As the number of obese people continues to rise dramatically, and as the waistlines of the general public continue to increase as well, one can’t help but ask themselves: do diet pills actually work?
The increase in general body size has provided fertile ground for the diet industry to bloom into a multi-billion dollar business. Countless magazines, websites, celebrities, and health and vitamin stores all sell their version of the latest in pills that “melt away the fat”, or “boost your metabolism.” It seems like the ultimate quick-fix.
When trying to answer the question, do diet pills actually work, there are some things one should keep in mind. The first is that there are different types of diet pills, and not every single one of them is classified the same.
To start, there are three basic categories: prescription diet pills, over-the-counter diet pills, and herbal diet supplements.
Prescription diet pills are, as the name suggests, a diet supplement that is prescribed and closely monitored by your doctor. These are obviously effective (or else doctors wouldn’t be prescribing them), but they aren’t for everyone. Most people, even obese people, can lose weight just fine without needing a doctor-prescribed diet pill.
Over-the-counter diet pills are those that you see at local vitamin stores, or are sold over the internet or through infomercials. This category that probably sells the most out of all of them, thanks to effective marketing and our rampant desire to kick the New Year off with a healthy bang. Here the waters become a little more murky. Some of these pills are no better than a placebo (a pill that makes you think that something will happen, but doesn’t actually have any effect on the body what-so-ever), while other pills will genuinely help you lose weight.
And lastly, herbal diet supplements are usually carried through local health food stores. This category has been gaining ground and popularity recently as more and more people strive for a healthier life. There have been fewer reports of this category carrying successful remedies, though, as our knowledge of natural supplements grows, the potential is there. Still, there are some diet supplements that people have successfully used in order to lose weight.
Despite all the claims of any of these categories, the question: do diet pills actually work, still comes down to this: yes, some diet pills and/or diet supplements can help you lose weight. But in order for them to be truly effective, they need to be combined with exercise and proper diet changes.
