1. More Than an Appetite Supressant
Ephedra (ma huang), caffeine, guarana and other stimulants may help lessen those hunger pangs, but they may also raise your heart rate and blood pressure, cause insomnia, headaches and dizziness, especially when taken in large amounts. Some people who take diet pills containing these substances may even experience palpitations and psychoses. In the United States, repeated reports of life-threatening heart disturbances, hemorrhagic strokes and premature deaths caused by the ingestion of ephedra led the Food and Drug Administration to ban the substance back in the year 2004.
2. What You See on the Label Isn't Always What You Get
While other countries may differ with regards to regulation of dietary supplements, in the United States, the supplement industry is not properly regulated, so really, anything goes. Ingredients listed on the product's label may not even be present, or may actually be there, but in excessive or miniscule amounts. In addition, other substances, harmful or not, may be added to the mix, unbeknownst to you since no regulates that they're listed properly on the label.
3. Natural Ingredients
Poison oak, mercury, crude oil and manure are all "natural" to the earth, but you probably wouldn't consider ingesting these toxic substances. Think about that the next time you pick up a bottle of diet pills that boasts its contents contain "all-natural" ingredients. Incidentally, ma huang (ephedra) is a naturally occurring substance, but proved to be harmful to many who took it.
4. Diet Pills Only Provide a Temporary Fix
Once you stop taking the diet pills, how will you be able to maintain your newfound weight loss? Will you suddenly learn how to eat healthy foods and monitor your portion sizes? Not likely. So in the end, you'll end up gaining back the weight you lost, feeling the need to diet once again. A better approach would be to tune into your hunger level, discover how to control your food portions and eat regularly to prevent overeating when ravenous hunger eventually appears. Seek the advice of a registered dietitian to learn these tips and more.
5. Diet Pills React With Other Ingested Substances
If you're the type of person who exists on caffeine, caffeine and more caffeine, imagine what would happen if you take a stimulant known to cause major side effects in addition to all that caffeine you already take. At best, you might not sleep for a night or two. At worst, it could be fatal. Also, many of these diet pills contain tons of ingredients (some listed on the label and some not), many of which may interact poorly with other prescription or even over-the-counter medications you currently take.
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