In January 2007, the Federal Trade Commission fined four supplement manufacturers a total of 25 million dollars for making what they said were false advertising claims about their weight-loss products.

These weren’t fly-by-night operations, selling little-known products. Among the fined was Bayer Corporation, and its One-A-Day brand. Others included the well-advertised and widely purchased products Xenadrine EFX, CortiSlim and CortiStress, and TrimSpa.

So what’s a consumer to do? Stay away from any over-the-counter vitamin or herbal product that claims it can help you lose weight? But what if you’re a “consumer” who has consumed too much-what if you’re among the 2 of 3 American adults who is overweight? What if you’re among the 9 out of 10 dieters who have tried to lose weight again and again-and failed?

I have good news and bad news. Let’s start with the bad: there is no miracle pill for weight loss. There’s only one way to lose weight permanently: reduce calorie intake through eating less, and increase calorie-burning through more physical activity.

The good news: there are a few scientifically-proven nutritional supplements that can help you lose weight. I know, because I just spent more than a year writing about them, in my new book, The Natural Fat-Loss Pharmacy (Broadway, 2007), co-authored with Harry Preuss, MD, a professor at Georgetown University Medical Center and an expert in natural remedies. The supplements featured in The Natural Fat-Loss Pharmacy-the supplements that scientific research shows can work for weight-loss or weight-maintenance-include EGCG/caffeine, CLA, carbohydrate-blockers, fiber supplements, HCA, medium-chain triglycerides, 5-HTP, and chromium.

You will find all the information you need in The Natural Fat-Loss Pharmacy to choose and use these supplements safely and effectively. But here are a few brief guidelines that anybody can use to bypass the hype, hoax and harm, and choose the right supplements:

Don’t believe outrageous claims. You know what they say: if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Super-rapid weight loss…weight loss without dieting or exercise…a pill that helps you lose weight and cures every disease in the medical dictionary-those are red flags. Keep on walking.

Think twice about multi-ingredient products. Some scientific research shows that two-ingredient products are effective, like HCA/chromium, or EGCG/caffeine. But if the product is loaded with ingredients, many of which you don’t even recognize…don’t buy it. Many individual vitamins or herbs have been scientifically-shown to aid weight-loss. Most combination products haven’t.

Check out the research yourself. You’re on the Web-and Web gives you instant, first-person access to authentic scientific research. One tip: go to the beta site, Google scholar (http://scholar.google.com) and enter the ingredient you’re interested in along with the words “weight loss”. A lot of evidence will appear. (Try, for instance, “chromium” and “weight loss”.) Judge the results for yourself.

Read The Natural Fat-Loss Pharmacy and discuss it with your doctor. The book has been endorsed more than a dozen top scientists doctors and nutritionists. It’s the first and only science-based guide to weight-loss supplements that work. And it’s practical-it tells you which brands have produced positive results, and at what dosage. It also offers sensible programs for calorie-control and increasing activity-the essential elements of losing weight. You can read more about the book-and my other books on health and healing-at www.drugfreehealing.com.