Diet
Scams
April 01, 2005
All of us are used to seeing such weight loss banners
" lose
weight fast in a few days" " Burn fat
with Diet patch" screaming at us to buy the weight
loss aids. The magazines , the T.V. commercials , Bill
boards are full of these messages. But the reality is
somewhat different : the only thing that you will lose
is your money and not your extra pounds by using these
products. Diet scams are big business with sellers vying
for their share of the nearly $35 billion that Americans
spend each year on weight loss products and programs.
Just have a look at the top diet scams of present day.
Experts say roughly the same top five diet scams seem
to keep resurfacing every few years, each time with
a shiny new marketing gimmick. But they're all based
on the same bad science.
The top five diet scams include: Metabolism-boosting
pills based on herbal ingredients; Fat-and carb-blocking
pills; Herbal weight loss teas; Diet patches, jewelry,
or other products worn on the body and Body wraps or
"slim suits"
The reason why these weight loss products make profit
for their manufacturers is that people just want to
lose weight as quickly as possible without making any
lifestyle changes and without sweating it out. People
should realize that you can't lose weight faster than
you gained it. A more realistic timetable for lasting
weight loss is to lose about a pound or two a week.
Unfortunately, the diet scams are not regulated. Researchers
say diet scams continue to flourish, thanks in part
to the law of supply and demand as a growing number
of Americans find themselves overweight and looking
for an easier way to lose it. In addition, many of the
most popular diet scams are based on herbal ingredients,
which are not regulated as drugs by the FDA. Therefore,
the weight loss claims are not evaluated for accuracy
by the FDA. In fact, a recent Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) report found that more than half of the weight-loss
ads that ran in 2001 made at least one false or unsubstantiated
claim.
Even when diet scams don't prove dangerous, experts
say relying on pills, patches, creams, and other gadgets
to lose weight keeps millions of people from seeking
weight loss programs that could really help them lose
weight and reduce their risk of disease.
At the top of list of diet scams are metabolism-boosting/calorie-burning
pills which are based on herbal ingredients that promise
to boost your metabolism and help you burn calories
or fat faster. The unfortunate thing is that FDA does
not monitor herbs. Most of these are just ineffective;
once in a while they are dangerous. Two recent examples
of herbal diet
pills that caught the attention of the FDA as dangerous
are ephedra and kava (Piper methysticum, also known
as kava kava). The sale of Ephedra was banned by FDA
in any dietary supplement in the U.S. due to the risk
of illness or injury. The herb is a close chemical cousin
of methamphetamine or speed and can cause high blood
pressure, irregular heartbeat, insomnia, nervousness,
tremors, seizures, heart attacks, strokes, and even
death. Similarly, Kava was banned in 2002 because use
of supplements containing kava has been linked to severe
liver injury.
Commonly sold diet scams include fat- and carb-blocking
pills which claim to block your body's absorption of
fat and more recently carbohydrates. Even if these fat
and carb blockers worked as they say they do, researchers
say the effects can be dangerous if not just plain unpleasant.
Weight loss teas based on herbal ingredients are also
touted as diet aids, but researchers say the main ingredient
in many of these teas is caffeine, which is a diuretic
and leads to water loss.
Diet patches and jewelry are also promoted as weight
loss aids. But experts say no effective weight loss
drugs have been designed to be delivered through the
skin via patches. Most of the time, these patches contain
the same ineffective herbs found in dietary supplements
or teas. Also included in this diet scam category is
jewelry, such as earrings or bracelets, designed to
be worn on the body with the promise to help people
shed pounds. According to the FTC, any claim that people
can lose even a pound or more a week using these devices
is false.
Body wraps or "slim suits" are designed to
lock body heat in and melt away the pounds. But researchers
say the only type of weight loss caused by wearing these
outfits is water loss caused by excessive sweating.
As soon as you take a drink, you'll gain all that water
weight back.
You can spot a Diet Scam by looking for these signs
like any diet products or program that promises "quick
and easy" weight loss without any effort or sacrifice
is bound to be bogus. Diet scam pitchmen also tend to
use sales techniques, such as: Extravagant claims of
dramatic, rapid weight loss, Testimonials from "famous"
doctors, researchers, or other medical experts, Dramatic
before-and-after photos depicting substantial weight
loss. Experts say the only way to lose weight for the
long haul is to burn more calories than you eat, and
that process is slow.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com
|
