Clarence Valley residents looking to lose weight are invited to participate in a clinical trial for weight loss conducted by Southern Cross University.

Researchers at Southern Cross University’s National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine are calling for generally healthy adults to participate in the trial, which aims to assess the effectiveness of a herbal supplement in assisting people to lose weight.

Being overweight has been widely documented to increase the risk of health conditions such as heart and cardiovascular disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, certain types of cancer, kidney issues and osteoarthritis.

Lead investigator Dr Janet Schloss said there is a collective global fight to find ways to assist people to lose weight with many companies developing products to try to assist, however there is still limited data on the efficacy of certain formulas.

“Losing weight can be a very difficult and frustrating experience for a lot of people and it is common for those trying to lose weight to try many different diets, exercise regimes and products, often with little success and sustainability,” she said.

“This trial offers an opportunity for people who are overweight to try a new product which may assist them in losing weight in conjunction with nutrition information and exercise consultation.”

The trial, funded by Pharmacare, a health and wellness product manufacturer, will last for 16 weeks, with participants visiting a local health practitioner once a month for four months.

Southern Cross University has arranged for registered practitioners to be available around Australia, including the Northern Rivers, Coffs Harbour, and the Gold Coast.

Participants will receive either an active product or a placebo treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value, but is similar in look, taste and smell to the active treatment being used.

The trial is open to both men and women, who are of generally good health, aged between 18 and 60.

For their involvement in the trial, participants will receive a $100 Coles group and Myer gift card and a one-year subscription to health and wellbeing app MyFitnessPal premium edition.

To check if you’re eligible for the trial, visit https://bit.ly/ClinicalTrialsNCNM

For more information on how to participate in the trial, visit https://bit.ly/weightlossstudy23