Checking out popular diet claims: Do some foods help burn fat?

CINCINNATI - Did you ever indulge in a Diet Coke float? That's the kind of thing we used to do in college, engaging in a sort of magical thinking that the Diet Coke would somehow negate the calories in the ice cream.

Perhaps that's why we keep hoping that something like Acai berries will help us melt away fat.

If you check out the website SparkPeople.com , there's an interesting article by Robert J. Davis, PhD.  He addresses four popular weight-loss claims, and rates them on a "Truth Scale."

Acai berries help you lose weight. Davis says Acai juice is a perfectly fine beverage, but really no better than grape juice for antioxidants.  He says, watch out for added sugar and calories. There are claims on the Internet that acai berries can help you lose "20 pounds in 20 days."  Davis says the evidence is weak.

Dairy products promote weight loss. Davis cites an ad campaign by the dairy industry that promoted "Milk Your Diet. Lose Weight." He says several small studies showed that subjects on a high-dairy, low-calorie diet lost more weight than low-dairy dieters.  But those studies were funded by the dairy industry. Weak evidence.

Carbs help you lose weight.  Proponents say a key component of this diet is something called resistant starch (RS),  because it resists being broken down and absorbed in the small intestine. They claim that RS helps you lose weight by burning fat and reducing hunger.  Davis says you can't go wrong with beans, oats and brown rice, but the research is very limited.  Weak evidence.

Green tea promotes weight loss.  We finally have a half-winner!  Davis says it's "half-true." He says it probably can help burn some extra calories, although not enough to make much difference. Green tea contains an antioxidant called EGCG, which has been shown in lab studies to boost metabolism and fat burning. Davis says stick with the beverage, instead of pills, but don't count on it to get you in shape for swimsuit season.  And certainly don't add sugar and cream.  But think about this: if you substitute plain green tea for that daily Frappuccino, now you're talkin'!