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You may have heard it called Meno Belly or the middle-age spread. If you’re a woman over 40, you know firsthand that midlife weight gain is no joke. One minute your body is tight and fit, next thing you know, you eat like you always have but your tummy grows and your muscle tone softens up.
And worse, taking back control of your body seems to be a losing battle. If a daily jog has kept you trim for years, your declining metabolism has rendered it ineffective. It’s frustrating.
It’s no surprise there are thousands of belly fat and weight-loss products and solutions targeting women in their 40s to 60s…
How will you know where to start?
Don’t fret. In this article, we’ll examine the options we have to combat midlife weight gain and things to look out for, as well as our top product recommendations to achieve your 2024 belly and weight goals.
Made from safe and healthy ingredients, supplements are formulated to supply nutrients and other beneficial ingredients to the body.
In the context of belly fat burners, these are designed to support and augment your weight management efforts over time, by targeting the root cause. The right combination of ingredients can help women naturally curb appetite, enhance metabolism, and prevent fat absorption.
This approach means it can take time for most women to experience results (typically 60-180 days) and it doesn’t require extreme diets and excessive exercise – and avoids harmful side effects inherent in most drugs.
But a fair warning – given that supplements are not tightly regulated by the FDA, watch out for unrealistic claims. Be skeptical of any product guaranteeing that you can “lose 30 pounds in 30 days” – a legitimate company will not make that promise.
Weight loss medications and appetite suppressants, like GLP-1 RAs (Semaglutide, Liraglutide) have been clinically tested to reduce weight. In fact, drug trials show participants can lose up to 5 – 15% of their body weight.
However, these aren’t for just anyone to take. Most physicians only prescribe them when someone has a body mass index (BMI) of 30 and greater, or a BMI of 25 – 30 with a weight-related illness like type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
As with most prescription drugs, the side effects may make you wonder if it’s worth the risk. These include serious health issues like pancreatitis, seizures, heart palpitations, chest pain, insomnia, vomiting, uncontrolled bowel movements and suicidal thoughts, among others6.
The truth is, lasting weight loss especially around the midsection involves lots of commitment and effort.
It may require overcoming sedentary lifestyles and undoing habitual patterns of unhealthy eating, all ingrained for years.
Here’s where weight loss programs can bring much-needed support – by providing a mix of goal-setting, accountability check-ins, behavioral support, educational resources, and/or done-for-you meal plans.
However, hundreds of these programs flood the market every year, but few undergo rigorous evaluation for long-term efficacy.
A study of 141 weight loss programs in the United States revealed only 32 featured behavioral and nutritional components – while just 6 met US Preventive Services Task Force criteria.
So if you think participating in a program will help, choose one with evidence-based success rates.
Whether it’s intermittent fasting… doing the ketogenic diet… or juice fasts, nearly all belly fat burning diets count on eating fewer calories than your body uses, in order to shed the excess pounds.
But why do diets seem to stop working after 40?
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, women’s calorie needs drop as they age. That means you need to eat less to maintain the same weight – and even less if you wish to lose it.
But here’s another problem; most restrictive diets don’t last. Numerous studies prove dieters are prone to gaining back the pounds they’ve shed. Not to mention, hormonal changes can make older women crave food even more – making it extremely difficult to stick to a diet.
Here’s a major reason your workouts don’t seem to reap the same results as before – muscle atrophy as you age.
A study found that women can experience up to 10% decline in muscle mass during perimenopause and menopause. This is crucial, given that muscle mass affects metabolism.
At rest, muscles burn more calories than fat. So when muscles shrink, the female body consumes less energy. The result? A lower resting metabolism.
Increasing exercise frequency and adding muscle-strengthening activities is a great way to burn more calories and build healthy muscles.
With thousands of belly fat burner supplements out there… How will you know what to pick?
Thankfully, we’ve done the legwork for you.
First, we analyzed a systematic review of 1,7437full-text articles, including data from 315 randomized clinical trials of 14 popular herbal supplement ingredients marketed for belly fat burn and weight loss published in the PubMed database. In addition, we examined 27 other clinical studies published on alternative belly fat burning ingredients in the market today.
Here are the main ingredient types that have demonstrated effectiveness in supporting belly fat burn and weight loss.
One systematic review of 27 randomized clinical trials8 on probiotics, published on the National Institutes of Health, PubMed database, found over 83% reported significant weight loss.
