By Sylvia Perez
www.uillinoismedcenter.org
Swimsuit weather will be here soon and that has some people scrambling to lose weight. Over-the-counter diet pills may be part of the strategy. Healthbeat reporter Sylvia Perez explains why that may not be a healthy idea.
The Federal Trade Commission recently fined the marketers of four weight loss pills $25 million for making false advertising claims. But, did you know that diet pills sold over the counter are classified as nutritional supplements and are not tested by the federal government for safety or effectiveness? Consumers are basically on their own with these diet aids and that has a lot of health experts worried.
The promises are so enticing, a bottle of pills, easy to buy, no prescription required and watch the pounds melt away. Dietary supplements are not just for the pin thin stars of Hollywood, but their image is certainly helping them sell.
"At first it worked it worked pretty well," said Erin, who does not want us to use her last name.
Erin says, years ago, she easily dropped 40 pounds using pills with ephedra. She was so excited with the way she looked, she developed a severe body image issue. But Erin says she is healthy now.
Others weren't as lucky. The FDA banned ephedra after dozens of cases linked it to heart and blood pressure problems some even resulting in death. Today there are other options and a lot of concerns.
"If any of my patients are taking it I tell them to stop immediately," said Dr. Reed Berger, UIC Nutrition and Wellness Center.
Berger says if there is any weight loss from these products it's usually minimal and short term. The UIC weight loss specialist warns her patients that "natural" doesn't mean it's safe. She says herbal supplements have the potential to be very dangerous. That's because many of these pills are packed with stimulants. They can raise blood pressure and send the heart racing. On the flip side, they also seem to speed up metabolism and quell hunger pangs. There are different kinds of ingredients that may promote this effect. We can't possibly cover them all, but we begin with bitter orange.
"Bitter Orange is an herb similar to ephedra," said Dr. Berger. "It's also a stimulant. It raises blood pressure, causes increased heart rate."
For some people this may not be problem, but if you have an undiagnosed condition, it could be dangerous.
Caffeine is a stimulant found in many diet supplements. Unlike what you find in your morning cup of coffee, in one extreme case, a daily serving of a dietary supplement was found to have the equivalent of 30 cans of soda.
"It took my appetite away completely, but I just felt horrible," said Kate McLenaghen. "I thought I was going to have a heart attack."
Thirty-four-year-old McLenaghen now relys on diet and exercise, but says initially she did lose weight on diet pills, but her body couldn't handle the side effects. She didn't seem to have as much trouble with the ingredient hoodia. It is billed as a safer alternative because it is not a stimulant.
Hoodia comes from a South African plant that is supposed to give you the feeling of fullness. Critics say many products may not have enough of the ingredient to be effective. (
effective hoodia)
"We don't know what your actually getting," said John Levitt, Ph.D., Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital.
Many supplement makers say their products do contain what is advertised. No one knows for sure because the federal government does not check ingredients. But one private company claims to be filling in the gap. ConsumerLab.com is described as the Consumer Reports for dietary supplements, and they do charge a fee. It's where we got a lot of information from.
But, at least one eating disorders expert says, people just need to use common sense.
"If any one of them worked there would only be one on the market cause everybody would take it," said Levitt.
Levitt says our weight-obsessed society has created a market for these products. Levitt has seen these so-called harmless diet pills lead some patients down the path to illegal drugs. All in the quest to have "the perfect life."
"So part of the problem is we create dissatisfaction in society so we can fix it using the products we say work. The dilemma is, should the dissatisfaction be there? I don't think so," Levitt said.
The first over-the-counter diet pill approved by the FDA is expected to hit store shelves next month.
The new version of Orlistat is called Alli. It will be half the strength of its prescription counterpart, Xenical. Even though this pill will have the FDA's blessing, only diet and exercise can provide the desired results.
