Dangerous Diet Products

  Over the last few years, the weight loss industry has received an overwhelming demand for weight loss supplements and miracle diets that will help the dieter to reach their weight loss goals much easier and much faster than they normally would.  It appears as though the weight loss industry has recognized this demand due to the ridiculous amount of products that have become available over the last few years.  While some of them may work and they have the scientific proof to back them up, some are actually dangerous, even the ones that are claimed to be safe.  Now I will introduce some of the ingredients to you that you may want to avoid while you are looking for a product that is both safe and effective.

   The first ingredient that you should be warned about is the one that is known in the English language as Ephedra.  It is a derivative from a plant that is native to China.  It is also known as Ma Huang or Epedrine.  Although this ingredient was banned in the United States in 2003, it appears as though it has been approved in small 10 mg doses.  The reason that it was banned in the United States to begin with was because of the harmful side effects that it produced.  And when I say harmful, I don’t mean something like an upset stomach or a headache,  I am talking about something a bit more serious.  Some of the side effects that have been noted that are related to this ingredient are nervousness, anxiety, cardiac arythmia, permanent heart damage, heart attack, stroke, and sudden death.  When it was noticed that these symptoms were being linked to Ephedra, investigations began.  When Ephedra was looked into, it was found that it is actually very closely related to the amphetamine family, a drug that is used in a lot of ADD and ADHD medications.  Although this ingredient is effective, I would like to believe that it is not worth the risk for people to take.  Besides the side effects, it has also been shown that it is not a long term solution and many people gain all of the weight back that they lost while they were taking the pill as soon as they discontinue it.

  There is one more ingredient that I would like to address at this time, and that is one that is known as Bitter Orange.  It may also be known as Citrus Aurantium and Synephrine.  This was dubbed as a safe alternative to Ephedra, but recently, there have been studies done that reveal otherwise.  As it turns out, this ingredient actually has the same alkaloid make up as Ephedra.  While it may not be as strong, it can still be just as harmful to people that have any type of cardiovascular problems.  The most common side effect that is reported in relation to this ingredient is hypertension.  However, if you already have cardiovascular related issues, these side effects could easily transform into something more serious.

  Although there are more ingredients that should be addressed at this time, I will address those at a later time.  My advice to you is that you should always investigate what you are planning to buy, and never take for granted that the information that is available on the marketing website is accurate.  All to often they do not relate to the potential consumer the possible side effects that could be associated with diet products.  While some of the producers of these products that contain these ingredients would like you to believe that these are the only effective products available, but there really are plenty of products out there that are reliable and safe.