For thousands of years, essential oils have been celebrated for their potential healing properties, ranging from alleviating minor aches to addressing major depression. While research on the effectiveness of these oils is often limited, some evidence suggests that certain oils possess medicinal qualities. Essential oils are extracted from plants through distillation or pressing, preserving them in their purest form. This has led to their popularity as natural alternatives to traditional medications. If you're aiming to shed extra pounds, incorporating essential oils into your weight loss plan may be worth considering.
Essential oils may offer a range of complementary benefits to support your weight loss efforts. Although they cannot directly cause weight loss, they can enhance your diet and exercise plan in several ways.
The Basics of Essential Oils
Essential oils (EOs) are fragrant extracts obtained from various plants, with their composition varying depending on the plant species. It is estimated that more than 200 compounds may be present in these oils. Essential oils are mixtures of aromatic substances produced by many plants, particularly medicinal and aromatic ones. They are odorous and volatile and contain a mixture of terpenes, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and esters. Thanks to the characteristics of the various chemical components present in them, EOs are used in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical fields. Indeed, it has been shown that EOs possess great antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor powers.
Emerging results also demonstrate the anti-obesity effects of EOs. EOs are present in flower petals, exocarp, resin, tree bark, and the roots of aromatic and medicinal plants. Known also as “essences”, they are characterized by the presence of volatile substances at room temperature, which can give them different smells and fragrances. It is no coincidence, therefore, that EOs are also known as “volatile oils” and that their components are defined as “aromatic” (hence the term aromatic plants). EOs are a heterogeneous blend of numerous chemical compounds produced by the secondary metabolism of plants and are often responsible for the distinctive odors of plants. They play an important role in the protection of plants thanks to their antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and insecticidal action and can also act as an attraction towards pollen insects to favor the dispersion of seeds and pollen.
How Essential Oils Can Help with Weight Loss
Improved Sleep and Reduced Insomnia: Essential oils like lavender can promote better sleep and relieve insomnia. Adequate sleep is crucial for a productive day, providing more energy for exercise and reducing the desire for sugary foods. Tired individuals are more likely to reach for unhealthy snacks or fast food for a quick sugar rush.
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Stress and Emotional Eating: Lavender oil can help reduce stress and emotional eating. Bergamot oil is often used in aromatherapy to boost mood and reduce stress-related eating. Patchouli oil may assist in curbing emotional eating and reducing appetite.
Anxiety and Depression Relief: Some oils may help reduce anxiety, relieve tension, and reduce feelings of depression.
Pain Relief and Digestion Improvement: Essential oils may ease aches and pains in the body and improve digestion.
Enhanced Adherence to Weight Loss Goals: By promoting mental and physical well-being, essential oils can help you stick to your weight loss goals, such as maintaining your exercise routine or choosing fruit over sugary sweets.
Curbing Cravings and Boosting Energy: More directly, essential oils may help curb food cravings and energize your workout. Grapefruit oil, when mixed with patchouli oil, is known to lower cravings and hunger, which makes it a great tool to lose weight fast in a healthy way.
Read also: The Science Behind Essential Oils for Weight Loss
Cellulite and Stretch Mark Reduction: Some essential oils may help correct cellulite and stretch marks.
Specific Essential Oils and Their Potential Benefits
Grapefruit Essential Oil: Grapefruit essential oil actually works with your body in activating enzymes that help your body break down brown body fat. When applied topically to the skin in small amounts, grapefruit essential oil is an excellent diuretic and lymphatic stimulant. For that reason, grapefruit essential oil is the No. When mixed with patchouli oil, grapefruit oil is known to lower cravings and hunger, which makes it a great tool to lose weight fast in a healthy way. Grapefruit essential oil actually works with your body in activating enzymes that help your body break down brown body fat.
Cinnamon Essential Oil: Cinnamon oil has been shown time and time again to help regulate blood glucose levels and something in your body called GTF, glucose tolerance factor. It helps balance blood sugar, which long term will help with weight loss and help reduce those cravings for sugar. Cinnamon essential oil offers a gentle approach to weight management. Its calming properties soothe the digestive system, while its stimulating effect may boost metabolism, potentially leading to appetite control.
