The potential problems of diet pills to lose weight.
Everyone seems to want a quick-fix solution to his or her real or imagined weight problems. And with the majority of Americans now considered overweight (approximately 60%), the diet industry is booming. Aside from the many fad diet plans available to consumers is the far more worrisome availability and misuse of diet pills.
There is a vast assortment of diet pills on the market. Many of the diet aids are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, some are not. It seems that most are used improperly or used when they shouldn’t be, and consumers are not taking the time to educate themselves about diet pills and their alternatives (such as healthy eating and regular exercise).
There are three major types of diet pills available:
Prescription diet pills – These diet aids are only available with a prescription for a physician, and that physician usually closely monitors their use. The FDA closely regulates these aids.
Over-the-counter diet pills – A prescription is not needed to purchase these, and they are widely available at drug stores, supermarkets, and discount stores. They are also monitored by the FDA.
Herbal diet pills – Often labeled “all natural”, the FDA considers these types of diet pills a food, rather than a drug. Therefore, there regulation is different and seemingly more lax that prescription diet pills.
Prescription diet pills are intended to be used by those individuals that are more than 30% overweight. They are also intended to be used in the short-term, or less than six months, in addition to healthy eating and regular exercise. When used properly, prescription diet pills can help a person lose up to 10% of his or her body weight. It is not recommended that any diet pill be used by children under 16.
Many of the over-the-counter diet pills on the market claim that a person can lose a lot of weight without diet and exercise. These claims are often proven not to be true. In fact, because the body eventually builds up a tolerance to the pills, most people put the weight back on, and then some. Since diet and exercise tend to not be occurring in conjunction with the use of diet pills, the body cannot fight the fat with higher metabolism or greater muscle tone.
It is important to be aware of the potential side effects that using any diet pill can cause. Different diet pills have different side effects, depending on their ingredients, and the functions they perform. For example:
Some fat-blocking diet pills can cause painful gas and diarrhea
Some appetite suppressants contain stimulants (such as caffeine or ephedrine), which elevate the heart rate and blood pressure. This can increase the risk for heart attack or heart disease in the user.
Herbal remedies, though touted as “all natural”, can have various side effects (depending on the ingredients) similar to synthetic diet pills.
While diet pills can be a great aid to a select number of the population, most diet pills can be dangerous if they are misused. Eating right and exercising are the best ways to combat weight issues, as well as to maintain a strong body and mind.
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