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Don't
Put Hopes or Money in "Wonder Pills"
Auburn, Jan. 17---Many
dieters in America put their hopes and hard-earned money in
"wonder pills" that promise to burn, block or flush fat
from their bodies. But science has yet to come up with a low-risk
magic pill for weight loss.
Some pills help control
appetite, but they can have serious side effects, says Dr. Barbara
Struempler, a nutritionist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension
System. Other pills are highly addictive and can have adverse
effects on the heart and central nervous system, and some pills do
nothing at all.
The Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) and a number of state attorneys general have
successfully brought cases against marketers of pills claiming to
absorb or burn fat. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) has banned 111 ingredients once found in over-the-counter diet
products. No products containing alcohol, caffeine, dextrose and
guar gum work to suppress appetite or help with weight loss.
The FDA encourages
consumers to beware of the following weight loss products:
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Fat Blockers --
promise to physically absorb fat and interfere with fat that a
person eats.
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Starch Blockers --
promise to block or impede starch digestion. These products may
cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pains.
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Magnet diet pills --
promise to flush fat out of the body.
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Diet Patches -- worn
on the skin -- are not safe or effective. The FDA has seized
millions of these patches from manufacturers and promoters.
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Glucomannan --
advertised as the "Weight Loss Secret That's Been in the
Orient for More Than 500 Years." There is no evidence this
plant's root helps with weight loss.
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Spirulina -- a
species of blue-green algae -- is not effective with weight
loss.
The FDA warns that some
fillers, such as fiber-based products, may absorb liquid and swell
in the stomach, thereby reducing hunger. Some of those fillers, such
as guar gum, can be harmful, causing obstructions in the intestines,
stomach, or esophagus. The FDA has taken legal action against
several promoters containing guar gum.
Phony weight-loss
devices range from those that are simply ineffective to those that
are extremely dangerous to your health. They are a waste of time and
money. Some of these products include electrical muscle stimulators,
appetite suppressing eyeglasses and magic weight-loss earrings.
SOURCE: Dr. Barbara
Struempler, (bstruemp@aces.edu),
Extension Nutritionist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (334)
844-2217
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