Diet Products

How Do Diet Pills Work ?

How do Diet Pills actualy work ?

The way diet pills work varies a lot depending on their ingredients or their action . Some diet pills aim to funtion as Appetite Suppressants , others as Fat Burners . Some pills are Fat Blockers and then there are prescription pills that require you to consult your doctor first , and come with some side-effects .

Lets take a look at the different types of pills :

Appetite Suppressants

Ephedra:
Is the active ingredients used in many diet pills and weight loss supplements. Probably the most common and popular ingredient that many products include. The FDA has issued several warnings to consumers of diet products and supplements containing Ephedrine and we also would advice that you think twice before buying any products that may contain this substance.

The problem with Ephedra it that it is made up of amphetamine-like compounds that have a powerful stimulant effects on the central nervous system including the heart.. It acts in a similar way to that of adrenaline. It dilates the bronchial muscles, contracts the nasal mucosa, raises the blood pressure and is a cardiac stimulant.Obviously this can cause some dangerous side effects like irregular or rapid heartbeats, and even to some extent psychological side effects such as depression, nervousness, insomnia, and rapid heart rate. If you take it in combination with caffeine for example, ephedrine can over-stimulate the central nervous system, with potentially life threatening consequences.

So we do not recommend using products that contain Ephedra .click here for a list of the top diet pills

Phentermine:
Phentermine is a prescription medication. that works by suppressing appetite via a central mechanism in the brain. It is a stimulant that increases the amount of adrenaline in your body and hence suppresses the appetite.Phentermine has been shown to be effective in helping obese patients who need to lose weight.

Unfortunatelly one of the main problems with Phentermine is that it has a lot of side effects so people cant really consider it as a long term solution . But it can be used as a short term drug to help patients with the beginning of their weight loss..

You have to consult a doctor before considering this product and bare in mind that the many side-effects include : blurred vision, dry mouth, sleeplessness, irritability, chest pain and rapid heart beats.click here for a list of the top diet pills

Hoodia:
Hoodia is probably the most well known diet pill ingredient. For the last few years Hoodia has been heavily marketed and consequently it has become very popular.

Hoodia is a cactus-like plant known as the prickly pear cactus. It grows in semi-deserts and can be found in South Africa, Botswana, Nambia and Angola.

Hoodia contains a chemical called P57 that targets the hypothalamus which is the part of the brain that tells you that you are hungry or full. Some studies have shown that Hoodia is 10,000 times more effective than glucose at telling hypothalamus that you are full. This means that Hoodia can suppress your appetite without you eating that much.

The problem with Hoodia is that there are over 13 types of Hoodia. However the only active ingredient for appetite suppressing found so far is P57 and this can only be found in one type of Hoodia called Hoodia Gordonii. It takes about five years for Hoodia Gordonii to mature so that it can be harvested and the P57 can be abstracted.

Hoodia has been in very high demand yet it is very hard to grow and harvest so there is very low supply. With a high demand and low supply it is very questionable whether all the products claiming to contain Hoodia actually do?

There have been widespread reports of counterfeit Hoodia products. Some of the reports estimate that that almost 80 percent of Hoodia products are contaminated or counterfeit. Therefore many Hoodia consumers will be wasting their hard earned money on counterfeit goods that contain nothing but bulk and filler.

So we would advise that you should be very cautious about purchasing Hoodia weight loss products and if you are decided on doing so , please make sure they are licensed by the Western Cape Conservation Authority of South Africa.

Click here for a list of recommended sources of hoodia

Fat Burners:

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA):
So, what does CLA claim to do? CLA is a fatty acid that is produced by bacteria in the gut of animals such as sheep, cows and turkeys. It is also found in small amounts in plants such as sunflowers and safflowers. It is thought that humans can also make CLA, given the right balance of bacteria in their gut and a healthy diet. Its function is to help transport, store and metabolise fats in the body.

Most of the research into CLA has involved studying its anti-cancer properties in animals and human volunteers. More recently, studies have looked into CLA’s ability to increase lean tissue (build muscle), while reducing fatty tissue in the body.

So far, scientific research on CLA's weight loss claims have been mainly based on animal studies. Although these have shown an improvement in the muscle-to-fat ratio i.e. fat loss and muscle gain, very few studies have been conducted using human volunteers. Those studies that were carried out on humans have shown a range in results from loss of fat to either negligible effects or even in an increase in fat mass. We are still awaiting data from long-term studies involving humans before we can draw conclusions as to its efficiency and safety in helping people lose weight. In the meantime, we would suggest caution in taking CLA supplements. Pregnant and breastfeeding mums should avoid this altogether.

In conclusion CLA is an expensive fat burner that has very little clinical evidence to back up it’s claims of fat burning and fat reduction. Until more research is carried out we would advise consumers to think carefully before spending a lot of money on a product that may have very little effect.click here for a list of the top diet pills

Fat Blockers:

Chitosan:
Chitosan is the name given to fibre derived from the exoskeleton of shellfish and it claims to have the ability to block fats. There are some outrageous claims about Chitosan across the internet from sellers claiming that you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight. However, there is very little evidence in the form of clinical studies to back up these claims.

Most of the Chitosan research has been carried out on animals. These studies did show that Chitosan had some fat-absorbing abilities. However, we could not find any conclusions from studies that were carried out on human participants. From our research we have found that most weight loss experts tend to agree that Chitosan does not work effectively for weight loss. However Chitosan does have a different benefit. Studies have shown that Chitosan can lower cholesterol levels.

In conclusion we would advise you against buying Chitosan as a complete weight loss supplement as there is no evidence that it works. Although Chitosan has been proven to lower cholesterol levels, most Chitosan products are very expensive and there are cheaper, more effective cholesterol lowering products available.click here for a list of the top diet pills

Prescription Weight Loss:

Xenical (Orlistat)
Xenical is a prescription only diet and weight loss pill useful for the long-term treatment of significant obesity. Xenical can also help to improve risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar. Each Xenical capsule contains an active substance called orlistat, which acts as a lipase inhibitor. Basically, taken after a meal, Xenical binds with dietary fats and stops them from being absorbed into your body. Xenical is a proven method of weight loss, however ,you can only get Xenical on prescription and it will only be issued if you suffer from significant obesity.

In conclusion Xenical is a medically proven product, that will help patients with long term weight loss. However Xenical is only available on prescription so you will have to consult your doctor if you are interested in taking the product.click here for a list of the top diet pills

Clinically Proven Weight Loss: