Weight Loss Supplements for Men: What’s Really Worth It?

Everywhere you turn—there are advertisements for weight loss products. Manufacturers promise their supplements will help boost your metabolism, suppress your appetite, and slim you down—but do they really work?

If you’re looking to shed a few pounds, you’ve probably searched high and low for lifestyle adjustments—namely diet, exercise, and sleep—that work for you. Failing that, it’s common to look for other solutions. That’s where supplements come in. Unlike prescription medications, supplements are hardly regulated, and there’s significantly less research on how well these products work (for weight loss or otherwise). This means it’s important to both consider these supplements within your larger weight loss effort, but also as standalone products.

Here’s what the science says about weight loss supplements that may be worth your time and money.

Our Experience

Hone Health is a team of health-obsessed journalists, editors, fitness junkies, medical reviewers, and product testers. We reviewed several research studies and well-respected medical pages to ensure we deliver you research-backed information on weight loss supplements for men.

Weight Loss Supplements for Men

Green Tea Extract

If you love green tea, you’ll be happy to discover that its extract may encourage weight loss. Research reveals that one of the ways green tea extract may promote weight loss is by changing the gene expression of fat metabolism (1). 

The main antioxidant in green tea extract, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), may boost metabolism (2). It can inhibit an enzyme that breaks down the hormone norepinephrine. When EGCG inhibits this enzyme, norepinephrine increases in your body, which is thought to promote fat breakdown (3).

A 12-week study found that high doses of green tea extract supplementation led to significant weight loss, a smaller waist circumference, and decreased total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in women who were obese (4). 

Garcinia cambogia extract

Garcinia cambogia extract comes from a tropical fruit native to India and Southeast Asia. This supplement is unique because it contains the chemical hydroxy citric acid (HCA), which may assist with weight loss (5). 

HCA derives from citric acid and is considered an appetite suppressant, meaning it may interfere with lipogenesis. Lipogenesis is the process of converting simple sugars and glycerol into fats (6). 

A systematic review of 12 randomized controlled trials found that Garcinia extract can encourage short-term weight loss (7). 

Another study revealed that participants who took Garcinia cambogia extract for 16 weeks had significantly lower visceral, subcutaneous, and total fat areas than those in the placebo group (8).

It seems that Garcinia may be effective for weight loss, but the evidence is mixed. It should also be mentioned that there are reported cases of acute liver injury as a result of taking this supplement (5).

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Caffeine

Caffeine is a popular ingredient known for making us more alert and focused when we’re dragging through the day (9).

Caffeine is a stimulant that may also help you drop a few pant sizes. It can speed up the messaging between your brain and nervous system, sending direct signals to your fat cells to break down fat (10). 

This ingredient can also increase your resting metabolic rate (RMR). As you may or may not know, the higher your metabolic rate is, the more calories you burn (11). An older study revealed that 100 milligrams (mg) of caffeine increased the RMR of lean and post-obese participants by 3-4% (12). 

A systematic review and meta-analysis also suggested that caffeine supplementation may promote a reduction in weight, body mass index (BMI), and body fat (13). 

Forskolin extract

Forskolin is another supplement that is supposed to help with weight loss. It is a root extract from the Coleus barbatus plant (14). 

One study found that forskolin supplementation improved glucose metabolism and reduced the size of fat cells in mice on a high-fat diet (15).

But, when it comes to actual human studies—the research is mixed. 

In a small study, 30 overweight or obese men and women took 250 mg of Coleus forskohlii extract (which is 10% forskolin) or a placebo twice daily for 12 weeks. The results revealed no significant weight loss difference between the two groups, although both groups had smaller waists and hips, likely attributed to calorie restriction rather than forskolin (16). 

Yet, an older study involving 30 overweight or obese men (coincidentally) suggested that the supplement might promote weight loss and preserve muscle mass (17). Researchers also discovered that forskolin increased the participant’s free testosterone levels. Testosterone can reduce fat mass and increase lean body mass, which is attributed to the study’s results (18). 