Ginger Essential Oil: Ginger works because it also reduces sugar cravings and helps reduce inflammation in the body. The compounds in ginger are called gingerols. Gingerols have been scientifically proven to reduce disease-causing inflammation in your intestines and overall improve absorption of the vitamins and minerals you’re consuming. A 2013 study published in the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology concluded that ginger essential oil possesses antioxidant activity as well as significant anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive properties. After being treated with ginger essential oil for one month, enzyme levels increased in the blood of mice.
Juniper Essential Oil: In one 2014 study, researchers studied the chemical compounds found in juniper essential oil. They found that the oil has rich antiobesity and antioxidant properties. Although there isn’t any research directly assessing the use of juniper essential oil to lose weight, this evidence suggests that it may be a useful tool in weight loss management. The oil is thought to reduce water retention, so topical application may be the best approach.
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Sage Essential Oil: Long used in Asia for its medicinal effects, sage essential oil may also help treat or prevent obesity. A 2013 study found that sage essential oil can help protect the body against oxidative stress. This stress can lead to conditions like obesity, diabetes, a weakened immune system, and more.
Garlic Essential Oil: In a 2014 animal study, researchers found that garlic essential oil offers many protective properties. This includes helping reduce body weight gain.
Lemon Essential Oil: Lemon oil has detoxifying properties and may support metabolism and digestion, as shown in animal models.
Peppermint Essential Oil: Peppermint oil may help with digestion, reduce appetite and increase energy levels.
Bergamot Essential Oil: Bergamot oil is often used in aromatherapy to boost mood and reduce stress-related eating.
Fennel Essential Oil: Fennel essential oil may help suppress appetite and promote a feeling of fullness.
Research Studies on Essential Oils and Weight Management
Juniper Essential Oil: A 2014 study revealed that juniper essential oil possesses antiobesity and antioxidant properties. This suggests its potential as a weight loss management tool, particularly for reducing water retention through topical application.
Sage Essential Oil: A 2013 study indicated that sage essential oil can protect the body against oxidative stress, which is linked to obesity and other health issues.
Garlic Essential Oil: A 2014 animal study demonstrated that garlic essential oil has protective properties, including the reduction of body weight gain.
Cumin Essential Oil: A clinical trial with overweight subjects showed that those treated with cumin essential oil capsules experienced a decrease in weight and body mass index compared to those treated with orlistat (a weight loss medication) and a placebo.
Ginger Essential Oil: Studies on mice have shown that ginger essential oil and its main component, citral, can reduce average body weight by preventing the accumulation of fat.
Patchouli Essential Oil: Studies on rats showed that inhalation of patchouli essential oil led to a decrease in food intake and body weight.
Cinnamon Oil Emulsion: A study involving male rats demonstrated that cinnamon oil emulsion could decrease fasting blood glucose levels, improve glucose tolerance, and positively affect lipid profiles.
Essential Oils and Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a combination of metabolic disorders that comprises central obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and atherogenic dyslipidemia. These factors propitiate chronic inflammation, leading to cardiovascular disease (CVD) development. The use of EO for treating obesity and diabetes has been reported.
EOs and Adipocytes: Adipocytes, cells in charge of maintaining energetic homeostasis, are present in white adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT). WAT is important in energy storage, while BAT uses energy to produce heat. Studies have demonstrated that using EO led to suppressed lipid droplet accumulation and adipogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. Various EOs, such as lemon balm, peppermint, lavender, bergamot, cypress, niaouli nerolidol, geranium-rose, revensara, lemon grass, ginger, black pepper, Artemisa annua L., calamus, Pinus koraiensis, and cinnamon, were tested in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and exhibited that these EOs significantly inhibited lipid accumulation through the downregulation of 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation. Adipogenesis inhibition is due to the suppression of adipogenic transcription factors expression.
EOs and Diabetes Mellitus (DM): Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic, lifelong progressive metabolic disorder caused by impaired insulin secretion or insulin resistance, resulting in chronic hyperglycemia. Two primary factors are involved in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D): impaired insulin secretion by pancreatic β-cells or a lowered number of β-cell mass, which may also contribute to insufficient secretion of insulin and the inability of insulin-sensitive tissues to respond appropriately to this hormone. Insulin resistance in T2D increases the demand for insulin in insulin-target tissues.
How to Use Essential Oils for Weight Loss
Consult Your Doctor: Before adding essential oils to your weight loss management plan, consult your doctor to ensure it's a suitable option and to discuss potential risks.
