Metabolism pills sound miraculous -- weight losses from 4 to 9 lbs. per week, clinical proven results and 100 percent satisfaction guaranteed. One retailer promises that increased feelings of well-being will be your only side effect. With so many products available, some are bound to contain ingredients that will work, while others will not. However, some pills can cause serious health risks. Consult your doctor before choosing diet pills to increase your metabolism.
Metabolism
Your metabolism works in three ways to convert calories from food into the fuel your cells need to function. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, your resting metabolism accounts for 65 to 75 percent of calories burned, your digestion and storage of calories accounts for another 5 to 10 percent, and physical exercise burns calories as you expend energy to move your muscles. Metabolism pills contain ingredients to increase your resting metabolism.
Ingredients
Some pills contain ingredients with proven metabolism-increasing effects. These may contain caffeine, for instance, in the form of green tea or coffee, or they may contain fish oil. A 1999 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition supports the calorie-burning properties of green tea. Another study published in the same journal in the same year found that those who ate fish once a day saw an increase in metabolism.
One pill contains an herbal extract called forskolin, from the roots of a mint plant. The manufacturer cites a 2005 study from the Obesity Research journal that found weight-loss benefits for some overweight men. However, the study also found that the men's resting metabolism did not significantly change.
Some pills contain ingredients that increase resting metabolism but that are also clearly unsafe -- such as products with the herbal extract ephedra, which the Federal Drug Administration has banned.
Effectiveness
While individual ingredients in metabolism pills may have been proven effective in speeding the rate of metabolism in controlled scientific research, the pills themselves haven't received the same analysis. Non-prescription diet pills are not required to be tested or evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration before being sold, so their overall effectiveness is unproven.
Risks
Once a diet pill is on the market, the FDA monitors reports of health and safety effects and publishes results. A February 2010 report lists popular ingredients and products with mixed results. Possible liver injury might occur from Alli, bitter orange is "possibly unsafe" and country mallow and ephedra are banned. Rated as "possibly safe," though their effectiveness is unknown, are chitosan, chromium and conjugated linoleic acid.
Natural Way to Increase Metabolism
Physical exercise offers the most direct, healthy way to increase your metabolism. Exercise not only increases your metabolism while you exercise, but it also increases your resting metabolism after you stop exercising. The more strenuously you work out, the higher your increase in resting metabolism, with weight lifting causing an increased calorie-burn of up to several hours.
References
- Diet Pill Universe: Adipozin is the #1 Ranked Diet Pill for 2010
- Buy Top Diet Pills: Top Diet Pills Rock Bottom Prices
- American College of Sports Medicine: ACSM Fit Society Page
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition": Efficacy of a Green Tea Extract Rich in Catechin Polyphenols and Caffeine
- "Obesity Research": Body Composition and Hormonal Adaptations Associated with Forskolin Consumption in Overweight and Obese Men
- Federal Trade Commission: FTC Charges Direct Marketers of Ephedra Weight Loss Products With Making Deceptive Efficacy and Safety Claims
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