Weight loss methods run the gamut from diet and exercise programs to herbs, drugs and even bariatric surgery. Over-the-counter diet aids contain herbs and other natural substances, and some brands add caffeine as an active ingredient. Caffeine is legal and easy to obtain, but its effectiveness at helping you lose weight is questionable, according to Katherine Zeratsky of MayoClinic.com.
Definition
Caffeine is a natural stimulant drug found in tea, cocoa, coffee beans and cola nuts. The substance is a mild stimulant, and it also has some mild weight loss effects. Caffeine suppresses your appetite for a short time, although not long enough to make a significant difference in dieting, according to Zeratsky. The drug speeds up thermogenesis, a process through which your body produces energy and heat from food. Caffeine also increases urination through its diuretic effects that may lead to some temporary water weight loss.
Use
Caffeine is used in energy drinks for its stimulant properties, and many diet pill manufacturers use it to enhance herbal products and nutritional supplements for weight loss. The drug is also found naturally in certain diet pills, like those containing hydroxy tea, according to Science 2.0 writer Erin Richards.
Warning
Diet pills may contain as much caffeine as 2 to 3 cups of coffee per dose. You can experience physical symptoms like anxiety, sleeplessness and increased blood pressure and heart rate if you take caffeinated weight loss aids and eat chocolate or drink cola, coffee, tea or other caffeinated beverages. The effects worsen if you take in more than 600 mg, according to Richards, potentially causing headaches, nausea, muscle tremors, stomach problems and abnormal heart rhythm.
Alternatives
You can often achieve weight loss through diet and exercise without using pills. Eat healthy foods, plan low calories meals, and get at least 75 minutes of intense exercise or do 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week, MayoClinic.com advises. Talk to your doctor about more radical options if dietary changes and physical activity are not effective.
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