Table 3:
Summary Characteristics of Studies
| Dietary Supplement or Alternative Therapy | Age (years) | Reporting of Weighta | Weight Change in Low Bias Studies | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # RCTs | Low | High | NR p-value | Noted Significantd | # Low Biase | Significantf | |
| Acupuncture | 45 | 18 | 64 | 18 (40%) | 18 (40%) | 2 (4.4%) | -- |
| Calcium & Vitamin D | 22 | 20.1 | 62.4 | 8 (36%) | 3 (13.6) | 5 (22.7%) | --- |
| Chitosan | 9 | 23.1 | 54.5 | 3 (33%) | 5 (56%) | 1 (11%) | 1 (11%) |
| Chocolate/Cocoa | 6 | 20 | 60 | 4 (67%) | 1 (17%) | 1 (11%) | --- |
| Chromium | 6 | 25 | 75 | 1 (17%) | 3 (50%) | 3 (50%) | 1 (16%) |
| Ephedra or Caffeine | 31 | 22 | 50.1 | 11 (35%) | 14 (45%) | 10 (32%) | 5 (16%) |
| Garcinia and/or Hydroxycitrate | 15 | 21 | 60 | 3 (20%) | 5 (33%) | 4 (27%) | 2 (13%) |
| Green Tea | 38 | 19 | 81.4 | 13 (34%) | 8 (21%) | 16 (42%) | 2 (5.3%) |
| Guar Gum | 5 | 51.6 | 63.6 | 3 (60%) | 1 (20%) | --- | --- |
| Conjugated Linoleic Acid | 31 | 18 | 65 | 8 (26%) | 4 (13%) | 5 (16%) | 1 (3.2%) |
| Mind-Body | 22 | 20 | 65 | 4 (18%) | 6 (27%) | 2 (9.1%) | --- |
| Phaseolus | 7 | 22 | 66 | 3 (43%)c | 3 (43%) | --- | --- |
| Phenylpropylamine | 5 | 18 | 65 | 1 (20%) | 3 (60%) | 1 (20%) | --- |
| Pyruvate | 7 | 22.5 | 48.7b | 2 (29%) | 4 (57%) | --- | --- |
Abbreviation: NR – not reported; RCT – randomized controlled trial
a
reporting the number of studies that compared pre/post intervention between arms.
b
two studies did not report age or age range
c
One study had two substudies – one of which did not report an overall p-value
d
significance as noted/outlined by the study authors
e
Number of RCTs that fulfilled criteria for low risk of bias across all categories of Cochrane Collaboration tool
f
Proportion of low risk of bias studies that demonstrated statistically significant changes pre/post intervention between groups.