More than 60 percent of the American population is considered overweight or obese and many have turned to diet drugs, diet pills or weight loss supplements to help tackle the problem.
Over the last several years, dieting has become a part of the mainstream American culture with multitudes of diets, dieting options and other resources on the market to aide with the weight loss process.
On any given day, large proportions of the population are either on a diet or counting calories in some way. Weight loss occurs when a person makes a conscious intent or effort to lose portions of their total body mass. This can be done through either exercising or altering ones diet. A person can make significant changes to their diet by choosing to eat healthier foods or a combination of adding weight loss supplements to their diet.
A weight loss supplement is a product that will assist in weight loss by increasing the intensity and efficiency that one experiences during exercise. Supplements help to provide healthy energy that they body may be lacking during dieting.
What to Look for
There are hundreds of weight loss supplements that all claim to do the best job at reducing body mass and body fat. Weight loss supplements are available in several different forms including prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs and herbal supplements. They can be purchased as either pills, patches, liquids or powders.
Prescription supplements are only available with from a doctor and are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The use of prescription weight loss supplements are usually monitored under the care of a physician and play a variety of roles such as appetite suppressant or fat blocker.
Over-the-counter supplements are available at your local pharmacy without the prescription from a doctor but are also regulated by the FDA. According to the FDA, "Products considered by FDA to be over-the-counter weight control drugs [as opposed to dietary supplements] are primarily those containing the active ingredient phenylpropanolamine (PPA)."
Herbal supplements are another type of weight loss supplement that do not require a prescription and are available over the counter. These are typically found in health and nutrition stores as well as supermarkets. Herbal supplements are regulated differently from over-the-counter weight loss supplements and generally classified as "food products" by the FDA.
With the need 2003 regulations of the drug ephedra by the FDA, over-the-counter weight loss supplements now contain a mixture of vitamins (such as thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, folic acid), an ephedra-like substance called synephrine that is found in certain citrus fruits and caffeine. The combination reportedly increases energy while boosting metabolism.
The most common ingredients in herbal weight loss supplements available on the market today include herbal ephedra, caffeine, guarana and country mallow. Many also contain Guar gum, green tea glucomannan and psyllium.
The best option for individuals looking to lose weight is to have a combination of a diet and a fitness regimen that will provide the best results. If you decide to use weight loss supplements, be aware of some of the benefits as well as the issues that surround these products.
Common Pitfalls
Weight loss supplements provide many claims, from "making you shed pounds," to "gaining energy" and even "boosting energy." Over the last 10 years, many weight loss supplements have been involved in serious allegations where claims have been made that they can cause serious heart problems and other health-related issues, and diet pills have even been linked to a number of deaths.
Prescription weight loss supplements are not ideal for people who only want to shed a few pounds quickly. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, good candidates for prescription weight loss supplements are people who are "obese" (those who are 30 percent over their ideal weight or have a Body Mass Index, or BMI, of 30 or more), or who have a history of high blood pressure or diabetes.
There are a few pills, especially the newer prescription varieties (such as Meridia and Xenical), which have been shown in clinical studies to help dieters shed pounds. The majority of the products in television and Internet ads are unregulated, untested and unproven.
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