Via practica 3/2025
Clinical and legislative aspects of dietary supplements in weight reduction
Many dietary supplements present beneficial action in weight reduction. They are among the most used dietary supplements, often on the basis of their easy availability, intensive marketing and simplistic interpretation of the beneficial effects of the substances they contain. This article reviews the basic legislative requirements for dietary supplements and presents summary conclusions of published review papers dealing with the efficacy and safety of dietary supplements in weight reduction. Despite intensive and promising research on biologically active substances in dietary supplements, insufficient and equivocal evidence does not allow their inclusion in standard recommendations for the comprehensive management of (pre)obesity in clinical practice.
Keywords: obesity, body weight reduction, dietary supplements
