1. The Ephedra Free "Natural" Fat Burners -

Many of the supplement sellers are having a field day selling new addictive stimulants wearing labels that say "Natural." Natural suggests the compound is something found in nature, either in plants, animals, or yes, even people. That really allows for a great many compounds to be packaged as "natural," after all, the human body produces hydrochloric acid and ammonia, animals sometimes have poison glands that house neurotoxins, and plants are the raw material for everything from opium to cocaine. Natural does not necessarily equate to "safe."

When ephedrine was "pulled" (not banned as many believe - you can still buy OTC asthma meds such as Primatene tablets, pure ephedrine HCl in pharmacies) from the shelves of health food stores, the supplement sellers were not surprised. They had fair warning so their scientists created new formulas that the marketing folks would make sure the public bought into. They searched for a compound with similar attributes to those we associate with ephedrine, but one that had not been sold in great volume for regular usage so the risks and hazards were unproven. They found synephrine, the primary ingredient in many nasal sprays. Just as ephedrine can be derived from herbal sources (ma huang, ephedra), so too can synephrine (citrus aurantium, bitter orange). These "new" compounds "work" primarily via diuretic water loss (of course they are loaded with "natural" caffeine) and appetite suppression, not unlike the diet pills of the 1970's. They are in most cases a 21st century legal version of speed, and while they can result in short term weight loss, and even short term accelerated fat loss in individuals committed to eating right and exercising, they alter endocrine production and find repeat buyers not because of a metabolism boost, but rather because of the initiation of a legal "natural" addiction. I suspect that with time we'll find the "new" fat burners to be just as potentially dangerous as those that were last scrutinized by the FDA.

2. The "Work the Abs Using Proven Research and Reduce the Waist" infomercial products.

Get great abs? Get a tiny waistline? Get in shape for the beach? These are all-too-common come-ons, but when they tie into an ab exerciser there is need for a red flag to be raised.

It appears, based on some very credible research (find info on a study that reviewed common ab exercises at San Diego State sanctioned by ACE) that movements that allow you to safely move, in a horizontal face-up position, to a hyperextensive position beyond a neutral spine allow for both a greater recruitment of abdominal muscle fibers and a greater overall muscle contraction then a standard crunch where the floor limits the range of motion. In other words, if you can envision a crunch performed on a stability ball, you'll recognize that the shape of the ball allows for a greater extension of the abdominal muscles than the same crunch performed on a bench or on the floor. There is some degree of hyperextension range in the thoracic vertebrae as well as the lumbar vertebrae and the support of the ball prevents the spine from hyperextending beyond its normal capacity. The full extension and full contraction would amount to the "full range of motion" we use when training other muscles.

It also appears that movements that roll the hips forward and tilt the pelvic bone involve greater "core" stimulation. Research revealed the "captain's chair" exercise, otherwise known as a hanging leg raise or hanging knee raise (which is, in effect, the "reverse crunch" performed vertically), to be very effective at stimulating abdominal muscle recruitment. The same research showed the stability ball to be a valuable tool in enhancing the core abdominal muscle stimulus in a crunch movement. The research is legit. Product marketers know if they can say "research has proven," and if they can even recruit a researcher to appear in an infomercial validating a study's efficacy, people will pay attention. So where's the problem? The problem is in the promises made.

A new breed of products have emerged that allow for a greater abominal muscle extension, but here's the "scammy" part of the equation (I don't think "scammy" is a word . . . but you know what i mean). These products are sold, via infomercials, claiming that they will reduce the waist. The research really took place, but it was not directed at waist reduction. It measured abdominal muscle contraction. While we all intellectually know by now you can't "spot reduce," the allure of these clever infomercials causes people to put common sense aside as they buy into yet the latest abdominal miracle promising "the abdominal 6-pack."

3. The confusing language of "net carbs," "low carb," and "no carb."

As our population has been impacted by Atkins and low-carb advocates, the mistaken mantra that "carbs are bad" has led to the recognition by food sellers that carbohydrates scare people. Rather than attempting to educate the public as to the virtues of good complex and fibrous carbohydrates, they direct their attention to simply modifying their labels. New loopholes in labeling laws allow food companies to sweeten foods with sugar alcohols and not categorize them as "sugars" or "carbs," even though these sugar alcohols can have a significant insulin response. They use very screwy math as there are products touting labels that read "3 net impact carbs" on the front, and when you turn them over you find the nutritional panel reads "Carbohydrates 28 grams."

What does "net carbs" mean? The food manufacturers using the term will present some jargon that suggests they are the carbs that are digestible and impact blood sugar, carbs that are other than fiber and sugar alcohol. The reality is, for the public seeking better food choices, the term is meaningless and misleading. Ignore the big print on the front. Look at the nutrition panel, the serving size, the sugar content, the fat content, and the ingredient listing if you really want to know how supportive a food is.

4. The carb blockers and fat trappers

Along with the push toward lower carb promises, supplement sellers have reignited carb-blockers and, while they're at it, why not also reignite the fat blockers using language that suggests that with these compounds in pill form you can eat anything you want and prevent the fat and carb calories from being absorbed. The "carb blockers" contain either HCA (from garcinia cambogia) or Phase 2 (from white navy bean), both of which I've addressed at the site, neither of which provides any sort of license to feast on cookies, cakes, and pizzas without worrying about fat accumulation. At best these compounds may prevent the conversion of a small amount of ingested carbs (glucose) into triglycerides, and to turn that into "eat anything without worry" requires wild exaggeration.

The fat blockers contain chitosan (from the exoskeleton of shellfish) which does have a propensity for attracting oil particles, but has no effect on stored bodyfat. To suggest that it's OK to eat high fat and high carb foods and cancel their negative impact with a pill is pure fantasy, a fantasy without a happy ending.

5. The "leptin" and "lipin" pseudo-drug promises

Leptin is a hormonal messenger that takes you from the point of being hungry to the point of satiation during the ingestion of food. It acts at the hypothalmus, which is considered "the control center" of the brain. Leptin is produced naturally, and when scientists found that injecting leptin into an obese genetically altered mouse with a flaw in the OB gene caused it to lose 1/2 of its bodyweight in a 4 1/2 weeks, needless to say they were thrilled.

If you are a genetically altered mouse with a flaw in the OB gene, then yes, leptin injections may help, but there is very little human research to validate the long term weight loss benefits of exogenous leptin injection. Worse yet, some early human research indicates that leptin may disrupt the action of insulin. Of course the drug companies are very anxious to release a "leptin" drug, even though there has been little or no validation of an oral compound having the effect of leptin injection.

Here's what you should keep in the front of your mind as you're lured by the new "leptin" promises. A commmitment to supportive eating and a dual commitment to resistance and aerobic exercise can optimize leptin production and help to regulate metabolism and appetite. We have evolved into a society looking to medications to adjust serotonin, dopamine, leptin, thyroid hormones, insulin, testosterone, growth hormone, etc. etc. and these are all biochemical compounds we are quite capable of manufacturing and optimally utilizing if we'd only, as a population, learn to take responsibility and learn to recognize that outside of cases of specific pathologies or medical abnormalities, we are in control of the hormonal cascade.

So, there you have it. The five "scams" that may or may not be actual intention to defraud, but certainly warrant ongong discussion and careful review before any consumer opts to buy into an unfounded promise.