Best Natural Appetite Suppressants

The formula to lose weight is simple: eat less and exercise more. So then why aren’t more dieters successful? Because, it’s not easy to ignore cravings, cut calories, and bid farewell to the foods you love.

However, your appetite must be controlled if you’re going to lose weight.

Donald Hensrud, MD, explains, “Cutting calories through dietary changes seems to promote weight loss more effectively than does exercise.” ^[1]

The good news is willpower isn’t the only tool at your disposal. You can also use the 10 best natural appetite suppressants.

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Green tea ranks among the world’s most popular drinks largely due to its antioxidant-related weight loss benefits. For example, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) -- an abundant antioxidant in green tea -- is a powerful appetite suppressant.

According to one study, EGCG increases cholecystokinin (CCK) release.^[2] CCK is a hormone the intestines release to tell the brain you’ve eaten enough food.

Green tea not only suppresses appetite by releasing CCK, it also reduces carbohydrate cravings by lowering blood glucose levels.^[3]

This exotic mango is delicious -- that’s for sure -- but eating the flesh won’t curb your cravings. In reality, an extract from the seeds is what lessens hunger.

In a clinical study, a patented African mango extract, IGOB131, was proven to increase leptin and improve blood glucose.

Leptin plays a significant role in appetite and fat loss. Like CCK, leptin signals the brain to stop eating, thereby suppressing food intake. Leptin also regulates fat storage and boosts metabolism.^[4]

Because of African mango’s effects on leptin, participants taking IGOB131 ate fewer calories and lost an average 28 lbs.!^[5]

Hypoglycemia (i.e. low blood sugar) is a major trigger for overeating. Fortunately, chromium picolinate enhances insulin function. Insulin controls blood sugar levels, carbohydrate metabolism, and fat storage.

When study participants took chromium picolinate daily, their hunger levels and fat cravings decreased. What’s more, participants ate 365 fewer calories a day without feeling overwhelmingly hungry.^[6]

For most people, caffeine is a morning pick-me-up, or the energy booster that carries them through the day. Did you know caffeine also suppresses appetite?

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a stress hormone. The more NPY you have, the hungrier you feel.^[7] Caffeine inhibits NPY, relieves stress, and reduces appetite.^[8] It also stimulates the fat-burning process called thermogenesis.^[9]

Speaking about 5-HTP, Dr. Oz said “It really works to stop your hunger.”^[10] Now, the question is: how does 5-HTP work?

5-HTP produces serotonin which regulates mood and appetite. Dr. Denise Bruner elaborates, “Serotonin makes us feel good, feel happy, and feel full, and when we feel that way we’re going to eat less.”^[10]

Study participants taking 5-HTP felt full sooner, ate less food, and lost significant weight. And they experienced these results without exercising or changing their diets.^[11]

Dr. Oz called glucomannan “nature’s skinny sponge” because it soaks up hunger.^[12] Glucomannan -- a soluble fiber -- also soaks up water which causes it to expand, fill the stomach, and decrease hunger.

Once it enters the digestive tract, glucomannan soaks up LDL cholesterol, slows glucose release, and improves digestion and bowel movements.

During a study, people lost 5.5 lbs. by just taking glucomannan.^[13]

If you don’t eat cayenne regularly, adding it to your diet suppresses appetite, a recent study shows.

In the study, people were asked to eat meals with cayenne pepper. Those who didn’t typically eat the spice felt less hungry and lost more weight.^[14]

Another study found capsaicin -- an extract in cayenne -- increases feelings of fullness and decreases ghrelin.^[15] Ghrelin is a hormone that stimulates hunger.^[4]

For years, tribal Indians used caralluma fimbriata believing it suppresses hunger. Recently, researchers decided to put this edible cactus to the test.

Fifty overweight people were given caralluma fimbriata or a placebo for 60 days. Those taking caralluma fimbriata experienced fewer cravings and felt full even after eating less food than usual.^[16]

Researcher could not identify how caralluma fimbriata works, but concluded it is a safe, powerful appetite suppressant.^[16]

Fiber is well known for its impact on hunger and satiety, and psyllium is packed with fiber. As a result, psyllium fills the stomach and leaves little room for fattening foods. It also helps you feel full longer with fewer calories.

A clinical study proved psyllium suppresses appetite, decreases ghrelin, and slows post-prandial glucose release.^[17]

Foods like glucomannan and psyllium suppress hunger by filling the stomach. Others like PinnoThin® curb cravings by tricking the brain.

Made from pine nut oil, PinnoThin® increases the release of CCK and glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1). When the stomach is full, CCK and GLP-1 tell the brain to stop feeling hungry. However, research shows PinnoThin® sends satiety signals to the brain even if you haven’t eaten.^[18]

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