FDA Yanks Another Fad Diet

I understand why people want to believe in a weight-loss pill or fad diet. It’s hard to be overweight. It can lower your self esteem and lead to a variety of physical health problems like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

It’s no wonder that hundreds of people turn to herbal or natural products that promise to “speed up metabolism” or “block the body’s absorption of fat.”

The scary truth isn’t that these supplements usually don’t work. It’s that they can be seriously dangerous to your health.

Consider this week’s action from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission. The agencies issued warning letters to companies that have been illegally marketing over-the-counter HCG products as “homeopathic” for weight loss.

For several months now, a growing number of people have been taking HCG – human chorionic gonadotropin – while eating no more than 500 calories. The HCG products were sold in stores and over the internet in the form of drops, pellets and sprays. Doctors use HCG, a hormone produced by the human placenta, to treat female infertility, according to the FDA.

Not only is HCG not approved for weight-loss but restricting diets can be unhealthy, federal officials said.

“Consumers on such a very low calorie diet are at increased risk for side effects including gallstone formation, electrolyte imbalance and heart arrhythmias,” a news release from the FDA states.

The safest way to lose weight is gradually – through proper diet and regular exercise.

You’ll like the side effects a lot better, too.

Alice Warchol is a freelance health writer and fitness instructor.

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