title: Review: Evidence-based Clinical Research of Anti-obesity Supplements in Japan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically throughout the world, and weight reduction through lifestyle management is urgently warranted. At present, numerous supplements advertised for their anti-overweight property are available in the Japanese market, but most of these lack proper evidence. Thus, we investigated dietary supplements that have been tested in clinical trials.
  
  
  METHODS
  We researched anti-obesity supplements in the Japanese market using the google search engine in Japanese with the key terms "anti-obesity supplements," "diet supplements," and "weight reduction supplements."
  
  
  RESULTS
  We listed 49 companies that supply anti-obesity supplements. Of these, 11 had published clinical evidence of the anti-obesity efficacy of their supplements. These products contain the following active ingredients:Angelica keiskei, bofu-tsusho-san, capsaishin, DHA/EPA, forskohlii, garcinia cambogia, lactoferrin, L-carnitine, oligonol, tea catechin, and yeast hydrolysate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We obtained 11 supplements for which clinical evidence was published in medical journals in English. We also found 10 products for which clinical or animal evidence was published in Japanese. We expect that many companies will produce evidence of the efficacy of their products in the near future, thereby validating the use of dietary anti-obesity supplements in Japan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Complementary & Alternative Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita city, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Asuka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yasueda
authors.affiliation: Department of Complementary & Alternative Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita city, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshinori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Department of Complementary & Alternative Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita city, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maeda
keywords: Anti-obesity; Japanese market; clinical trial; dietary supplements; evidence-based; weight management.