Topical Application: Topical application is the recommended method for using essential oils for weight loss. Depending on the oil, this may help reduce water retention and bloating or reduce the appearance of cellulite and stretch marks.
Dilution with Carrier Oils: Always dilute essential oils with a carrier oil before application. Applying undiluted essential oil to your skin can cause inflammation or irritation. Common carrier oils include coconut and olive oils. A general guideline is to add one ounce of carrier oil to every 12 drops of essential oil.
Skin Patch Test: Before full application, perform a skin patch test on the inside of your forearm. Wait 24 hours and monitor for any symptoms. If no irritation or discomfort occurs, the mixture should be safe to use.
Inhalation: You can put one single drop of each in water and drink it that way, or you can actually put it on topically or diffuse it. Or one of my favorite ways is just diffuse it, such as on your desk at the office or around your home.
Safety Precautions
No Ingestion: Essential oils should not be ingested. They are highly potent, and even a few drops can cause severe gastrointestinal discomfort. Seek medical assistance if you ingest essential oil and experience an adverse reaction.
Avoid Undiluted Use: Never use undiluted essential oil, as it may cause inflammation and irritation. Always perform a patch test to determine how your skin will react to the diluted essential oil.
Pregnancy and Nursing: If you are pregnant or nursing, consult with your doctor before using essential oils.
Sun Sensitivity: Wear sunscreen when using essential oils topically, as they can make your skin more sensitive to the sun and more likely to burn.
Caution with Cinnamon Oil: Because of the high concentration of cinnamaldehyde, you should be careful when using cinnamon oil as it can cause skin irritation.
Other Essential Considerations
Healthy Diet: The most common way to lose weight is to follow a healthy and balanced diet rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, and clean proteins. Healthy fats are generally found in oils and foods like avocados, fruits, and vegetables. Clean proteins include beans and meats that aren’t fried or breaded.
Regular Exercise: Add exercise to your daily routine to burn calories. The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of daily activity at least five times a week. This can range from brisk walking to gardening to riding a bike. Weightlifting can also help build muscle, which burns more calories than fat.
Consult Your Doctor: If diet and exercise are ineffective, consult your doctor. They can assess your current weight loss plan and help you restructure it as needed. In some cases, they may recommend weight loss surgery.
Seek Reputable Sources: If you want to start incorporating essential oils into your weight loss plan, reach out to your network. Talk to your friends, family, and coworkers, as you may find someone who personally sells them. They can help answer questions and ease your concerns. You can also visit any health foods store. They usually offer an array of oils from which to choose. Be sure to read up on any side effects and look for “therapeutic grade” on the label.
The Broader Context of Essential Oils
Essential oils (EO) are compounds synthesized by plants as secondary products and are a complex mixture of volatile molecules. Studies have demonstrated their pharmacological activity in the prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Moreover, they have been used as antimicrobial and antioxidant food additives. The first part of this review discusses the role of EO as nutraceuticals to prevent metabolic syndrome-related disorders (i.e., obesity, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases), showing results from in vitro and in vivo studies. Likewise, the second part describes the bioavailability and mechanisms of action of EO in preventing chronic diseases. The third part presents the application of EO as food additives, pointing out their antimicrobial and antioxidant activity in food formulations. Finally, the last part explains the stability and methods for encapsulating EO. In conclusion, EO dual role as nutraceuticals and food additives makes them excellent candidates to formulate dietary supplements and functional foods.
Extraction Methods
Extraction methods are divided into conventional and non-conventional techniques. Common conventional techniques include hydrodistillation, Soxhlet extraction, water distillation, steam distillation, and organic-solvent extraction. Non-conventional extraction processes include ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), high-pressure (HP), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), negative pressure cavitations-assisted extraction (NPCE), subcritical water extraction (SWE), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE), pulsed electric field-assisted extraction (PEF), and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE).
Chemical Composition
Organic compounds present in EO vary between 20-200 different types, with the vast majority present in traces, although two or three of these compounds are the most representative ones (20-70%) and are thought to be responsible for the biological activities of the EO. Despite that, terpene hydrocarbons are the primary chemical group found in EO. Traditional medicinal herbs and their derived EO are phytochemical-rich sources of health-promoting bioactive compounds.
Essential Oils: A Holistic Approach to Weight Loss
It’s important to note that essential oils are not a magical solution for weight loss, and they should not be used as a substitute for a healthy diet, regular exercise and medical advice.