Some are even studied to naturally boost your body’s GLP-1 production, a hormone that keeps you satiated for longer.
But be aware not all strains have these beneficial effects.
Choose strains that are clinically-proven to increase metabolism, GLP-1 production, prevent fat absorption and decrease abdominal fat by strengthening gut health, boosting microbial diversity and lowering inflammation.
Natural, safe and effective – these probiotics are in a class of their own.
Examples: L. gasseri SBT2055, L. gasseri BNR17, and L. curvatus HY7601 with L. plantarum KY1032
Hormonal fluctuations can cause insatiable cravings that may derail diets and contribute to weight gain in women. This is why so many are turning their attention towards the newest appetite suppressant in town, GLP-1 antagonists.
They work by mimicking GLP-1, your body’s satiety hormones, so that it reduces appetite and promote feelings of fullness.
However, take note that GLP-1 antagonists are medication that mimic GLP-1 function, and this unnatural supplementation may cause certain side effects and risk, and some possible health issues that might occur include pancreatitis and even kidney injury.
Examples: Semaglutide, Liraglutide
These are ingredients which stimulate or support fat breakdown into energy – especially useful for women who experience low metabolism and fatigue.
Just note that stimulants should not be consumed in excess – or you may risk heart palpitations, high blood pressure, and anxiety.
Some stimulants, like berberine (found in GOLO), may even interefere with medication because of their enzyme altering properties.
Examples: Green tea, caffeine, conjugated linoleic acid, capsaicin, berberine.
These ingredients naturally block fat from being absorbed from your diet or prevent storage in your body. Unlike prescription-strength fat blockers that can cause digestive issues, these natural ingredients are gentler. They either bind to fat molecules or intercept the fat formation process.
However, there’s little evidence to prove the long-term effectiveness of these ingredients.
Examples: Chitosan, garcinia cambogia, Salacia
As supplements can be sold without approval by FDA, reliable supplement manufacturers get third-party certifications to distinguish their products as trustworthy. These certifications verify the ingredients and quantities claimed on the product label, and that the product meets stringent manufacturing and performance standards. Established certifications to look out for include GMP, USP, NSF, Certified Organic, Non-GMO certified, etc.
Supplements that can’t be absorbed by the body are essentially ineffective. Unfortunately, most people aren’t aware of this, allowing manufacturers to get away with cheaply-made supplements with low bioavailability. Your selection process should consider supplements with ingredients that enhance absorption. Also, look for high-quality capsules that break down at the right time for nutrients to be fully absorbed.
Clinical trials help substantiate the efficacy of ingredients through proper tests. Look for a supplement with clinically-tested ingredients for real benefits, and avoid those based on anecdotal evidence. Even better if there are multiple studies backing the product. We based our top 5 weight management supplements on clinically studied ingredients supported by a solid body of evidence.
Sadly, according to the New York Times,14 one in four products sold on Amazon is fake. This is especially true of nutritional supplements. When buying from Amazon, ensure you do so from the brand’s Amazon store. Otherwise, purchase directly from the brand’s official website. Consuming fraudulent products may cause nasty side effects — so be extra cautious.
All supplements made in the USA are under FDA regulation. The same applies for Canada and Australia. Ensure products you buy come from FDA/TGA-registered facilities using GMP certified manufacturing processes. Many supplements, especially those purchased on eBay and Amazon are manufactured abroad, with little to no regulation. One study looked at 44 herbal supplements sold in North America and found 60% do not contain the ingredients or quantities claimed on the labels15.
A risk-free guarantee lets you try supplements without fear of losing your money. If you try the product and don’t experience results, simply contact the manufacturer for a refund. A 60- or 90-day guarantee is the minimum a manufacturer should have as a show of confidence in their products. Also, avoid companies that make you jump through hoops. One common strategy that companies use is “bottle return” – they require you pay for return shipping and return the empty bottles before they process your refund.
Provitalize is the only supplement in our list containing three of the best probiotic strains for combating belly fats.
It even contains L. gasseri, a probiotic that naturally promotes the release of GLP-1, a satiety hormone that reduces appetite and promote feelings of fullness, without the possible side effects of GLP-1 antagonists.
