Many people turn to natural supplements for support when it comes to weight loss.
Ashwagandha, a powerful adaptogen, is often praised for its stress-relieving properties—but can it also help with weight loss? The answer is yes, but indirectly.
While Ashwagandha isn’t a traditional weight loss supplement, its effects on stress, hormones, and overall well-being can create the right conditions for weight management.
This article will explore how Ashwagandha may support your weight loss journey by reducing stress, balancing hormones, and boosting energy.
How Ashwagandha Can Support Weight Loss
Ashwagandha doesn’t work like a fat burner or appetite suppressant, but it addresses key factors that can influence weight gain, especially when stress plays a significant role.
Here’s how Ashwagandha can help with weight management:
Reduces Stress-Related Weight Gain
Chronic stress is one of the leading causes of weight gain, especially around the middle.
Your body releases cortisol during stress, encouraging fat storage around the abdomen (1).
Elevated cortisol levels can trigger desires for unhealthy foods and make sticking to a balanced diet more challenging.
How Ashwagandha Helps: Ashwagandha is known to lower cortisol levels, helping reduce the impact of stress on weight gain.
By minimizing stress, you may find it easier to control cravings and avoid emotional eating.
Balances Hormones
Hormonal imbalances, especially those that impact hunger or metabolism, may make losing weight challenging.
Ashwagandha supports healthy thyroid function and balances hormones like cortisol and insulin, which are crucial in how the body stores or burns fat.
By balancing hormones, Ashwagandha can be especially beneficial for people struggling with weight gain due to hormonal imbalances related to stress, thyroid issues, or adrenal fatigue (2).
Boosts Energy and Physical Performance
Staying active is essential for weight loss, but stress and fatigue can make finding the energy for regular exercise challenging.
Ashwagandha supports adrenal function, reducing fatigue and increasing stamina.
Ashwagandha helps you stay active and burn more calories, which is essential for weight management because it increases energy and endurance (3).
Improves Sleep Quality
Lack of sleep can interfere with hormones that control hunger and metabolism, which is why poor sleep is frequently associated with weight gain.
Ashwagandha helps improve sleep quality by reducing stress and promoting relaxation (4).
This allows your body to recover and maintain a healthy balance of hunger-regulating hormones like ghrelin and leptin.
Better sleep supports appetite regulation, reduces cravings, and aids in the metabolic processes essential for weight loss.
Scientific Evidence Supporting Ashwagandha for Weight Management
Although Ashwagandha is not a weight loss pill per se, research shows that it can help maintain healthy weight control by lowering stress and boosting energy:
Stress Reduction and Weight: A 2019 study in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine found that participants who took Ashwagandha experienced a significant stress reduction, leading to improved eating behaviors and less emotional eating (5).
Energy and Performance: Another study showed that Ashwagandha improved physical performance and stamina in active adults, allowing for increased activity levels that support weight loss.
How to Use Ashwagandha for Weight Loss
To incorporate Ashwagandha into your weight loss plan, follow these tips:
Dosage: 300–600 mg of standardized ashwagandha extract per day is advised for general health and stress relief. Daily Nutra’s Ashwagandha Gummies provides a clinically effective dose to help manage stress and support your wellness goals.
Timing: Take Ashwagandha in the morning to help manage energy and stress throughout the day. If stress impacts your sleep, try sleeping in the evening to promote better rest.
Pair with a Healthy Lifestyle: While Ashwagandha can support weight loss, it works best with a balanced diet and regular exercise. Use it as part of a holistic approach to weight management.
Will Ashwagandha Alone Make You Lose Weight?
It’s essential to remember that Ashwagandha is not a magic solution for weight loss.
Although it has many advantages, like lowering stress, enhancing sleep, and balancing hormones, it works best when paired with other good lifestyle decisions, like eating a balanced diet and exercising.
By addressing underlying factors contributing to weight gain—such as stress, fatigue, and hormonal imbalances—Ashwagandha can help create a more balanced environment for natural, sustainable weight loss.
Final Thoughts
Ashwagandha could benefit your wellness regimen if stress, exhaustion, or hormone imbalances prevent you from achieving your weight loss objectives.
Ashwagandha helps create the conditions necessary for healthy, lasting weight loss by reducing cortisol levels, boosting energy, and supporting hormonal balance.
Ready to see how Ashwagandha can support your weight loss journey? Try Daily Nutra’s Ashwagandha Gummies and experience the natural benefits of this powerful adaptogen for yourself.
FAQs
Can Ashwagandha help with weight loss?
Yes, Ashwagandha may help with weight loss by reducing stress, decreasing cortisol levels, and enhancing energy levels, which can improve overall physical activity.
How does Ashwagandha reduce body weight?
Ashwagandha supports weight loss by lowering cortisol, the stress hormone, which can reduce cravings and belly fat, and by boosting metabolism and energy levels, which aid in more active lifestyles.
Is Ashwagandha effective in managing stress-related weight gain?
Yes, Ashwagandha effectively manages stress-related weight gain by significantly reducing serum cortisol levels and stress, potentially preventing stress eating and weight gain.
What are the benefits of Ashwagandha for metabolism?
Ashwagandha increases body metabolism by promoting thyroid function, which is essential for controlling metabolism and preserving a healthy body weight.
How should I use Ashwagandha for weight loss?
For weight loss, 600 mg of Ashwagandha daily, ideally 30-60 minutes before meals or bedtime, should be taken as part of a consistent health regimen that includes diet and exercise.
Related Studies
1. Title: Body Weight Management in Adults Under Chronic Stress Through Treatment With Ashwagandha Root Extract
This study by Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine demonstrates that Ashwagandha root extract significantly aids in body weight management among adults experiencing chronic stress, primarily by reducing cortisol levels and improving stress-related eating behaviors.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5871210/
2. Title: Effects of Ashwagandha on Thyroid Function and Insulin Regulation: A Systematic Review
This systematic review by Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism highlights the positive effects of Ashwagandha on thyroid hormone levels and insulin sensitivity, suggesting its potential role in hormonal balance and metabolic health.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8006238/
3. Title: Effects of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) on Physical Performance
This clinical trial by Frontiers in Nutrition indicates that Ashwagandha supplementation significantly enhances physical performance, including strength and endurance, in healthy adults.
Link: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1439294/full
4. Title: Effect of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Extract on Sleep
This meta-analysis by Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reveals that Ashwagandha extract improves sleep quality and reduces sleep onset latency, contributing to better overall sleep health.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8462692/
5. Title: Body Weight Management in Adults Under Chronic Stress Through Treatment With Ashwagandha Root Extract
This study by Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine provides comprehensive evidence that Ashwagandha supports weight management through stress reduction and improved energy levels in individuals under chronic stress.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5871210/
