Diet Pill Dangers

Let's face it, dieting is hard work.  Not only do you have to cut out lots of the foods you love, but you also have to contend with temptation provided by those around you who aren't on a diet, and in lots of people a state of anxiety and stress which, only makes dieting all the more difficult.

Many have tried taking diet pills to help them lose weight, however, I am yet to meet someone who has tried them and had success.  Most diet pill adverts promise an easy, no diet way to lose excess weight, and an easy way to achieve a filmstar's body without the hassle.  Unfortunately, the majority of these products are sold over the counter, no prescription needed and are highly unregulated, untested and their claims unproven.

There are a few newer prescription diet pills that have shown to aid dieters during a doctor controlled weight loss program, such as: Meridia and Xenical.  However, even the most effective diet pills should only be taken for a limited time, 6 months at most and controlled by a doctor.  Over this 6 mnth period, doctor prescribed diet pills can help the dieter to lose anything from 5-22 pounds, or up to 10% of body weight.  But after continuous use, the body becomes immune to the effects of the drug and the weight loss hits a plateau.  Also, if you don't follow a healthy eating plan and take regular exercise, once you stop taking the pills the weight will creep back on - and then some!

Also, most of these types of pills come with a list of side effects; different pills contain different
ingredients so these side effects vary widely:

1. The fat blocker variety such as Orlistat (Xenical) remove excess fats via the intestines, essentially blocking the absorption of some of the fat ingested in food.  This may cause cramping, gas and diarrhea.  Also, because they stop your body absorbing some of the fat you eat, they also stop you absorbing fat soluble vitamins such as Vitamins A, D, E & K and other essential nutrients.  People who take Xenical are advised to take a daily multivitamin supplement because of this problem.
2. Another variety are the ones that surpress appetite by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, such as Sibutramine (Meredia).  This type can raise blood pressure which, increases the risk of heart attack and cardiac arrest, especially if the person already suffers from high blood pressure, irregular heart beat or heart disease.  The sad truth is that the FDA received notification of 49 deaths related to Sibutramine between February 1998 and March 2003.  Other side effects include headache, insomnia, constipation and dry mouth.
3. The herbal variety.  These tend to have far fewer side effects and simply don't tend to do anything at all.  These claim to be 100% natural, but they can have potentially dangerous side effects depending on the ingredients used.  Just because they are herbal it doesn't necessarily mean they are safe.  Different to the prescription variety, they are considered "food" and therefore, are regulated differently by the FDA and there is no guarantee they are able to provide the results they claim to provide in advertising.  Many of the herbal type contain large doses of caffeine which can cause nervousness, headache and sleep problems.  Many of them used to contain ephedra until it was banned by the FDA in 2003.

My advice is to learn to eat properly for your body - each body is different and reacts to food and lifestyle in a different way.  What I have seen over the years is that if you want to lose weight follow three rules:

1. Don't mix your carbohydrates and your proteins... so no steak and fries, or pasta with a meat sauce.
2. Eat lean protein and limit your carb intake to just 2 meals a week.   
3. Eat as much fruit and vegetables as you like.  However, fruit must be kept separate from other foods, so for breakfast, or in between meals but NEVER AS DESSERT.

Social Nutrition:
You can make an appointment to improve your health with Social Nutrition either in person (Madrid) or online (Skype).  Just send an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com