Advanced Diets Advice & News

Archive for December, 2009

There are many over-the-counter and prescription diet pills available today. Along with the diet pills comes the manufacturer guaranteeing their diet pill will help you to miraculously lose weight in a short period of time – “Lose up to 30 pounds in only 30 days – Without diet or exercise!”  These claims sound to good to be true and in most cases they are.

The newer diet pills such as Meridia and Xenical have shown in studies that they can help aid dieters to shed some weight. Unfortunately, the majority of ads you see on TV or the internet for diet pills are for diet pills that are unregulated, unproven and untested.

Most diet pills, even the most effective ones are only meant to be used for short term weight loss – usually no longer than six months. During this six month time frame, prescription diet pills can trim from 5 to 22 pounds or up to 10 percent of your total body weight. However, after six months your body will start to develop a tolerance to these diet pills and your weight loss starts to plateau. After this period if you don’t follow a healthy, balanced diet and exercise plan, the weight will start creeping back on.

Should you Use Prescription Diet Pills

 If you want to shed just a few pounds to fit into that black cocktail dress hanging in the closet, prescription diet pills aren’t the right option for you. Those people that are obese (30 percent over their expected weight or a BMI of 30+) are good candidates for prescription diet pills. Most, if not all diet pills are not recommended for children 16 or younger. The exception might be Xenical in some cases. If used safely, kids that are overweight and 12 or older can use Xenical for weight loss.

In short the answer is yes, diet pills do really work but they should only be considered a short term answer to your weight loss efforts. Eating a healthy, balanced diet and regular exercise are always essential for weight loss and weight loss maintenance.

Natural diet pills and over-the-counter herbal pills are big business these days! Some claims about the weight loss benefits when using herbal weight loss supplements or ‘natural’ fat-burning pills or appetite suppressants can be misleading at best.

To date, there is little (if any at all) proven research that these ‘natural’ diet pills can help you successfully lose weight. Many herbal diet supplements are amphetamine-type stimulants that over stimulate your nervous system, cause ill and in some extreme cases even death. Some diet pill supplements (such as those that contain ephedra) have been proven to have serious health side effects such as heart attacks and death. It is important to remember that just because a diet pill touts that it is all ‘natural’ that doesn’t meant that is safe or that it can’t harm you.

Over-the-Counter Diet Pills

Many over-the-counter pills like Xenedrine at one time used a combination of the stimulant ephedra and caffeine to help lose weight quickly and shed the pounds. They worked by increasing energy expenditure and reducing ones appetite (ephedrine acts on the satiety center). But back in 2003, the FDA banned the sale ephedra due to increased risk of heart attack.

Today there are many herbal weight loss supplements on the market that utilize different mechanisms in the body to help aid in dieting and weight loss. Here are a few of the more common ingredients:

Herbal ephedra, caffeine – helps to speed up metabolism and shed pounds

Glocomannan and Psyllium – Causes a ‘full’ feeling thus helping to reduce your appetite

Hydro citric acid, green tea – Slows down the production of fat

Chitosan (or chitin) – Bocks fat from being absorbed into the body, effectively keeping weight off

As you can see there are many diet pills available both prescription and natural diet pills. And some of them can be potentially harmful to your health. Always do your research and see your doctor before starting a new diet. Don’t fall into all the hype, do your research!

There are many different types and forms of diet pills on the market and they contain different ingredients which means, their effects will be different and vary. While most side effects are rare, before taking a diet pill whether by prescription or over-the-counter, you should be fully informed of the possible side effects and potential health risks.

Common Side Effects of Popular Diet Pills

Prescription Fat Blockers such as Xenical work to remove excess fat via the intestines. This can cause uncomfortable cramping, gas and diarrhea. Fat blockers reduce the absorption of essential vitamins and nutrients the body needs. People who take Xenical for weight loss should also take a daily multivitamin.

Appetite suppressants such as Meridia work to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system which can raise your blood pressure and your heart rate. This in turn can increase your risk of heart attack, especially amongst those people who might already suffer from high blood pressure or an irregular heart beat. The FDA reported 49 deaths related to Meridia from February 1998 to March 2003. Other minor side effects can include constipation, headaches, dry mouth and insomnia.

Herbal diet pills can have potentially dangerous side effects in spite of the claims that they are “all natural.” It is important to remember that herbal doesn’t necessarily mean “safe.” Because herbal pills are considered part of the food industry by the FDA, they are regulated different and offer no guarantee that they can live up to their claims.

These are just a few of common side effects amongst the popular diet pills on the market. Be sure you research the specific side effects for the medication you will be taking and how it may affect your health and any other medications that you may be taking for other health related problems you might have. It is always best to consult your doctor before taking any diet medication.

Diet patches are still a relatively new weight loss aid that is garnering attention and growing in popularity. Diet patches look like band-aids and they stick to the skin and help with weight loss. The active weight loss ingredients seep into the body via the skin, therefore suppressing the appetite while increasing metabolism. Diet patches contain the same ingredients found in oral weight loss pills.

Diet Patch Ingredients

In recent studies there has been a significant increase in diet patches that advertise the ingredient fucus vesiculosus as the active ingredient. Fucus vesiculosus is the brown algae that are found in the ocean which contains iodine. Manufacturers claim this ingredient stimulates the thyroid gland which then speeds up metabolism.  Other ingredients that can be found in diet patches include guarana and flaxseed oil to name a copule and both act to increase metabolism. Some diet patches have ingredients that work as appetite suppressants such as yerba mate and zinc citrate which helps to create balanced weight.

Do Diet Patches Work?

Diet patches would seem to be a dieters dream! They are convenient and simple enough to use. However, the jury is still out on the effectiveness of diet patches and the topic has been very controversial. To date there is no clinical evidence that supports the effectiveness of diet patches. Although ingredients such as zinc pyruvate and green tea have clinically proven to aid weight loss when ingested orally, no studies have been conducted to support the theory that the same effects occur when applied to the skin.

Some experts argue that the needed amount of ingredients for fat loss must get into your blood stream within a short period of time for it to have maximum effect but this is not possible with diet patches as the ingredients are released over a period of time and not at once. While opposing experts argue that weight loss ingredients whether orally ingested or applied to the skin have the same effects on weight loss. To date there are not many studies available to prove or disprove diet patches and their effectiveness. But in the near future you should start seeing more studies about diet patches and their effectiveness as they become more popular.