Diuretics & Fat Cells

Many fast-acting weight loss pills that are commonly advertised on television and Internet ads rely upon diuretics. However, instead of acting upon fat cells, diuretics affect your body's fluid balance. You can lose weight, but not fat, while taking diuretics. Unless they're prescribed by a doctor, however, diuretics aren't safe.

Diuretics

Diuretics are sometimes called water pills, explains MayoClinic.com. They're sometimes prescribed by physicians to treat a variety of health conditions that result from too much fluid in the body. Examples include heart failure, systemic swelling of tissues, and some kidney conditions. Different types of diuretics function differently, but all work to increase the amount of fluid that your kidneys filter out of your bloodstream. You then urinate this fluid out of the body.

Fat Cells

Fat cells, also called adipose cells, are important to your body's normal function. They're specialized cells that store triglycerides -- fat molecules -- so that you have these molecules available to you in instances of fasting, explains Dr. Lauralee Sherwood in her book "Human Physiology." Because food is very accessible to many Americans, it's easy to overload fat cells and store more body fat than you'd like to. You can't get rid of fat cells, but you can shrink them by using up your stored triglycerides. This leads to fat and weight loss.

Diuretics and Weight Loss

You will almost definitely lose weight if you start taking diuretics for purposes other than those for which doctors generally prescribe them. This is because the pills will cause you to urinate more, resulting in a loss of fluid from your body. Because you are around 65 percent water -- the specific percentage varies with gender, age, and body type -- you can lose vast amounts of weight if you lose body fluid. However, diuretics have no effect whatsoever on your fat cells, so the weight you'll be losing is pure "water weight."

General Guidelines

Generally speaking, it's unsafe to take diuretics for weight loss purposes. While mild diuretics like the caffeine in coffee and tea can increase urination slightly, they're not likely to cause major fluid imbalance. Prescription diuretics, however, can not only dehydrate you, they can also put you at risk for salt imbalance. This can lead to life-threatening complications such as erratic heartbeat, as well as mild complications like dizziness. Talk to your doctor before using any prescription or nonprescription diuretic pills.