DIET PILLS: PROS AND CONS

It would be fantastic to stop worrying about dieting, proper nutrition, losing weight.

People fantasize about being able to just take a pill once a day that would result in miraculous weight loss- even taking it twice a day would be fine.

Unfortunately for us however, nutritional science has not yet reached this pinnacle of dieting magic. It is making strides, but anyone considering the use of diet pills should be aware of risks and potential benefits attached to them.

Weight loss pills usually fall into one of two main categories that indicate the basic approaches used by pharmaceutical companies.

The two main groups are those that stimulate and those that block.

But what exactly does the former type stimulate? And what is blocked when using the latter?

The first category contains diet pills that work on the brain centers to excite the central nervous system in order to trick the body into not feeling hungry.

The idea is that the dieter would then experience the suppression of appetite as a side effect.

Many years ago, these types of diet pills were variants of amphetamine, otherwise known as “speed”.

The logic behind the function of these suppressants is sound. If you eat less and consume fewer calories than you burn your chances of losing weight increase.

The basic equation of weight management is that consumed calories > burned calories = weight gain. Of course the corollary is also true.

This remains the case for any method of weight control.

As with any drug however, there are real side effects.

Amphetamine can produce heart palpitations, diarrhea, insomnia, and lowered sexual function.

In some extreme cases it has produced psychotic episodes. Additionally, as the body's tolerance to amphetamine increases it loses its ability to depress the appetite.

After the effects of amphetamine were widely recognized it was deemed harmful and its use in diet pills was discontinued.

A newer prescription diet pill in the suppressant category is phentermine.

Phentermine stimulates the hypothalamus, a gland that controls neurotransmitters that are associated with appetite. Regrettably, phentermine also plays a role in the sleep cycle and may cause sleeplessness.

It is generally safe for short term use and the side effects are much less severe than those presenting during the use of amphetamine based tablets.Like its predecessors, the desired appetite suppression is likely to fade.

The second category of weight loss pill approaches the problem of weight loss from an entirely different angle.

There is no emphasis on regulation of ingested food. Rather, the focus is on how many calories are retained during digestion.

Fat is termed as “energy dense”, since each gram of fat that is digested will yield 9 calories.

Thus, removing fat from the system can help to reduce the number of available calories. this is the essential function of diet pills that fall into the blocking category.

One prescription diet pill that works by removing fat from the system is Orlistat (marketed under the brand name Xenical).

It reduces the body's ability to absorb ingested fat during digestion. More fat is then eliminated in feces.

Pills that fall into this category have unpleasant side effects as well. Stools tend to be far oilier as a result of the added fat being excreted rather than absorbed. Defecation is more likely to be spontaneous, meaning that it is entirely possible for an individual to lose control of the bowels and eliminate at undesired and obviously inappropriate moments.

For many people, the side effects of diet pills are worth the benefits that they provide.

Users have often tried a number of diet plans that either do not work well enough/ fast enough for them, or that require too much willpower.

Some people just prefer to spend less time planning meals, working out carbohydrate to fat ratios, or counting calories.

Essentially, a diet pill helps them to diet with greater ease.

It is wise, as with any approach to dieting or change in dietary intake, to consult with your physician before selecting and using a weight loss pill.

Although some people find weight loss a highly personal and potentially embarrassing issue, it is safer and smarter to obtain advice from a qualified health professional.