The Real Deal Behind Diet Pills

There are two commonly held opinions about diet pills. Either that they work and are a fine addition to any exercise and healthy eating plan or that diet pills are extremely dangerous for your health and should be avoided. Let���s take a closer look at diet pills, their composition and see what the truth is behind the intriguing infamy of diet pills. Many diet pills rely on stimulants to help boost metabolism and control appetite but also carry unseen health risks. Photo credit: flikr user Hydroxycut Hydroxycut is one of the most heavily advertised diet pills, boasting quick weight loss without a lot of effort. Other ingredients in Hydroxycut include green tea extract, oolong and white tea as well as a plant extracts from Garcinia cambogia and Gymnema sylvestre. EGCG and caffeine in the green tea supposedly induce the body to burn more calories in daily expenditure. Depending on tea extract to lose weight may work, but not without regular exercise and a modified diet. Trimspa Trimspa baby: This Trimspa add shows the late Anna Nicole Smith who claimed to lose over 69 pounds over 6 months due to her usage of Trimspa diet pills. Popularized by the dramatic weight loss of celebrity Anna Nicole Smith, Trimspa has been one of the more in-vogue diet supplements of those wishing to shed their extra pounds like Smith. Cocoa, green tea and caffeine are stimulants and if taken late in the day, may induce insomnia and anxiety in users. Hoodia gordonii , a widely popular ingredient in various diet supplements is derived from a plant native to Southern Africa where it was used to suppress appetite by the San Bushman to avoid hunger and thirst on long hunting trips. 3 ) Alli/Xenical^ The only diet pill approved by the FDA, Alli is the over the counter version of prescription weight loss drug Xenical^. From coffee to green tea to soda to energy drinks, caffeine is the drug that gets most of us through a long day. The problem with caffeine in diet pills is that the amount is equal to 2 or 3 cups of coffee, which when added to our already caffeine enriched diet, can increase heart rate, blood pressure, and induce insomnia and anxiety. Obese individuals, using diet pills to help control their weight have already stressed hearts and elevated blood pressure due to their weight, and if diet pills are added, this only exacerbates the problem and can cause permanent heart damage. Photo credit: Most diet pills rely on a mixture of caffeine and various plant extracts that are famed for suppressing appetite. Although some herbal diet pill ingredients seem to cause initial weight loss, there are risks in taking those supplements including the unknowns of interfering with normal food breakdown and absorption mechanisms. Physicians, dietitians and nutritionists unanimously agree that eating a moderate and balanced diet along with regular exercise is the best way to maintain a healthy weight.