Dietary supplements for body-weight reduction: a systematic review1,2

Systematic literature searches were conducted to identify all randomized clinical trials (RCTs), systematic reviews, and metaanalyses of dietary supplements for body weight reduction. Data sources were Medline, Embase, Amed, Cinahl, and the Cochrane Library. The search terms used were dietary supplements, food supplements, herbal products, phytotherapy, overweight, obesity, weight loss, slimming, and derivatives of these. Each database was searched from its inception until March 2003.