Fad Diets That Can Kill You

When you’re unhappy about your weight, almost every weight loss product you see looks fantastic. And there are certainly plenty of legitimate ways to lose weight and get yourself into great shape. But there are also far too many fads – products which are over-hyped at best, and downright dangerous at worst.

One infamous weight loss fad is Ephedra, which is an herb of Asian origin that is used as an ingredient in numerous “herbal” weight loss products. Ephedra is an extremely powerful appetite suppressant. Unfortunately, it is also very dangerous, having reportedly been linked to numerous deaths among its users.

In the 1990s, “Fen-phen” (fenfluramine-phentermine) was another huge weight loss supplement fad. Unfortunately, the product was implicated in several deaths involving heart-valve failure. Other side effects include migraines, dizziness, and trouble sleeping. And yet many of today’s weight loss products still contain phentermine.

Some dieters have taken laxatives in an attempt to force their bodies to shed another couple of pounds. This is extremely hard on your body. Abusing laxatives in this manner can cause all sorts of health problems, and it’s much easier to lose a couple of pounds naturally than to suffer through those problems later on.

Aspartame, an artificial sweetener commonly used in sugar-free drinks, is another dangerous chemical consumed by dieters in an attempt to lose weight. Aspartame has been the subject of multiple lawsuits concerning its alleged side effects. Some long-term users have reportedly suffered brain damage and blindness, and more immediate effects can include seizures.

One of the most dangerous shortcuts some dieters attempt to take is the use of diuretics. Diuretics are chemicals that force your body to flush out more fluids than it normally would, including the electrolytes it needs to be healthy. This causes you to become dehydrated, and then your body begins to protect itself by retaining water – at which point some dieters start the cycle all over again with the diuretics. Abusing your body with these chemicals can cause serious heart and kidney problems.

There are even more potential dangers when you factor in the personal allergies and reactions many people have to various substances. For example, if you have bowel problems, you can’t take Selenium, but it is included in many diet products. Similarly, people with Parkinson’s disease or mood disorders can’t take Kava, but it too is included in a number of products.

Be very careful when you start experimenting with weight loss products. There is a smart way to lose weight, and then there are a bunch of stupid ways. Permanently damaging your body is one of the stupid ways. Before you ingest anything, do your homework and make sure that you’re not doing more harm than good.