Supplement Highlight: RHODIOLA

So many struggle with weight loss. To gain control of this part of our lives, we try to establish disciplined habits in eating a healthier diet and exercising. I personally always look for ways to make this an easier task and ways to motivate myself to get a better result. One herbal product that I have come across that is very helpful in this is Rhodiola rosea. It is a great weight loss supplement or all natural “diet pill” to help you lose weight for several reasons that we will discuss here.

First, what is rhodiola and where does it come from? It is an herb that comes from the polar Arctic regions of Eastern Siberia. Historically, it was highly valued by traditional Arctic tribes as a strengthening tonic to increase physical and mental stamina. This is why traditionally it has been used by Russian athletes. Also, it has been prized for its ability to help the body adapt to stress. It supports the nervous system, and helps with mental focus as it increases the blood supply to the brain. It supports the immune system and is known to improve endurance and physical performance. This herb has many benefits to it, but the main focus of this article is to outline its benefits in weight loss.

One of the biggest hurdles of weight loss is stored fat or adipose tissue. It usually shows up around the waist, hips, and buttocks. Once fat is stored in this tissue, it is hard to get rid of. That's why some people just can't seem to get rid of certain fatty spots, including "love handles". The body does possess an enzyme called hormone-sensitive lipase that is capable of breaking down fat stored in adipose tissue, but this enzyme is not especially active. This is where rhodiola rosea comes in. Extracts of rhodiola rosea have the capacity to activate hormone-sensitive lipase, thus increasing the breakdown of fat stored in adipose tissue. Rosavin is one of the active ingredients in rhodiola that specifically contributes to fat breakdown. It does this by activating hormone-sensitive lipase, thus increasing the breakdown of fat stored in adipose tissue. The broken down stored fat is then released in the bloodstream, which is why it is a good idea to exercise in addition to taking the supplement.

We all know that exercise is good for us in general and we know that exercise will help us to lose weight, if we do it properly. Rigorous work schedules and life responsibilities leave a person tired and fatigued, so they do not exercise. Also, fatigue is known to cause us to make poor food decisions. When we are tired, we tend to eat what is readily available like fast food instead of cooking a healthy meal. Rhodiola can be a great help in this, as it gives you more energy to work out and has been shown to increase your productivity in workouts and naturally improves mental alertness and decreases fatigue, as it increases blood flow to the brain.

Here is some evidence that shows how Rhodiola can actually improve your exercise program, thus over time positively affect your weight loss. According to a double blind placebo-controlled randomized study conducted in Belgium involving 24 volunteers, published on Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, patients were administered with either Rhodiola rosea intake 200-mg Rhodiola rosea extract containing 3% rosavin + 1% salidroside plus 500 mg starch or placebo (700 mg starch). Over a 4 week period, volunteers taking Rhodiola showed improvement in physical capacity, muscle strength, speed of limb movement, reaction time, and attention, compared to placebo group.

As we discussed, rhodiola has been shown to improve mental alertness and decrease fatigue. Research conducted at the Department of Neurology, Armenian State Medical University,Yerevan, the effect of repeated low-dose treatment of Rhodiola extract on fatigue during night duty among a group of 56 young, healthy physicians was studied. Total mental performance was evaluated measuring overall level of mental fatigue, complex perceptive and cognitive cerebral functions, such as associative thinking, short-term memory, calculation and ability of concentration, and speed of audio-visual perception. During a period of three weeks, volunteers taking Rhodiola extract were shown to have significant improvement in these tests compared to placebo group. These results suggest that Rhodiola can reduce general fatigue under certain stressful conditions. It helped night working physicians to have less fatigue and be more alert and it can help you. With your improved energy and alertness you can cook healthier meals and make better decisions, when it comes to food choices. Lastly, rhodiola can help us choose to eat a healthy diet and choose to exercise, as it helps improve our mental alertness and energy levels.

As you can see, we are promoting healthy weight loss and not a get slim quick scheme. Rhodiola helps us to make good choices, and over time those good choices will give us a good result in our weight loss efforts. In addition, with its ability to activate hormone sensitive molecules to break down stored fat, it is a real help in increasing our weight loss efforts. This is one weight loss tool we don’t want to be without.