In the world of weight loss pills, it is important to know which pills are effective and which ones are ineffective and possibly dangerous to your health. Certain pills and or substances may be thrown around as popular weight loss products, but should be avoided. One of the more popular yet dangerous ingredients is ephedra. For a long time ephedra was a very popular ingredient in several weight loss pills and supplements, and there was some scientific evidence suggesting that ephedra did have short-term effectiveness in weight loss. However, that short term weight loss was more than overwhelmed by evidence of the dangerous side effects, which ranged from relatively mild such as loss of appetite, dry mouth, and heart burn all the way up to high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and chest pain or other signs of a heart attack and seizures. After the death of Minnesota Viking offensive tackle Korey Stringer, the NFL banned ephedra in 2001 and the FDA issued a final rule banning ephedra-containing dietary substances in 2004.
After the ban on ephedra, several of those supplements replaced ephedra with bitter orange, a small citrus fruit that is typically too bitter for humans to ingest directly. While bitter orange has not been formally studied for its safety or effectiveness, case reports have linked it to many of the same side effects found in ephedra, such as increased blood pressure and heart rate, among other common side effects that have the potential to bring your health down quickly if it is ignored and not treated immediately.
Another popular ingredient is hoodia. Hoodia is currently a herbal supplement marketed as a weight loss product. It is a plant resembling cactus that grows in Africa. Now even though one particular type of hoodia (hoodia gorrdonii) has shown some signs that it could be used as a weight loss aid, that particular plant is limited by international agreement in the amount that is harvested. As a result, a limited supply of the real product is available, even though several products claim to have hoodia when they either have little or none of hoodia gorrdonii.
The list of ineffective drugs is vast, which is why those looking to use weight loss pills as an aid to fat loss should consult independent sources as well as their doctors to determine what truly will work and what will only end up lightening their wallets with no results to show.
