Many medical professionals agree the best way for average people to lose weight safely and permanently is to consume fewer calories than your body burns for energy. This approach involves adopting a balanced diet to lose 1 to 2 lb. each week. Some people find such steady weight loss too slow or difficult to achieve, however. As a result, they might take weight-loss supplements to make losing weight faster or easier.
Significance
Weight-loss supplements are drugs and herbs that people take to help them lose weight. Although tablet or pill varieties are common, supplements can also come in other forms such as creams, patches, powders and teas. Marketers often promote their products as a proven method of dropping pounds more quickly than you would on a diet. Unfortunately, they also frequently minimize or fail to mention the risks associated with weight-loss products, especially when you take them without medical supervision.
Types
Supplements that manufacturers claim promote weight loss work in various ways. For example, chromium supposedly increases the amount of weight that users lose, while hydroxycitric acid allegedly improves the way your body metabolizes fat. Other ways that manufacturers claim weight-loss supplements help users lose weight include by blocking fat or starch, improving the composition of your body and suppressing your appetite.
FDA History
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved four drugs intended for weight-loss purposes. The first was the fat-blocking substance called orlistat, which was initially approved in the prescription form known as Xenical. The FDA later approved the lower-dose, over-the-counter version of orlistat marketed as Alli. Sibutramine, marketed as Meridia, received approval, as well, but it it became unavailable in October 2010 because of safety concerns. The remaining two approved weight-loss drugs are the prescription-strength appetite suppressants diethylpropion and phentermine.
Risk
One of the biggest problems with weight loss supplements is their ability to interact in unpredictable ways with your body and cause side effects. For instance, the formerly approved weight loss supplement sibutramine lost its status after the FDA began to suspect the drug might increase users' chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke. Although it remains approved, even orlistat has associated side effects. They include the possibility of diarrhea and interactions with certain other drugs, such as those taken after an organ transplant.
Warning
Another danger of taking weight-loss supplements is the risk of consuming something different than you believe you are taking. In January 2010, the FDA issued a statement regarding the spread of counterfeit alli. Consumers who thought they were buying the authentic product were actually sold a fake version containing the drug sibutramine, which is a controlled substance. The health of consumers was endangered because sibutramine can result in dangerous interactions with other drugs.
References
- Health Key: Only 3 Prescription Weight-Loss Drugs Are Approved by the FDA
- NHLBI: Treatment of Overweight and Obesity
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: FDA Approves Orlistat for Over-the-Counter Use
- Virginia.gov: Weight Loss Supplements - Fact or Fiction?
- Weight-Control Information Network: Choosing a Safe and Successful Weight-Loss Program
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