episode is part of the “Health and Wellness” series by Sanford Health. For additional podcast series by Sanford Health, find us on Apple, Spotify and news.sanfordhealth.org.
At Sanford Health, you have access to an integrated health care system. For times when you need a specialist or referrals to other services, your primary care provider can refer you to other Sanford Health providers in the specialty you need. If you do not have a primary care provider, you can find one today.
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