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The Dangers of Quick Weight Loss Supplements
by Contributing Writer
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Overview
Americans spend millions of dollars annually on diet and nutrition supplements. This means that the quick weight-loss supplement business is a gold mine for those looking to make a fast dollar. Although some of these supplements work to a certain extent, they also can be dangerous. Taking rapid weight-loss supplements might seem like a good way to shed the pounds, but you should assess the risks before you buy them.
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Types
There are hundreds of brands and types of weight-loss supplements. Some use enormous amounts of diuretics such as caffeine to stimulate weight loss quickly. Others use natural ingredients as a platform to sell their brand of weight-loss supplements. Hoodia, caffeine, taurine, ephedrine and green tea extract are common ingredients.
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Function
Some weight-loss pills can stimulate rapid weight loss as long as the user doesn't ask where the weight is coming from. Using ingredients that are said to have certain properties such as antioxidants or extracts from peppers that are thermogenic (heat the inside of the body) are often connected to real research for the food itself. Many of the pills also help to raise the heart rate, which can cause sweating.
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Considerations
Although you can be prescribed medicines that can assist in weight loss from a doctor, most of these will not boast rapid weight loss. Recommended weight loss rates are one to two pounds a week. Many of the supplements work because they cause the body to lose water weight at an alarming, unhealthy rate.
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Significance
In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had to ban a substance that was popular in quick weight-loss supplements called ephedrine. High-profile deaths (one of a professional baseball player) led to tighter regulations. The FDA also makes supplements print that they are not used to treat any illness, sickness or meant as a cure. Even though this is so, many dangerous ingredients still make their way into rapid weight-loss pills.
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Warning
Although the FDA has banned some practices of the supplement industry, it does not regulate the industry fully. Many of the ingredients found in dietary supplements have risks that are unknown in the short and long term because proper research has not been done. Taking some of these supplements can also raise your risk for heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, headache, stroke, diarrhea, vomiting, nervous feelings and the inability to sleep. In 2009, a recall on Hydroxycut was instated because of suspected liver damage issues.
