Can a person with spondylitis take fat-burning supplements?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am having pain in the spine. I am taking painkillers, calcium tablets and doing exercise. I have done my HLA B27 test. Can a person suffering from ankylosing spondylitis take fat burner supplements to reduce weight? Would it have any adverse effects?

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

There is no study directly correlating fat burner supplements and their possible effects in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Fat burner supplements often contain caffeine which reduces fat by increasing your metabolic rate. Caffeine also has an untoward effect in bones wherein the bone density reduces, a condition that we refer to as osteoporosis. Interestingly, osteoporosis is also frequently seen in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Hence, it would be my assumption that fat burner supplements may worsen osteoporosis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

It is always better to stick to natural methods of weight loss, and such supplements are usually discouraged. Often, FDA (Food and drug administration) finds out that some of these supplements are not adequately tested for their negative effects on health before they are made available to the public.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.