Are Any Diet Pills Safe?

Are Any Diet Pills Safe?

Over the counter diet pills are a huge market but is any diet pill safe?

An overweight person who is desperate to lose weight may find the hype for these pills very tempting and many of course do ... thus the huge market for them.

The makers of diet pills proclaim their worth in rousing tones ... promising instant weight loss to everyone.

What is the truth of these diet pill?

The over the counter diet pills are not required to meet the standards of the Federal Drug Administration so the vendors of these pills can tout them according to their own research and reviews of them.  What the FDA can do is pull them off of the market if they are proved to be unsafe.

Ephedra ... which claimed to burn increased calories ... is one pill that was pulled off the market after it was proven  to cause high blood pressure, heart rate irregularities, heart attack, seizures and strokes and even death. Yet .. it still can be sold legally as a tea and can be bought on the internet.

Some of the other more popular pills on the market today and their claims are listed below.  As you will see ... many of them are downright dangerous.

• Guar gum , relatively safe, claims to block the absorption of fat and increase the feeling of fullness causing less calorie intake. It is unlikely to cause weight loss but likely to cause gastrointestinal problems and can cause intestinal blockage if taken without enough water
• Bitter orange claims to be the safe substitute for ephedra, also claiming to increase the number of calories burned ... but it too may cause the same health problems as ephedra.
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• Chitosan, which claims to block dietary fat absorption, is relatively safe but does nothing to cause weight loss. Instead it can cause gastrointestinal problems such as bloating and constipation/
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• Chromium is another product which is relatively safe, claiming to reduce body fat and build muscle, but it is very unlikely to cause weight loss.
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• CLA ... conjugated linoleic acid... claims to reduce the appetite, decrease body fat and build muscle. It may do the latter two but not cause weight loss.  It can cause gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea and indigestion.
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• Country mallow (heartleaf) claims to decrease the appetite while burning more calories. In reality it contains ephedra and should be held as unsafe.
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• Green tea extract claims to increase calories burning and fat metabolism and decrease the appetite but neither claim seems to be true.Instead it can cause vomiting, bloating, indigestion and diarrhea and it contains a lot of caffeine.
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• Hoodia claims to decrease the appetite with no concrete evidence that supports its weight loss claim.

A relatively new addition to the flock of diet pills is Alli.

Alli stands out from the rest because it has been approved by the FDA.  Alli is a lessened strength version of orlistat which is a prescription drug for adults 18 and over. That approval carries over to the over the counter version. Alli claims to decrease absorption of fat by the intestines .. taken three times a day with meals.

The over the counter pills and supplements that are not under FDA regulations can contain as many as twenty botanicals, herbs, vitamin,minerals and other addons  such as laxatives and caffeine.  There is not way of knowing how this mix of ingredients interact together in your body.  Using them can be taking a risk not worthy of taking. The risk rises if you are taking other medication along with these pills.

The most effective way of losing weight is by changing life styles as far as eating habits and exercise goes. There is no such thing as a magic pill to do that for you.  Even if one or more of these pills or supplements did help you to lose weight at first ... it is not a sustainable weight loss and if your habits don't change the weight will be regained after stopping the pills.