When weight loss pills guarantee a significant weight loss in a short period of time it is usually too good to be true. Not only do some of these pill just not work, but they can be major health risks. With summertime quickly approaching and swimsuit season on the rise you see diet pill ads everywhere you go from the radio to television to your magazines. Many of these companies promise a 20 lb weight loss in a month or less. All this may seem appealing to the eye but are not to your health.
Living in such a fast paced society we want to see results and to see them quickly. That is probably why when typing in the term “quick weight loss” you receive around 20 million results! All of these offering diet pills that can be inexpensive to some ranging around $100/ month. These companies advertise themselves as being safe and “all natural” but are far from it. many of these are ineffective and hurt not only your wallet but your self esteem. With the FDA starting to crack down many of these weight loss pills are being flagged as being very dangerous to your health.
Many of these pills are found to be containing active pharmaceutical ingredients that can put consumer’s at serious risk. Sibutramine, an appetite suppressant, Meridia, Phenytoin, an anti seizure medication, and phenolphthalein, a suspected cancer-causing agent, are just a few of the dangerous ingredients found in these weight loss pills. Many of these contain dangerously high doses and should not be taken without medical supervision. The FDA has found some of these side effects to be seizures, heart attacks and strokes. All of this sounds very far from the “safe and all natural” that they advertise it as.
Many ingredients found in these pills come from countries other than the USA, China being a large contributor. Though the bottle may appear to be made in America these ingredients are not approved in the United States. Recently some popular pills from Brazil, Emagrece Sim and Herbathin, were found containing active ingredients you find in anti anxiety and anti depressants. Not only is this harmful for your body and very dangerous to mix with other prescription medications, but people were also found testing positive for amphetamines in their urine.
Not only were harmful ingredients found in weight loss pills, but also many ingredients that have never been proven to be effective. So I am sure you are wondering why hasn’t the FDA done something about this? The FDA is limited on what they can do, because of a law made in 1994 on dietary supplements. This law states that they cannot regulate safety and efficiency tests before these products get to consumers. They are only able to check out and investigate products that are already for sale. If a product is found with pharmaceutical ingredients they are cited and must recall their product, and if they do not do so then they will seek criminal charges.
What does this mean for you? Well because of the limited power of the FDA on dietary supplements we, as consumers, need to be on high guard for fraud. Before seeking these unhealthy quick weight loss results I recommend going the real all natural way to lose weight. Try working on a healthy diet and an exercise plan or talk to your physician about what they think is the best option for you. It is better to develop long term plan to make better habits for yourself then to put yourself at high risk for seizures, heart attacks and strokes. Remember if something seems to good to be true most likely it is.
