Reported Problems With Natural Diet Pills

Obesity has become such an epidemic that it is estimated that more that 300,000 Americans die each year because of the disease. Many people who are in search of an aid to lose the extra weight turn to natural or herbal supplements to help them lose unwanted pounds. Reports show this can lead to serious health problems.

Ingredients

• Anyone who is on a diet and considering using a diet pill will need to do some research as there are literally hundreds of types. Natural diet pills are not regulated by the Federal Drug Administration, so those considering taking this type of diet drug should use caution. Ingredients such as ephedrine, guarana and ma huang are often used in herbal diet supplements. Combined, these ingredients have been found to help some people lose some weight when combined with diet and exercise. The downside is since these pills are not regulated, they can contain high amounts of some of these ingredients. Taking these pills can lead to many health problems, and have been linked to death. The director of McLachlan Student Health Center, Linda Beatty stated, "Many over-the-counter pills containing ephedrine, which is an upper, can cause extreme anxiety, sleeplessness, high blood pressure and heart problems that can lead to death." Ephedrine, guarana and ma huang are all stimulants and the Food and Drug Administration has asked people to be aware of these native Chinese pills. The extracts that are found in these types of pills have also been known to cause heart attacks, strokes, and seizures. If a dieter is taking these nutritional supplements and does not reduce the amount of caffeine intake during the day, they could cause permanent heart damage. The reason for this is because it opens the bronchial muscles and raises blood pressure. The caffeine in conjunction with the supplement over arouses the central nervous system. It is very important that the dieter find the appropriate amount of these supplements they should have per day and adjust their caffeine intake accordingly.

End Results

• What people need to know is that studies have overwhelmingly shown that diet pills almost always only work in the short term. No matter how safe you think a natural diet pill is or how well it works, chances are very good that once you stop taking the pill, the weight will come back on. Sadly, in many cases, the dieter will actually gain more weight than they initially lost. This happens because diet pills mask the problem and do not teach the dieter to break bad habits. Once the dieter stops taking the appetite inhibiting supplement, they almost always go back to their old way of eating and will not keep the weight off.