Multiple studies suggest that these three strains are capable of supporting higher metabolism levels, reduce fat absorption in the gut, lower inflammation levels, and even tackle bloating – one of the reasons for a protruding belly. It’s uniquely marketed as a thermogenic probiotic with fat-neutralizing & metabolism-boosting properties – without stimulants. According to their official website, over 1.2 million women have shed their stubborn weight with just two capsules a day. The thousands of glowing reviews on Amazon, Trustpilot & Okendo are undeniable proof that Provitalize is worthy of our top spot.
In addition to probiotics, Provitalize contains a herbal blend with clinically-studied benefits for women including turmeric root extract, moringa leaf extract, and curry leaf extract. Together these have been shown to combat reduce food cravings, lower inflammation and bloating, decrease hot flashes and joint pain, and support healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
By pairing absorption enhancers like BioPerine® (black pepper extract) and sunflower lecithin, with special delayed-release capsules DRCaps™️, Provitalize maximizes the absorption of its nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, as well as probiotic delivery.
Want 50% faster visible weight results from Provitalize? Then the Slim Gut Bundle is for you. This holistic bundle combines the weight-management powers of Provitalize with ‘super fiber’ prebiotics in Previtalize.
The probiotics in Provitalize feed on these ‘super fibers’ to multiply faster in the gut. This means women can see faster visible results such as reduction of belly fat & cravings.
These healthy fibers include fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, and inulin. Previtalize also aids digestion and stabilizes mood naturally.
We listed the Slim Gut Bundle 2nd only because it costs more than Provitalize alone. Other than that, we believe it’s the best-value-for-money bundle in the market right now.
Trimtone is a relatively recent fat burner launched in 2020, with a 100-day money-back guarantee. It contains a mix of ingredients, such as caffeine, green tea, and glucomannan. These ingredients have some scientific backing, but generally have low potency. You’d likely need to take this for at least 6-12 months to see sustained results.
We ranked it third because we like that it has a sufficient money-back guarantee window for customers to try the product. However, it isn’t clear if this guarantee is a return-based guarantee (like GOLO) or a full money-back guarantee (like Provitalize). We’d recommend you to check with the brand before making your purchase.
LeanBean uses the appetite suppressant, glucomannan, a type of dietary fiber. It works by swelling in your stomach to make you feel fuller between meals, and in turn helps you to lower your calorie intake. This is the same ingredient used in Trimtone.
It also contains a safe blend of natural thermogenics, and minerals to give your metabolism the boost it needs. It includes Choline which has been shown to support the normal metabolism of fats.
One concern we have over Provitalize is that Leanbean isn’t sold on Amazon, so there is not sufficient neutral customer reviews we could study to determine if Leanbean is able to deliver its promises.
GOLO Release works because it targets insulin resistance and metabolic health. It contains 7 plant extracts and 3 minerals including chromium in a proprietary blend that work together to stop further weight gain and starts working immediately to reverse insulin resistance so your body can start to release stored fat.
Golo Release was designed to be taken with the Golo Diet. While the reviews are mixed, Golo has withstand the test of time and has a sizeable fanbase. This is the reason why we think that Golo is good enough to round up our top 5.
Shedding belly fat is one of the hardest things to do and while there are FDA-proven pharmaceutical solutions, these solutions may carry negative side-effects or could be aggressive. On the other hand, weight loss programs take time but they also can require a lot of effort, a restrictive diet, and a lot of money.
After reviewing the science behind nutritional supplements, we think it is the safest and most sustainable approach for the average woman.
Also, women can gain belly fats more easily after 40 due to multiple reasons. While lower estrogen levels could be the root cause, the intermediate concerns are inflammation, leaky gut, and lower metabolism. We recommend looking for supplements that can address all three.
Individual results vary, but according to our research, people supporting diet and exercise efforts may shed an additional 5-10% of weight with the supplements listed in this article.
In combination with a good diet and regular exercise, the right supplement can enhance your efforts to eliminate stubborn belly fat. One study published in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Nutrition, found that participants consuming Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 reduced abdominal fat (visceral fat) by up 8.5% over 12 weeks13.
Generally speaking, all of the belly fat burner supplements listed in this article are considered safe. If you have any health concerns consult your physician before buying.
A study published in Today’s Annals of Internal Medicine suggests aiming to eat 30 grams of fiber each day can help you lose weight16”. Prebiotic fibers have also been shown to ease cravings, balance moods and enhance the effects of probiotics.
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