Anyone trying to lose weight has wondered what the best weight loss supplement is. Over the counter diet pills are available at your local drugstore and even more online. They seem to have an endless list of promises and “new” ingredients that promise astounding results. Of course those ingredients aren’t magical in any way and don’t really produce notable weight loss. Some can be very dangerous. Here’s a brief review of typical additives and their effects:
Ingredients/Brand The Promise The Facts
| PPA/Dexatrim/Acutrim |
Decrease appetite/ increase energy |
FDA reports link to increased bleeding in brain |
| Ephedra/Ephedrine/ Metabolife |
Drecreases appetite | Used to make illegal methamphetamine/ "speed"/high blood pressure/tremors/stoke/heart attack/seizures/ death...is that all? |
| Herbal fen-phen |
decrease appetite |
FDA warns unsafe. Check ingredients against warning list on FDA website |
| St. John's Wort |
decreases appetite & depression |
FDA believes product has not been proven effective or safe. |
| 5-HTP/ Natrol/Natural Balance/Ephadrine Hardcore |
increase energy/decrease appetite/burn calories | by product of chemical trytophan linked to eosinophilic myalgia a serious blood and muscle disorder. Chemical may be in 5--HTP. FDA warns against use. |
| Garcinia/HCA/ Citrimax/CitriLean | decreases appetite | Researchers agree this herb is ineffec- tive for weight loss |
| Hoodia | Increases energy/ decrease appetite | No research that supports these claims |
| Guar gum | Blocks fat absorption/ makes you feel full/ eat less | Can cause intestinal problems, diarrhea, gas. Not likely to cause weight loss |
| Green Tea Extract | Increases meta- bolism/burns calories |
Small bit of evidence to support this, pills may contain significant caffeine, drink green tea instead |
| Bitter Orange | Increases calories burned | Marketed as the new ephedra, may have same problems (see above) |
| Chitosan | Blocks fat absorption | Side effects constipation and intestinal problems, no evidence of long term weight loss |
| Chromium | Reduces fat/ decreases appetite/ adds muscle | No scientific evidence supporting claims Much advertising goes into suppporting them |
| CLA | Reduces body fat & appetite/ builds muscle | Some evidence does decrease fat but not significantly, can cause diarrhea, indigestion, intestinal problems |
| Country Mallow | Decreases appetite/burns calories | Unsafe, contains ephedra |
| Alli | Reduces fat absorption | OTC version of Rx drug Orlistat, works but produces oily stools, bloating, gastric problems |
For information on these and other OTC drugs go to the FDA website at:
http://www.fda.gov/cder/info/consumer_dietary_supplements.htm
There is also a complete data base of consumer products at the US Library of Medicine:
http://dietarysupplements.nlm.nih.gov/dietary/
Prescription Diet Pills
Prescription pills are from three categories, fat absorption,
Do They Work?
The appetite suppressors usually only work for a few weeks and can result in addiction. The fat blockers can cause gastric distress. Fat blockers do work for those who consume large quantities of fat, which for a healthy diet this isn’t recommended. So, yes and no. Pills aren’t a solution for losing weight and keeping it off. They may be a chance to get a start if you have a lot of weight to lose, but even then, they are never a good short or long term strategy.
Can You Get Them?
Unless you are at least 30% over weight, most doctors won’t prescribe pills due to the side effects and limited time that they are effective. You can buy them online from a variety of off- shore pharmacies but BEWARE!
For information on Prescription drugs and drug enforcement policies go to the DEA website at:
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/concern.htm
Even after reading all the research studies and medical opinions that say that prescription diet pills are--at best, a short-term fix to a long-term issue. At worst that all over the counter pills are pure nonsense with no scientific proof that any of them do any good and that some can do great harm.
Knowing this, we still found our fingers hovering over the “buy now” buttons for some of the more convincing sites, and spending a little too much time searching through copy that promised that miraculous promise to “lose 10 pounds in 10 days.”
All of us want to believe that we can take a pill, be hungry no more, and see our hip bones magically reappear while we plan that new bikini purchase. The magic pill religion is so deeply engrained that manufacturers make billions of dollars on us with just a clever copywriter, a good shipping department, and a Pay Pal account.
For information on weight loss plans for teens.......click here.
a division of Online Advice
info@webdietreview
All rating information is strictly
the opinion of Online Advice. Opinions expressed are in no way an
endorsement of any diets or pills and Online Advice is not responsible
for any actions or harm to anyone using our information. It's just our
thoughts nothing more.
