diet-pills-related stories
Kim and Khloe Kardashian Use Quick Trim
Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
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| Kim and Khloe Kardashian claim they've lost weight using a new diet system; Photo: Jemal Countess, Getty Images |
Well, now it seems Khloe's rapid weight loss wasn't all thanks to hard work and eating right. This week, Khloe took to her web site and shared the real deal, "So as you know, I lost a lot of weight recently, and part of it was a result of my using Quick Trim." The youngest Kardashian sister goes on to list all four of the products in the Quick Trim line that she used, including a sculpting gel, a 14-day "burn and cleanse," a 48-hour cleanse and an "8-hour weight loss formula that burns calories 300 percent times faster!"
That's a lot of products -- all of which are touting fast weight loss. Most experts recommend losing just two pounds a week for safe and long-term weight loss.
The Quick Trim web site features both Khloe and Kim Kardashian, who are clearly paid endorsers. Yup, turns out Kim uses the products as well. "Using Quick Trim helped boost my metabolism and jump start my weight loss," the curvy reality star says on her web site.
FDA Advisory Prompts Hydroxycut Recall
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a consumer advisory today for some Hydroxycut products.
The FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems involving liver problems and jaundice, and one death from liver failure. A 19-year-old male died in 2007, but the FDA didn't learn of his death until March of this year, according to The Wall Street Journal.
It is unclear at this time which ingredients are harmful. The company, which sold nine million units in 2008, has agreed to voluntarily recall a range of its products.
Click to see which items are part of the Hydroxycut recall.
For more information on diet pills and supplements, click on the gallery below.
Weight Loss Supplements
By Karen Asp
If you believe the ads, you just need to pop a pill to take off extra pounds. If only it were that easy. There may, however, be a few supplements that can aid your weight loss, keeping in mind, that you still need to eat healthy and exercise regularly. To find out what works and what doesn't we tapped Connie Diekman, R.D., director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., and immediate past president of the American Dietetic Association and Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., board-certified nutritionist and author of 'The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth,' for the scoop on 10 common supplements.
Hydroxycut: Avoid Most Products
In May 2009, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to consumers to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products because some are associated with a number of serious liver injuries. As a result, the company has agreed to recall 14 Hydroxycut products from the market. For a complete list of recalled products, visit the FDA's website.
AP
Ephedra: Avoid At All Cost
Even though the FDA banned ephedra, this stimulant has been showing up online. Studies have shown that ephedra can aid weight loss, but the side effects, which include high blood pressure, heart rate irregularities, heart attacks, and stroke, can be deadly.
Chromium: Try It
Chromium, which occurs naturally in the body, helps regulate blood sugar and utilize carbohydrate, and although few studies have shown any correlation between chromium supplements and fat loss, chromium may still aid weight loss. That's because chromium helps keep insulin levels down. High levels of insulin, after all, make fat burning almost impossible. Although chromium may not cause weight loss, by lowering insulin, it may remove an obstacle to taking off weight.
How to Take It: Try taking 1,000 mcg of chromium picolinate or chromium nicotinate daily.
Guarana: Skip It
In supplement form, guarana is a concentrated source of caffeine that's supposed to increase your metabolism. However, while it might help you drop pounds temporarily, it doesn't provide lasting weight loss and could raise blood pressure and heart rate.
Green Tea Extract: Try It
Green tea contains a compound called EGCG that may stimulate metabolism. Several studies, in fact, have linked green tea extract to a reduction in body fat and increase in thermogenesis, or the rate at which calories are burned.
How To Take It: Pop 270 mg per day or drink three cups of green tea a day.
Conjugated Linoleic Acid: Try It
Commonly called CLA, this amino acid exists in animal foods like beef and dairy products. It plays a role in the health of your muscles and tissues and may help you lose abdominal fat.
How To Take It: Have 3.4 grams daily.
Yerba Mate: Skip It
Yerba mate is a concentrated plant source of caffeine that's supposed to boost metabolism. Although you might see a temporary drop in weight, changes aren't long-lasting. Plus, as with all stimulants, side effects include increased heart rate and high blood pressure. Recent studies have also shown yerba mate may increase the risk of some cancers.
Chitosan: Skip It
This bulking agent comes from the bones and shells of shellfish, and manufacturers claim it suppresses appetite and blocks fat absorption. Yet no studies show any weight loss benefits.
Pyruvate: Skip It
Pyruvate, which exists in foods like red wine, apples and cheese, promises to make you lean and help you shed body fat. The bad news? No study has shown that consuming pyruvate in supplement form will have this effect on your body.
Getty Images
"Natural" Diet Pills Laced With Drugs
Almost everyone I know has hit the dreaded diet plateau, and I'm no exception. When the scale refuses to budge, I sometimes wish I could wash down a magic pill with a Wendy's Frosty and still melt pounds off my midsection. There are mountains of diet pills lining the walls of any GNC, all promising to do just that, and diet pill companies will do just about anything to make you feel at-ease enough to purchase and consume their product. Here's the trick:
The word "natural." These companies hope that by slapping "natural" on the bottle consumers will interpret it to mean safe. You know what else is natural? Bear poop. Also, magma. But you wouldn't catch me consuming either, even if the word natural is on the bottle.
An ongoing investigation by the Food and Drug Administration has led to a growing list of dozens of over-the-counter weight-loss supplements that contain dangerous and illegal pharmaceuticals that have been left off labels, according to a recent article by the New York Times.
Diet Pills - FDA Investigates 69 of Them
Diet pills are under investigation, as they should be. They might work for some people but even on a good day, they mess with the body in ways good old fashioned diet and exercise don't. Sorry Wynonna, we're just not fans of pills around here.The Food and Drug Administration is adding 41 products to last month's alert about tainted diet pills. There are now 69 suspect drugs out there. And the FDA is buying them, testing them and considering what to do about it all. Criminal charges are a possibility.
Here are some of the problem pills:
- Sibutramine, the active ingredient in the FDA-approved weight-loss drug Meridia. It can cause seizures, heart attack or stroke. Ouch.
- Rimonabant, the active ingredient in Acomplia, not-FDA approved. Approval has been withdrawn in Europe too.
- Phenytoin, an anti-seizure medication.
- Phenolphthalein, a suspected carcinogen.
- Bumetamide, a diuretic, which is connected to a now-recalled weight-loss pill called StarCaps.
- A "large majority" -- but not all -- of the diet pills are made in China.
So, here's the deal. You should wary of any drug, under FDA investigation or not, that promises effortless weight loss. The only thing you ought to be popping in your mouth is a bunch of nutritious food and some water to wash it down. Really. We feel strongly about this. That's why we're all over the America Takes It Off program. Nothing iffy about what you'll find here.
