Are Diet Pills Safe And Effective?

The allure of diet pills can make them very tempting, especially at times when you're getting frustrated with your weight loss progress. The idea of a pill that can cause weight loss can be hard to turn down. However, do diet pills really achieve the results that they claim are possible?

While different diet pills have been studied extensively around the world, the research is rarely put together in such a way that allows you to compare different diet pills easily and conveniently. Doing so would certainly help you to make an intelligent decision about which product to purchase.

According to one report by Lisa Colles, Americans spend upward of $50 billion on weight loss products each year. She estimates that at least $6 billion of that money is spent on products that are not only ineffective, but downright fraudulent.

This report compares six different products and active ingredients related to weight loss. It will help you make an informed decision about which diet pills to put into your body. You will find that some products on the open market are not only ineffective but can be dangerous as well.

Prescription Only Diet Pills

Xenical - Lipase Inhibitor

Xenical has been used as a weight loss aid for many years. Using an inhibitor of lipases called Orlistat, it interferes with the activity of lipases used to break down fat and absorbed it into the body. Clinical studies show that it inhibits dietary fat absorption by around 30%.

Xenical has some bowel-related side effects on most patients, especially who don't keep their recommended diet. The side effects are usually mild but will increase when you eat more fat. Please consult with your doctor on any side effects you care about.

Xenical is a prescription only drug for the long-term treatment of clinical obesity. It's medically proven to be effective, and no significant problems have been found yet.

There is an over the counter version of Xenical called Alli, which is a better option if you are not dangerously obese.

Heavily Hyped Diet Supplements

Hoodia - Appetite Suppressant

Hoodia is a cactus-like plant that grows in the deserts of southern Africa. There is only one type of Hoodia called Hoodia Gordonii, contains a chemical called P57 which has been shown to tell the hypothalamus in the brain that the body is full, not hungry. Unlike ephedra and phentermine, it contains no amphetamines and has no effect on the rest of the central nervous system.

The problem with Hoodia is that it is very difficult and expensive to harvest Hoodia Gordonii that can be used for consumption. It is also currently in very high demand, making it profitable for manufacturers to produce fraudulent Hoodia products. Some reports suggest that up to 80% of products claiming to contain Hoodia Gordonii, are either counterfeit or contaminated.

Genuine Hoodia Gordonii isn't a stimulant, and doesn't have any known side effects. So it can be used as a natural diet supplement. We would recommend UniqueHoodia as a reliable product, it is fully certified and has about 50% more Hoodia than most other products.

Diet Pills With Serious Side Effects

Ephedra - Appetite Suppressant

Ephedra is an active ingredient in a number of diet pills. It is a stimulant that acts as an appetite suppressant and has been the subject of almost constant FDA warnings since its introduction into the market in 1990.

Ephedra is composed of amphetamine-like compounds and has a powerful, if not adverse, effect on the nervous system. It can be especially dangerous to the heart, causing irregular or rapid heart contractions. Many have reported strange psychological side effects as well, including depression and insomnia.

If you are taking ephedra in any form, you should be very careful what other stimulants you put in your body. If taken in conjunction with caffeine or certain herbal supplements, the product can stimulate the central nervous system to a potentially life-threatening extent. Although the product has shown weight-loss results, its dangerous side effects do not justify using the product.

Most ephedra-containing products on the market today are herbal diet supplements. If you are looking for a safe herbal diet pill, you might want to check out Zotrim.

Phentermine - Appetite Suppressant

Phentermine works similarly to amphetamines, but is a prescription medication unfortunately available over the internet in a number of different doses and strengths. It suppresses the appetite by working through your central nervous system in the brain as well as by increasing the amount of adrenaline in the body.

Phentermine has been shown to be effective, especially in the short term. Many experts believe that Phentermine can be a good initial product to use in a weight loss regimen but should not be used in the long term. While side effects such as blurred vision, insomnia, rapid heart beats, and chest pain were generally mild, they often increased in seriousness if the product was used for an extended period of time. You should also make sure you get the product through a doctor's prescription, not through one of the online avenues.

You might consider using Phen375 as a highly effective replacement, which contains much safer active ingredients. It can be purchased online without prescription, and is produced in FDA pharmaceutical registered labs.

Diet Pills That Lack Proof of Effectiveness

Conjugated Linoleic Acid - Fat Burner

CLA is the active ingredient in many fat burning pills. It is a fatty acid produced in the gut of a number of mammals, some plants, and possibly even humans. It works to transport, store, and metabolize fats effectively.

While CLA has not been shown to have any serious negative side effects, it has been primarily tested on animals thus far. In a few very limited tests on humans, CLA has shown incredibly varied results. Some test patients did lose weight, but others saw very little change and a few even saw an increase in weight.

Because so little is known about CLA, pregnant and breast-feeding mothers should avoid using the product all together. Even regular consumers might be well-advised to avoid CLA for the time being. It would be pointless to spend your money on a product that will be shown to be ineffective in just a few years.

A safe and more effective fat burner could be PureAcaiBerry. Besides providing powerful antioxidant support, its effectiveness in weight loss has also been proven.

Chitosan - Fat Blocker

Chitosan is a fiber found in the skeleton of some marine animals. Sellers, primarily on the internet, have made increasingly confident claims that products containing chitosan have a fat blocking ability and will help consumers lose weight. Unfortunately, there is very little evidence to support this conclusion.

Most Chitosan testing has been conducted using animal test subjects, and these tests did show that the product might have some weight loss capabilities. However, in limited testing on human participants, the product showed no conclusive evidence in terms of losing weight. Tests did, however, conclude that Chitosan was effective in reducing cholesterol. Consumers looking to lose weight, however, have a number of other more promising choices to pick from.

Somewhat similar to Chitosan, a fat binder called Proactol has been clinically proven to be effective. It binds up to 28% of your dietary fat intake naturally, along with helping to suppress your appetite and reduce cholesterol levels.