Best Weight Loss Nutrients

(Article first published as Nutrients for Weight Loss Success on Technorati.)

New research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates that resveratrol has a powerful effect on our metabolism and our ability to effectively lose weight. This is great news for the millions of Americans who are overweight or obese and need help dropping pounds to reduce their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and many types of cancer.

It’s important to understand that nutrients can assist with healthy weight loss, but are not a substitute for a well balanced, reduced calorie diet and regular exercise. Nutrients such as Resveratrol and Vitamin D work at the cellular level to burn fat by increasing metabolism, preventing new fat cells from forming and reducing body inflammation.

Drink Red Wine, Eat Grapes and Lose Weight

Resveratrol has evolved as a powerful protective mechanism to certain plants, providing them with defenses against natural enemies. Best known as the key ingredient behind the ‘French Paradox’, whereby people eating a relatively unhealthy diet are protected against heart disease and cancer, resveratrol has now been shown to inhibit the production of new fat cells.

This works at the genetic level, as resveratrol triggers a special anti-aging gene known as Sirt1. When Sirt1 is positively expressed by eating a healthy reduced calorie diet, a cascade of survival mechanisms kick in which have evolved to keep up alive in lean times. Research demonstrates that resveratrol can mimic the effect of eating a low calorie diet and spring the Sirt1 gene into action, halting new fat cells from forming. Resveratrol is a powerful tool to compliment your healthy dietary lifestyle. It’s recommended to supplement with 50 to 100 mg daily.

The Sunshine Vitamin is Essential for Weight Loss

Vitamin D is one of the best studied nutrients, shown to reduce the risk of many potentially fatal diseases. Vitamin D is a fat soluble substance, meaning it’s stored in our fat cells for later use. Researchers are still working to determine whether obesity causes Vitamin D deficiency or if Vitamin D deficiency results in obesity, but the results are conclusive. The amount of Vitamin D circulating in your blood is directly related to the amount of weight lost when following a reduced calorie diet.

Vitamin D is actually a hormone which is required by every cell in the body, and scientists believe it holds the key to how our cells replicate. 80% of adults are Vitamin D deficient when tested, which may hold a significant key to our skyrocketing obesity problem. Now we know that it exerts a strong effect on how fat is stored and released. Reduce the risk of serious illness and drive weight loss by having your blood tested and supplement with 4000 to 6000 IU of Vitamin D daily.

Healthy weight loss is difficult for 95% of those who have tried in vain, but failed. Eating a well-balanced, reduced calorie diet and physical activity are prerequisites to lose weight, yet many people need something more. New science is providing an answer. Resveratrol and Vitamin D may be the trigger to stimulate metabolism and reduce inflammation naturally, leading to permanent weight loss and a new lease on life.