Dear Reader,
At this time of year especially, many folks start thinking about adopting some healthy habits to “start fresh” in the new year. They perhaps even commit to shedding a few unwanted pounds.
And now, research reveals that a pennies-a-day nutritional supplement can help you shrink your waistline without giving up the wholesome, satisfying foods you love.
In fact, it helps you melt away belly fat, maintain muscle mass, AND lower triglycerides.
If that sounds too good to be true, well—allow me to explain…
Natural botanical boosts weight-loss efforts in obese men and women
For this study, 48 middle-aged, obese men and women followed a standard, low-calorie diet for 10 weeks.
Now, as I reported in yesterday’s Daily Dispatch, restricting calories is the WRONG approach to take if you want to lose weight and keep it off. (It can cause you to gain the weight back and ultimately sabotage your health.)
Nevertheless, in this study, all the participants did end up losing some weight over the 10 weeks on this diet. (Of course, whether they can all sustain that weight loss is another question for another day. Although, you know my guess.)
But here’s where things got interesting…
Half of the group also took 20 mg per day of the carotenoid lutein. (Carotenoids are the plant pigments that make certain fruits and vegetables red, orange, or yellow.)
Well, it turns out, the lutein group experienced several added benefits compared to everyone else in the study. Not only did they lose weight, but they also:
- Lost more abdominal fat than the other group.
- Did NOT lose muscle mass, as the other group did.
- Lowered their triglycerides (blood fats).
Losing muscle mass (instead of fat) is always a danger, on any restricted diet. And it’s especially dangerous as you get older. But adding lutein to your regimen seems to provide some added protection against this common outcome. Not to mention…it boosts your ability to lose persistent BELLY FAT and lower your triglycerides!
Of course, carotenoids like lutein have a lot of other things going for them, too, as I personally discovered when working with a team of federal researchers during the mid-1980s…
Plant pigments also protect against disease
As we learned decades ago, lutein crosses the blood-brain barrier to support brain and eye health. Indeed, in one study, they found that men and women with higher lutein levels had a more “youthful” brain. They even performed as well on cognitive tests as younger participants!
Plus, multiple other studies link carotenoids to cancer prevention. And they have strong anti-inflammatory properties, which help protect against a whole host of chronic diseases, including arthritis, heart disease, and dementia. So there’s really no reason NOT to consider adding it to your daily regimen—for a long list of potential health benefits.
Today, you can find lutein formulated together with another botanical remedy called berberine and B vitamins. Altogether, they act as powerhouses for your brain, eyesight, neurological health, and metabolism.