Although Kim Kardashian claims Quicktrim has given her an impressive physique, the side effects of using diet pills have proven as ghastly and regrettable as her 72-day marriage.
With a wide variety of symptoms from jaundice to heart palpitations, the dangers of dietary supplements are usually more than dieters bargain for.
In a society fueled by beauty, it’s easy for students to feel pressured to be thin at any cost. In the aftermath of holiday indulgence, many students trudge away on the elliptical machines at the HPER and avoid carbohydrates like the plague. Some even turn to the seemingly miraculous solution of diet pills.
However, doctors have found that suppressing the appetite through chemicals is not only taking the easy way out—it is also dangerous and potentially fatal.
They come in all sizes, shapes and colorful boxes, but all diet pills promise the same thing: fast, painless weight loss without strenuous diet and exercise. Seem a bit fishy? Doctors agree.
“Selling anti-obesity drugs over the counter will perpetuate the myth that obesity can be fixed simply by popping a pill and could further undermine efforts to promote healthy living, which is the only long-term escape from obesity,” said Gareth Williams, professor of medicine at U. Bristol and the author of Obesity: Science To Practice.
Additionally, many diet pills have had adverse affects on consumers in the past. In 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a formal warning against the popular dietary supplement Hydroxycut. The FDA “received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplant.” There was even one reported death from the use of Hydroxycut.
Some U. Arkansas students have also experienced detrimental effects from diet pills in the past. 2011 graduate Blake Dixon recalls a frightening experience from use of the supplement Ripped Fuel. “I bought them at Walmart, thinking they would give me a boost of energy before a workout,” Dixon said.
The diet pill gave more than a boost, however. “A few minutes into my workout,” Dixon remembers, “I felt like I was having a heart attack.”
As spring break rapidly approaches, it’s important to keep a clear perspective on weight loss. Diet and exercise may take a few weeks to see results, but nothing feels better than the blissful payoff of self-discipline (a lack of jaundice doesn’t hurt, either).
What may appear to be a useful, easy way to lose weight comes with many potential health risks and should never be used without professional guidance from a doctor.