Can eating digestive tablets really help with weight loss?

A reader named Meng, from Jiangsu, asked: I like to eat snacks and I am afraid of getting fat. I heard that chewing stomachic and digestive tablets can help with weight loss. Is this effective?

Dr. Jin Xiaojing, Chief Physician of the Gastroenterology Department of Nanjing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, answered: Whether it is a prescription drug or an over-the-counter drug, it should be taken under the guidance of a doctor. If your digestive function is not a problem and you just want to lose weight, it is not recommended to take stomachic and digestive tablets regularly.

The main ingredients of stomachic and digestive tablets are malt, hawthorn, and Shengfu, which are known as the 'Three Eliminators' in traditional Chinese medicine for digestion and accumulation. They are often used in combination and have the effects of digesting food and promoting digestion, and reducing gas and bloating. If you are eating a lot of meat and greasy food at a gathering or barbecue, you can eat some hawthorn tablets or stomachic and digestive tablets to aid digestion.

However, not everyone is suitable for using stomachic and digestive tablets or hawthorn tablets to promote digestion, for example, people with fast gastrointestinal motility are not suitable for eating stomachic and digestive tablets with Qi-regulating effects; people with high blood sugar should not eat hawthorn tablets containing additives. It is difficult to show the effect of stomachic and digestive tablets on weight loss. If you really want to control your weight, it is recommended to control your diet and increase the amount of exercise.