Fat Camp Articles

FDA Warning: Weight Loss Pills Pose 'Great Risk to Public Health'

By Hugh C. McBride

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers to avoid 28 weight loss products because they may contain "undeclared, active pharmaceutical ingredients that may put consumers' health at risk."

"These tainted weight loss products pose a great risk to public health because they contain undeclared ingredients and, in some cases, contain prescription drugs in amounts that greatly exceed their maximum recommended dosages," Janet Woodcock, M.D., the director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a Dec. 22 release.

"Consumers have no way of knowing that these products contain powerful drugs that could cause serious health consequences," Woodcock continued. "Therefore FDA is taking this action to protect the health of the American public."

According to the Dec. 22 release, the following substances should neither be purchased nor consumed:

2 Day Diet
3x Slimming Power
3 Day Diet
5x Imelda Perfect Slimming
7 Day Herbal Slim
7 Diet Day/Night Formula
8 Factor Diet
999 Fitness Essence
Extrim Plus
Fatloss Slimming
GMP
Imelda Perfect Slim
Japan Lingzhi 24 Hours Diet
Lida DaiDaihua
Miaozi Slim Capsules
Perfect Slim
Perfect Slim 5x
Phyto Shape
ProSlim Plus
Royal Slimming Formula
Slim 3 in 1
Slim Express 360
Slimtech
Somotrim
Superslim
TripleSlim
Venom Hyperdrive 3.0
Zhen de Shou

Many Risks, Few Benefits
Health risks that the FDA has associated with the use of these products include hypertension (high blood pressure), tachycardia (rapid heart rate), heart attack, seizure, and stroke. Many of these side effects are associated with the ingredient sibutramine, a controversial appetite suppressant and neurotransmitter reuptake inhibitor.

Because many of the weight loss products on the FDA's warning list do not advertise all ingredients, individuals who are already taking other medications can unwittingly put themselves at risk of an adverse interaction between these medications and sibutramine.

Too Good to Be True?
Even before the recent FDA warning, many experts were advising overweight individuals to resist the "siren's song" of unbelievable claims and unrealistic expectations that often accompany the marketing and use of weight loss pills and other similar supplements. For example, the Mayo Clinic website describes over-the-counter weight loss pills in the following less-than-glowing terms: "Most haven't been proved safe and effective, and some are downright dangerous."

The Mayo Clinic site also notes that the majority of dietary supplements and other over-the-counter weight loss products are not subject to the same level of testing that is required of prescription drugs and the other medications that are available in most pharmacies. As a result, many marketing efforts are based not on the results of independent testing, but rather on vendors' interpretations of non-FDA-approved research.

In other words, if a product's promises sound too good to be true, there's a good chance that they are. In some cases, the substances can actually be detrimental to your health.

The Safe Way to Lose Weight
Trying to lose weight by taking pills, following a fad diet, or participating in other similar "get thin quick" schemes often results in the exact opposite of the intended effect. Instead of helping you become slimmer and healthier, these efforts often result in unwanted weight gains, a sense of failure and frustration, and an increased likelihood of developing the wide range of health conditions that have been associated with being overweight or obese.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

At first glance, sensible weight loss plans that emphasize proper nutrition and adequate exercise may not be as enticing or alluring as less-than-effective alternatives, but these programs offer the advantage of being both medically approved and time-tested. In other words, they work.

For example, at Structure House, one of the nation's premier residential weight-loss programs, lasting change is predicated upon accepting the philosophy that achieving both short- and long-term weight management goals requires you to change the way you think about nutrition, exercise, and the role food plays in your life. Structure House, which has been successfully helping overweight individuals for more than three decades, integrates the principles of nutrition, exercise, and psychology into treatment approaches that are designed to transform not only patients' eating habits, but their entire lifestyles.

If you or someone you care about is struggling with weight, do not doubt that help is available. Achieving the results you need may be as simple as learning a bit more about nutrition, or may require outpatient therapy or a stay at a weight loss camp or residential treatment program.

Whichever path you need to take toward a healthier future, know that the false hope of unhealthy shortcuts is nowhere near as rewarding as celebrating the successes you have achieved by losing weight the smart way, the healthy way, and the right way.