While still commonly used in Asian cuisine, legumes have fallen out of favour somewhat in the United States. This is unfortunate because legumes are rich in a variety of minerals, such as molybdenum and folate, that are often lacking in the typical western diet.

Legumes may also have benefits for those looking to lose weight as several studies have drawn a link between diets rich in legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, and beans, and reductions in body weight.

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A new study, published in August this year, has found that whey protein, but not soy protein supplementation may aid weight loss and improve body composition.

The study, published in The Journal of Nutrition, involved 90 overweight individuals who were randomly assigned to receive three supplements in addition to their regular diets. The first group received 52g per day of whey protein concentrate, the second group received 52g per day of soy protein isolate, and the third group 52g of carbohydrate in the form of maltodextrin.

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According to recent evidence, diets high in fish oil may lower an individual’s body fat levels by increasing the rate of fat oxidization in the body.

One study, published in the International Journal of Obesity in 1997, looked at the effect of high doses of fish oil on total weight, body fat, and the rate of fat oxidization. The research involved six volunteers who were fed a control diet over a three week period followed by a high fish oil diet where 6 g/day of fat was replaced by 6 g/day of fish oil.

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A shortage of vitamin C is associated with high body fat levels due to a reduction in the bodies ability to burn stored fat for energy according to the findings of several recent studies.

One such study, published in the Journal of Nutrition in July 2007, looked at the levels of Vitamin C in the blood of a group of 118 middle aged individuals. The researchers found that the heavier individuals tended to have lower levels of vitamin C in the blood. The average vitamin C level of the participants with a BMI lower than 25 was 54.4umol/L compared to just 37.2umol/L for individuals with a BMI greater than 35.

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Caffeine is a stimulant that is often used by dieters because it increases thermogenesis (heat generation due to the bodies metabolism). Studies suggest that moderate caffeine intake can increase daily calorie expenditure by more than 100 calories a day.

One study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, looked at the effect of caffeine on total energy expenditure in a group of lean and obese women. The researchers found that 100mg of caffeine increased energy output by 3 to 4% over a 150 minute period. When the caffeine was administered at two hour intervals during a 12 hour period, total energy intake was increased by 12% in the lean group and 8% in the obese group.

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The benefits of green tea on weight loss have been borne out through several scientific studies.

One such study, published in the journal Obesity in 2007 looked at the relationship between consumption of green tea extract and weight in a group of 240 Japanese women. The women were divided into two groups, a control group which received 96mg of green tea catechins a day, and a test group which received 583mg of green tea catechins a day.

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