With all that being said, the evidence of how efficient this supplement is for men’s weight loss is mixed. 

Fiber

Dietary fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes and is very beneficial when you’re backed up—but can they help with weight loss as well (19)?

When mixed with water, soluble fiber (e.g., beta-glucan and glucomannan) becomes a gel-like substance that can slow down the process of your stomach releasing digested food into your gut—aiding in weight loss (20). It also promotes satiety, or feelings of fullness, which reduces food intake. 
Studies show that having a higher intake of soluble fiber can help you shed belly fat and prevent belly fat gain. In fact, one study found that a 10-gram increase in soluble fiber daily led to a 3.7% lower risk of gaining belly fat (21).

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Vitamins that May Encourage Weight Loss

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is one of the many B vitamins that assist the body in obtaining or making energy from food (22). 

Vitamin B12 may help with weight loss, but the research is mixed, like many others on this list. 

A research review found that vitamin B12 plays a significant role in fat metabolism, mentioning that a deficiency in this vitamin may be associated with increased fat accumulation and obesity (23).

Vitamin B12 deficiency is a condition occurring from a lack of B12 from diet, alcohol abuse, surgery, and certain medical conditions (24).

An animal study revealed that rats on a high-fat diet who were given B vitamins experienced weight loss and saw an increase in enzyme activity that influenced metabolism (25).

Overall, more evidence is needed to confirm whether vitamin B12 is an effective weight loss supplement in those who already have normal B12 levels.  

Are weight loss supplements safe?

Well, we aren’t entirely sure. It can get pretty tricky regarding the safety of weight loss supplements. This is because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates dietary supplements much differently than medications. The agency cannot approve dietary supplements before they hit the market (26).

Also, manufacturers of these supplements have the legal right to sell new products on the market without notifying the FDA—which is quite concerning (26). 

Another safety issue that arises is cross-contamination. Unfortunately, some weight loss supplements may get contaminated with drugs, which may pose health risks. Studies show that some dietary supplements may be tainted with drugs like prohormones or unlabeled anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) when they’re manufactured on the same production line (27).

Before taking any dietary supplements for weight loss (or for any health concern, for that matter), please speak with your healthcare provider. They can offer guidance on choosing supplements that are safe for your health. 

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Alternatives to Weight Loss Supplements for Men

If you’re feeling a bit weary about weight loss supplements, there are safer alternatives you can try.

Weight-loss medications

Unless you’re sleeping under a rock, you’ve likely heard about the craze surrounding the semaglutide weight loss injections Ozempic and Wegovy. There’s also Mounjaro and Zepbound (tirzepatide) and Saxenda and Victoza (liraglutide). These medications work by suppressing your appetite or making it more difficult for your body to absorb fat from your foods (28). 

These weight loss injections are for adults who are obese or overweight with a weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes (28). 

If you’re not a fan of needles, your healthcare provider may offer weight loss pills. These include Contrave (naltrexone-bupropion), Qsymia (phentermine-topiramate), Topamax (topiramate), Xenical (orlistat), Rybelsus (semaglutide), and Imcivree (setmelanotide). They work the same way as the injectables by encouraging weight loss (29). 

Surgery

Weight-loss surgery, also known as metabolic and bariatric surgery, is another option for losing weight. The most common surgeries for weight loss in the United States are gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, and adjustable gastric band. In rare cases, a surgeon may recommend a fourth operation, biliopancreatic diversion, with a duodenal switch (30).

If you want to skip medical treatment entirely, you can also try nutrition counseling with a registered nutritionist or dietitian, get on a meal replacement plan, or—a classic—make lifestyle adjustments. These adjustments—exercising more, prioritizing sleep, adjusting diet, and so on—should be the first line of defense against weight gain, and should be seriously attempted before considering supplements or more extreme measures.