Losing Weight Without Losing Your Life!

Look around your neighbourhood..... slimming centres are springing out like shoots after the rain. Walk into any pharmacy..... you have a mind boggling choice of diet/slimming pills. Visit a bookstore and the internet sphere..... you willbe overwhelmed with the number of books advocating different types of the programmes.

Many products claim that you can lose weight without any effort. "Eat all you want, no meed to exercise, painless, effortless, just pop it in and you will slim down" or so they say. Some probably do the work in the short term. However, as soon as you stop going to the slimming centres or popping the diet pill, the pounds will soon return to you and probably more. And do you know some may be detrimental to your health and at worst even cost you your life?


Ingredients Damaging To The Human Body

Phenylpropanolamine, ephedrine and caffeine are three commoningredients found in diet pills that are known to cause complications. Let us see what adverse complications these ingredients have caused.

Phenylpropanolamine (PPA)
PPA is an ingredient found only in many Over THe Counter (OTC) diet pills but also in cough-cokd and allergy products. The USA Food & Drug Agency (FDA) is concerned PPA may possibly increase the risk of a type of stroke (haemorrhagic) caused by bleeding into the brain, as was suggested by reports of some such cases among young women who were on diet pills. This possible risk could be further increased if a person took more than the recommended dose of PPA, which might inadvertently occur from taking a cough-cold product whilst on diet pills. Scientists at Yale University chool of Medicine began a five-year study and confirmed that PPA does increase the risk of haemorrhagic stroke. Because of this, the USA FDA strongly recommends that consumers do not use products containing PPA.
 
Ephedrine & Caffeine
Caffeine pills and/or Ephedrine should never be taken for weight control, and should not be taken continously.
Ephedrine is a medication used ocassionally to treat asthma, but more commonly allergies and hayfever - it is a bronchial dilator.
Ephedrine is a substance derived from the plant Ephedra. There are  many common names for these evergreen plants, including sqaw tea and Mormon tea. It is also called Ephedra & Ma Huang. Ingenious to China, India and parts of Southeast Asia, products containing ephedrine extracts have, according to the FDA, caused hundreds if illness, including:-

 
  • Heart Attacks
  • Headaches
  • Seizures
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Strokes
  • Chest Cramps

They are amphetamine-like compounds with powerful and potentially kethal stimulant effects on the central nervous system and the heart. Ephedrines act in a similar way as that of adrenaline. It dilates the bronchial muscles, contracts the nasal mucosa, raises the blood pressure and is a cardiac stimulant. Further these compounds iften cause psychological Side Effects such as:-
 
  • Depression
  • Psychosis
  • Nervousness
  • Anxiety
  • Insomnia
  • Rapid Heart Rate

When taken in combination with caffeine, also under the name of Guarana jn many diet pills, ephedrine can over-stimulate the central the central nervous system, leading to potentially life-threatening results.

Ephedra or Ma Huang may not show up on product labels as you would expect. Other known terms used in labelling include: yellow horse, yellow astringent, epitonin,joint fir, sea grape, popotillo and desert tea.


Blocking Fats

Some diet pills or slimming supplements ckaim tohave the ability to block all fats. This does sound very appealing but take a moment and think. All fats mean ALL good and bad fats. Every living cells in the body needsessential fatty acids [EFAs] [good fats] for rebuilding and producing new cells. EFAs are also used by the body for metabolism and the production of prostangladins [hormone-like substances] . Diet pillsor slimming supplements that block all fats if taken continously will cause serious health problems.
 

High Protein, Low carb Diet???

A famous diet programme that advocates a low carbohydrate amd high protein diet, is based on the assu,ption that fat people eat too much carbohydrates. The idea is that our body first burn carbohydrate and then only the fat. By considerably reducing the carbohydrate content in the diet and replacing it with protein and fat, this diet claims that we can begin burning fat more efficiently.

However, the long term safety and efficacy to this diet remain questionable. This diet tends to be kow in fruits, vegetabkes and whole grains, but high in meat. As a result, one who starts on this diet will natyrally lack phytohemicals and fibre. Research shows that phytochemicals may have protective benefits against cancers and other diseases. Furthermore, most follower of this diet reported experiencing constipation, bad breath, and lethargy. Also, acidity from the typically high protein intake can cause uric acid, gout, osteoporosis, etc.
 

 


Continue reading...