With numerous cases of obesity on the rise, weight loss plans, programs, and supplements are also becoming more and more popular each passing day. While some of us are looking for ways to lose weight and lower the risk of diseases, some of us are simply trying to get the bikini body we have always wanted.
With people looking out for quick-fixes, the fitness market is booming with weight loss supplements and other such products that encourage people to look for short and faster weight loss journeys. True that the promises of quick-fixes sound quite tempting, especially if you are trying to lose weight as fast as possible, but ask yourself if you are doing the right thing. Are all supplements safe? Is feeling lazy and looking for a quick-fix as healthy as losing weight through a proper diet and exercise plans? Read on to find out which are the weight loss supplements that can be threatening to your health.
1. Green Tea Extract
While green tea has been found to have countless health benefits, using green tea extract can actually do more harm than good. Green tea has a reputation of being a weight loss superhero as it burns fat naturally and also assists the body in detoxing itself to a great extent. However, it might not be quite safe to use in the form of “green tea extract”, an ingredient found in numerous natural weight loss supplements.
Green tea extract has been found to have a few alarming side effects. The high caffeine levels might seem like the key to high energy levels that lead to weight loss, but it is more complex than what it shows itself to be. The high level of caffeine often leads to an increased risk in existing heart conditions, anxiety disorders and irritability, has a negative impact on diabetic patients, leads to pregnancy and breastfeeding complications, and also, increases the risk of irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhea. Green tea extract can also make you visit the bathroom frequently leading to malabsorption and dehydration. Another serious side effect green tea extract has is the risk of acute liver failure.1
2. DIM (Diindolylmethane)
DIM is a substance that is often found on the shelves of pharmacies and bodybuilding supplement stores. Our bodies produce DIM on their own as well as from compounds found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts. Women who are struggling to lose weight are often suggested to use DIM as it is believed to control the hormones, making them lose weight. DIM is believed to be an estrogen metabolizer that forces the body to burn fat.
This product is believed to be all-natural, but sometimes, even natural supplements have side effects, as seen in the case of green tea extract. It is also not recommended to manipulate the body’s hormone levels with supplements bought from stores as they can be harmful. DIM has been proved to lead to hormonal disturbances, nausea, vomiting, irritable bowels, and even changes in women’s menstrual cycle and menstrual health.
3. Skinny-Tea Or Weight Loss Tea
Weight loss tea seems appealing with the idea that it promises: “drink tea and be thin”. Unfortunately, it isn’t as brilliant as it sounds. The truth behind skinny teas is that they contain three compounds: stimulants, bulk fiber, and laxatives.
While stimulants reduce appetite and increase energy, fiber increases the feeling of fullness, and laxatives help in passing out things as soon as possible. You will undoubtedly lose weight by drinking weight loss teas, but the first and most important side effect that you are likely to suffer from is dehydration. After you feel dehydrated, you will also suffer from nausea, dizziness, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. The laxatives often interfere with your natural bowel movements and cause chronic constipation.2
4. Oxilofrine
A stimulant similar to amphetamine is oxilofrine. This drug is banned in many parts of the world, but it is still illegally sold, and the ban has not been enough to stop people from popping it as a weight loss supplement.3
Oxilofrine has been noted as a drug that helps in giving better athletic performance and is infamously known for its weight loss side effects. Oxilofrine can have a negative impact on heart health such as extremely high heart rate, irregular heartbeat, and hemorrhagic stroke. It can also cause hypertension or high blood pressure if taken by people who actually have a normal blood pressure.4
5. Duromine
Duromine is a medication often prescribed to obese or overweight patients to reduce body weight. Unfortunately, it is available as a weight loss medicine without prescription as well, thanks to the internet. Duromine can directly affect the area of the brain that controls our appetite and makes us feel less hungry.
However, the list of side effects of duromine is shocking. Duromine has harmful side effects such as blurred vision, dry mouth, loss of libido, psychosis, irregular heartbeat, and much more. It has also been found that high doses of duromine might result in death.5
Now that you know why weight loss supplements are not healthy to use, you also realize why a healthy diet and regular workout plan can together form a much better option if you are looking to lose weight.
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