Do They Work and Are They Safe?
There are many products available that you can buy over the counter and on the Internet that claim to offer rapid weight loss results with the minimum of effort, but how safe and effective are they?
How do diet pills claim to help you lose weight?
Diet pills such as phentermine, which are closely related to amphetamines, claim to help you lose weight by suppressing your appetite.
There are also lots of herbal pills on the market that claim to aid weight loss by boosting your metabolism so that you burn more energy.
Others claim to work by repressing your body’s absorption of carbohydrates, thus reducing the amount of calories your body gets from the food you eat.
Diet pills available on prescription
Sibutramine and orlistat are the only two types of medication in the UK that are prescribed by doctors to aid weight loss.
They are only prescribed to people who have an extremely serious weight problem that is causing severe damage to their health.
This medications are usually only prescribed as a last resort if other methods of weight loss (diet and exercise) have failed.
Do diet pills work?
Prescription diet pills have been shown to produce results, but there is no reliable evidence that other slimming products are effective.
Most diet pills come with advice that you should reduce your calorie intake and do more exercise whilst taking them.
Studies show that diet pills claiming you will lose a lot of weight in a short space of time without cutting down on food or doing any exercise are not effective and certainly don’t give you the miraculous results that they claim to produce.
Are they dangerous?
There are many products available on the market that have not been approved by medical experts and their potential effects on your health are unknown.
It is actually illegal to sell certain diet pills in the UK, but this rule does not apply to overseas companies that sell their products on the Internet, so it is important to be vigilant and do some research.
It can also be dangerous to take certain diet pills if you are on other medications and you should consult your doctor before taking them just to be on the safe side.
Some people can even become addicted to diet pills and can experience severe withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking them.
What are the potential side effects?
Side effects can include: headaches, tiredness, irritability, stomach pains, diarrhoea, chest pains and irregular heartbeat.
Conclusion
Diet pills may seem appealing because they appear to offer a quick and easy way of shedding pounds without you having to cut out your favourite foods or do any exercise.
But in reality there is no solid proof that they produce effective results and you might end up spending a fortune for nothing.
You should be wary of over the counter and online products, as they may have unpleasant side effects and could even be damaging to your health.
Eating healthily and exercising regularly is the only safe, sensible and effective way of losing weight and keeping it off.