Written by Jordyn King BS, MS Nutrition

What is a supplement? A diet supplement is any product that you take orally that adds content to your original diet. Individuals take diet supplements for many different reasons including to lose or gain weight, to restore lost nutrients, to build muscle tissue, to support physical functions like eyesight, to improve sleep, weight control or to boost energy levels. However, with most of Americans being overweight and obese, the demand for dietary aid is crucial and it has now become a money making industry.

Is the product Safe and Effective - do I need to delete this section?

We must be cautious when purchasing weight loss pills due to faulty claims and unsafe precautionary measures it can have on our bodies. Many of the diet supplements you see in your local stores are generally recognized as safe for human consumption. But just because these drugs can be purchased without a prescription doesn’t mean that you can use more than the recommended dosage safely, or combine them with other drugs without experiencing serious side effects.To make sure we know weight loss products are safe and effective, we need to look at the caffeine content, nutrition label facts, FDA approval, the ingredients (proprietary blends), common or serious side effects, clinical evidence and research findings. Above all, the best way to ensure your safety is to consult a healthcare professional before you take any weight loss supplement.

Caffeine Content 

The primary ingredient in most weight loss pills is caffeine, a central nervous stimulant that may help you burn fat fast through a process called thermogenesis. But the risks of taking these stimulants may outweigh the benefits. Many diet pills are simply a combination of high contents of caffeine and other diuretics, which cause water loss. Initially this results in a lower number on the weight scale, but this is not true fat loss and the water weight will return and your initial weight. Additionally, extreme water loss due to diet pills can cause dangerous dehydration levels. Keep in mind, to always check for the caffeine amount and other caffeine ingredients which should be less than 300 mg  on the nutrition facts label to consider a safe amount. 

FDA Approval

Many customers think that attractive packaging and a safe diet pill is sold in a local drug store. However, did you know products marketed as diet supplements are not subject to regulation by the U.S  Food and Drug Administration (FDA)? This means if diet supplements are not FDA approved, they are most likely making false claims about their product on the bottle. FDA approval is important, because it validates the need for research on how a certain supplement or drugs work safely on children and adults. Trendy weight loss pills like hydroxycut and Ephedra have been recalled and banned from the FDA because of the harmful serious side effects. The FDA protects us from low-quality products that affect our health. The FDA does not test all weight loss products for safety, so there’s no guarantee that each ingredient in every supplement is safe. The FDA only checks for certain ingredients they know are harmful. Above all, check always if your product is FDA approved.

Proprietary Blends & The Ingredients 

Be cautious and make sure to look at your nutrition facts when looking into weight loss products, especially the Proprietary Blends. Proprietary blends mask the dosage and strength of each ingredient in the blends because the customer doesn't know truly how much each ingredient is in the product. Proprietary blends can be a challenge to seek if the weight loss product is truly effective for weight loss since we cannot confirm how much of each ingredient is in the product. Look into each ingredient on the nutrition facts labels and seek out any ingredients that you are not familiar with and research any findings, so you know your product is safe for you. 

The Physical Findings & The Research, & The Outcomes  

As a nutritional professional, I emphasize the need for nutritional evidence based research that can back up claims from product labels on supplements. Make sure to research evidence based findings in your weight loss products and seek out if it is 3rd party tested so you know it is safe and effective. One way of determining this is by reading online reviews left by past customers. Customers who have used a particular product will always write about their experience. If the product was beneficial or harmful, they will indicate so. As a nutritional professional, if there is a lack of evidence, there is no need to buy the product. Look for successful outcomes of this product to know if it truly works! Remember, always make sure it is 3rd party tested. 

The Side Effects

Reading up on side effects helps you to understand what your body may be going through if you decide to take this weight loss supplement. Some of the popular ingredients in weight loss products have been banned by the FDA because of harmful side effects such as kidney problems, liver damage or heart problems. Reading up on the common and serious side effects will help you recognize when symptoms are a result of your illness and when they are a result of your supplement product.

Pricing

Supplements can be overwhelmingly expensive. Some diet supplements can cost between $20-$100 per bottle. Make sure if your investing your time into a supplement or weight loss pill so you will what you will get for your money’s worth.

So.. How long do you have to take a supplement for it to work?

Whenever you are on a strict weight loss supplement pill and you are starting to see results, you will have to continue to maintain your weight. How can we do this long term? It is often easier to achieve this with a more balanced diet with help from a Registered Dietitian, who can work through your lifestyle eating habits and turn them into better ones to maintain your long term weight goals. Our recommendation for weight loss medication is for temporary use to help you get started while working in a program to help you transition into weight loss through dietary and long-term lifestyle changes. This will help you to save money from buying medication, decrease any negative side effects, and be more sustainable overall.

To start your sustainable weight loss journey today, check out our calorie-tracking tutorial. The first step of weight loss is being aware of how you eat and our calorie-tracking method can get you there!