Weight control is a major concern for many, with balanced diets and physical activity being the best solutions. However, some people seek more convenient options like Deliplus brand fat-burning products available at Mercadona supermarkets, which we’ll explore further along with their potential side effects.
Weight Loss Supplements
Fat-burning tablets and other weight-loss supplements have been on the market for a long time. They usually take advantage of unsound science and small effects to confuse the consumer, but some of them have effects on our health, both positive and negative.
The effects of these weight-loss pills are often short-lived or of little importance, especially if their intake is not accompanied by adequate nutrition and a certain amount of physical activity. Someone with a sedentary life with bad eating habits can hardly reduce their weight solely through the intake of dietary supplements.
What do the Mercadona’s fat-burning pills do?
Listed below are some of the products marketed by Mercadona supermarkets under the Deliplus brand, which has a wide range of cosmetic and parapharmacy products.
We will discuss their composition and effects, to tell you if they are effective for losing weight or not.
1. Horsetail Capsules
This product of the Deliplus brand is marketed in packs of 60 tablets, of which you must consume 6 daily to notice its effects about body weight. Its price is 3,50€. This plant –Equisetum arvense- has been considered a medicinal plant for a long time.
Some of the effects of horsetail are on anxiety, but it also has certain antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits especially relevant to those with certain cardiovascular problems. It also has marked diuretic effects, which are the ones that cause weight loss.
Diuretic weight control is useful for people, especially women, who suffer from fluid retention, but this weight is gained and lost quickly without having an effect on body fat. Plus, there are several groups that should not consume ponytail on an ongoing basis, such as pregnant women, breastfeeding women, or people with alcoholism or diabetes.
This is partly due to the action of horsetail on vitamin B1 (thiamine) levels. Horsetail contains an enzyme that destroys vitamin B1, which can lead to a variety of health problemsespecially in people who are deficient in this vitamin, for example due to the effects of alcohol.
I mean, are not the best idea for losing weight. In addition, this format of horsetail consumption ends up being more expensive than consuming it in the form of infusions.
2. Artichoke capsules
Deliplus artichoke food supplements are also available in packs of 60 capsules, of which are to be consumed 6 daily. Its benefits are based on a phenolic compound of artichoke, cynarin, which supposedly has effects on body fat.
In fact, although cynarin has beneficial effects on cardiovascular health, thanks to the inhibition of nitric oxide production by endothelial cells that line the blood vessels and the interior of the heart, the effects on fat and body weight are not proven.
However, exposure to the artichoke can change the sense of taste, increasing the perception of sweetness. This may have some effect on intake, but these have not been studied. In addition, the benefits of artichoke can also be obtained through direct dietary intake.
3. The Fat Burner Pills
Under this name, “Quemagrasas”, Deliplus offers a set of 40 capsules containing red tea, guarana, cinnamon and vitamin B6. Should be taken 4 capsules a day2 before breakfast and 2 before lunch. Its price is 3,5€.
The fat-burning effects of these tablets lie mainly in caffeine. Caffeine accelerates metabolism but continued consumption in high amounts can be harmful. The increased production of adrenaline will help us lose weight, but the side effects of an excess of caffeine are several.
Too Much Caffeine Can Cause Anxietyinsomnia, heartburn, and increases our blood pressure and heart rate. Besides, it’s addictive. However, like the ponytail, its diuretic effects can make us notice a rapid weight loss, but it will be mainly due to the loss of liquids.
The vitamin B6 and cinnamon contained in these capsules may be beneficial. for our organism, since it is a vitamin related to good mental health, as well as the prevention of anemia and heart and inflammatory diseases.
Still, excessive drinking can also cause us problems. Cinnamon increases the absorption of vitamin B6, which added to its dose in these supplements, can bring us closer to the recommended upper limit of 100 mg daily for this vitamin.
4. Tablets T- Sacia
The T-Sacia del Mercadona tablets, from the Deliplus brand, are sold in a package containing 40 capsules, of which should be consumed 2 daily, before each meal. They cost 4 euros, and their operation is based on their content in glucomannan and carob fiber.
Glucomannan is used for cases of overweight, gains a lot of volume when mixed with water and slows stomach emptying, maintaining satiety. It is a fibrous substance which is obtained from a plant konjac –Amorphophallus konjac-.
It can also be eaten as noodles, pasta or rice, as it has a much lower caloric value -approximately 90% less than traditional pasta. This is because glucomannan has a very low nutritional value.
I mean, yes, with these pills will increase our satiety and probably lose weight, as long as we follow the recommended dose, accompany them with water (increases the volume of glucomannan, increasing even more our satiety, and we are following a hypocaloric diet.
But in addition to this weight loss, glucomannan has side effects such as abdominal discomfort and intestinal transit disorders, both diarrhea and constipation. Glucomannan should be avoided especially before bedtime, with even greater care in diabetics. More than 4 grams of glucomannan per day are harmful to health and should in no case replace meals.
5. Calorie and Carbohydrate Control Tablets
Calorie control and carbohydrate tablets, also from the Deliplus brand, contain mainly chitosan, white beans, zinc and chromium. They come in the form of 40 capsules, which are taken in doses of 2 capsules each lunch and dinner. It costs about 5€.
Chitosan is a product obtained from the chitin found in the shells of crustaceans, such as shrimp. It has agricultural applications as a fertilizer and biopesticide, as well as certain applications as a sustainable building material, but its usefulness as a fat burner is highly overrated.
Science shows that the chitosan is capable of sequestering a certain amount of lipids during digestionwhich slightly lowers our cholesterol levels, but in amounts less than clinically significant. In other words, we absorb less fat, but the effect is too small for it to matter.
In fact, several studies have shown that the chitosan does not have the capacity to reduce the weightwhich led the FDA to alert consumers to the deception of these products in 2015.
The rest of the products in these capsules increase satiety due to their fibre content and provide us with zinc, which is necessary for the good function of the thyroid gland, which is related to metabolic speed.