Most people know diet and exercise are the safest and most reliable methods of weight loss, but many people still hope to find a quick fix as an alternative. People have tried pills, potions, shakes and creams that promise quick weight loss results with little to no effort. According to the Mayo Clinic, however, some weight loss products are more dangerous than others and have been banned or should be avoided.
Fen-Phen
A combination drug called Fen-phen gained popularity in the 1990s, along with the similar drugs Redux and Pondimin. According to the Public Broadcasting System's program "Frontline," doctors wrote 85,000 prescriptions per week for Redux following its approval in 1996. But the drugs were removed from the market just a year later after reports of heart valve problems resulting from the medication.
Ephedra
Many over-the-counter weight loss supplements contained ephedra for many years, in product names such as Metabolife and Xenadrine. According to Vanderbilt University, ephedra and ephedrine are stimulants that speed up heart rate, which can lead to loss of appetite and which, the company described, as having effects similar to exercise. But many users experienced chest pain and heart problems associated with the supplements. The Food and Drug Administration banned ephedra in 2003.
Bitter Orange
Bitter orange sounds like a natural ingredient, and replaced ephedra as an ingredient in many over-the-counter diet supplements available as of 2010. The safety of bitter orange, however, has not been proved in studies, according to the National Institutes of Health's natural health division, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The agency says bitter orange may be as dangerous as ephedra.
Member Comments