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Will supplements make me lose fat?

You might find some supplement companies claiming that their supplements will help you lose weight, but using vitamins for weight loss isn’t directly scientifically proven. Eating a healthy, portion-controlled diet is the only proven way to slim down. Taking a range of supplements may lead you to believe you’re healthy, but if you’re not supplementing your diet with the correct vitamins and minerals, it’s not doing you any good.

The only thing a vitamin can do is fix the deficiency of that vitamin, and if that deficiency is causing issues with digestion or other health problems, then weight loss can be a secondary effect of taking vitamins.

Fibre supplements are often linked with weight loss, but this is because fibre-rich foods take time to chew, which can be good for digestion, and it can help our bodies grow more good bacteria, which send signals to the brain that we are full. Our bodies need many different types of fibre to get these benefits, more than what we can get from supplements. One particular fibre, Litramine, may potentially help those who are overweight shed weight, but more studies are needed.

A 2012 study review found that green tea resulted in statistically insignificant small amounts of weight loss that were not clinically useful as a weight loss supplement. Taking a combination of vitamin D and calcium can help lose visceral belly fat deep in the abdomen, but for overall weight loss, studies have found they don’t help. Laxatives for weight loss are also not safe or effective.

So, while there are big claims, there's only slim evidence that supplements help with weight loss. After all, there’s no way to lose weight quickly and yet sustainably. You’re better off determining whether you are deficient in anything, relook at your daily habits and then improving your overall health from there.