Weight loss pills are nothing new to the currently booming, billion-dollar industry. The appeal to lose weight quickly with the support of an easy-to-swallow pill, seems to grab the attention of the masses. The most common weight-loss supplements have been studied for their effectiveness and safety, as well as their success with adding in safe and sustainable weight loss.
Considerations
Efforts at sustained weight loss should always be managed with a combination of exercise, diet modifications and -- after a discussion with your doctor -- an over-the-counter weight-loss supplement. Manufacturers often make extravagant claims to sell weight-loss supplements to grocery stores and large commercial outlets, but these manufacturers have little accountability with the FDA, or other quality-control organizations. Be cautious and discuss any and all potential supplementation with your doctor.
Types
The most common types of weight-loss supplements suggest they burn fat, build muscle, create a feeling of satiety, decrease appetite, increases calorie and fat metabolism or block the absorption of fats or carbohydrates. This variety of focuses may seem daunting. Speak with your doctor about your current diet, fitness level and health status, to help the two of you decide on the right supplement for you.
Products
The most common products on the market will have names and ingredients such as hoodia, chromium, green tea extract, conjugated linoleic acid, bitter orange, chitosan, ephedra, guar gum and Alli -- which is an over-the-counter version of prescription drug orlistat, or Xenical. All these products and ingredients have been studied through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2010; Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2010, and only chromium and green tea extract showed to be safe, but not enough evidence was available to prove any weight loss effects.
Warning
Some specific weight-loss ingredients should be used with extreme caution. Ephedra was banned, and taken off the market in 2004, yet ephedra can still be found online and within weight loss products. Some of the adverse effects of ephedra use are hypertension, heart attack, stroke and death, suggests a report in the March 2003 "Journal of the American Medical Association." Other ingredient that have been used to suppress the appetite are called n-desmethyl sibutramine and sibutramine. These have not been approved by the FDA, and present a significant risk for patients with a history of coronary heart disease, arrhythmias or stroke, suggests the FDA.
Misconceptions
Do not assume that common herbal formulas are safe, simply because they use natural herbal combinations. Herbs can interact with prescription drugs, and can create adverse health consequences. Herbal supplements are not as highly regulated through the FDA as over-the-counter drugs are, and can be misleading to the consumer with false claims and inaccurate listings of ingredient profiles. Use the U.S. National Library of Medicine's database as a gauge to read labels and find safe products.
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