She wanted to be a thin pop star! but 'diet' pills nearly killed her!!?!

FACED with calorie counting, gym sessions and fad diets, it is no wonder women are seduced by quick-fix diet pills sold online.

The manufacturers claim the drugs will burn fat and halt hunger pangs but experts say they are addictive and harmful.

Because they are classed as supplements, the pills don’t have to conform to regulations governing medicines.

But research has linked their use to long-term problems such as heart disease, raised blood pressure and even death.

Palpitations, insomnia and anxiety also feature in a long list of dangerous side-effects.

In the UK doctors refuse to prescribe diet drugs. Instead the NHS advice for effective weight loss is a balanced diet combined with regular exercise.

But despite the dangers, women desperate to lose weight are buying the drugs online.

Singer Caroline Duffy, 28, had a lucky escape when diet pills made her body shut down.

When she was 18 she failed an audition to join a girl group — then overheard an interviewer say it was because she was overweight.

Caroline, of Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, says: “Over the next five years I tried numerous diets but none of them gave me the results I craved.

Handbag

“Then, at 23, I read a magazine article about Britney Spears. It said a pot of Zantrex-3 diet pills had fallen out of her handbag as she walked through Heathrow airport.

“I dropped the magazine and rushed to my computer. The official site selling the drugs promised rapid, sustained weight loss and extreme energy, with 546 per cent more weight loss than other leading brands.

“Perfect — weight loss with no dieting or exercise. One batch of 120 tablets cost £60. I immediately typed in my bank details and bought one packet.

“I decided not to tell my family and friends about the pills. I’d wait until the weight dropped off.

“When they arrived I read the instructions carefully and took four of the large blue tablets a day. Within a week, I noticed they were working. My appetite had shrunk. I went from devouring breakfast and two hearty meals to one slice of toast a day. Soon I wasn’t hungry at all and didn’t need the toast.

“I was full of energy, but felt a bit hyper. My energy levels would be sky-high after taking the pills, but plummet hours later.

“My hands were shaky and I suffered severe heart palpitations every day.

“I was worried, but I expected some side-effects. The results would be worth it.

“But the weight wasn’t exactly falling off. I fluctuated between a normal size 12 and a slightly slimmer ten — not the dramatic loss I’d expected.”

Then one day at work, two weeks after she started taking the pills, Caroline suffered a health crisis.

She says: “I started to burn up. I looked at my arms and saw I was covered in bright red blotches and my whole body was on fire. But my hands and feet were icy cold.

Dizzy

“Within minutes I was rushed to hospital. My heart was pounding furiously and I felt dizzy and nauseous.

“The consultant explained the drugs had stopped me eating — but also drastically starved my body of fuel.

“It was shutting down to survive. All the blood was being pumped to my vital organs and away from my hands and feet.

“The doctor said, ‘If you had left it a few more days we’d have had to amputate your hands and feet. You could have died.’

“Going into hospital was the wake-up call I needed. I confessed to my parents about my brush with death and went to the doctor for help. Then I started following a healthy eating plan.

“It took time, but five years on, my appetite has returned and I have a healthy, rounded diet.

“My dreams came true without diet pills. Now I’m a singer in a girl band, Stiletto, and looking to the future.

“I eat healthily but I learnt the hard way. Diet pills aren’t the answer to slimming. They are dangerous and don’t work.”

Dr Carol Cooper :

THERE’S no quick fix when it comes to weight loss. Diet pills disappoint as they can’t give the lasting results you would get from healthy eating and taking more exercise.

Besides, an estimated 40 per cent of pills bought online are fakes and many are said to be contaminated with other substances. So you would definitely be wasting your money and risking side-effects you hadn’t bargained for.

Then there are the dangers. Often they are loaded with stimulants such as caffeine, which can cause severe reactions when taken in large doses. Or there may be ingredients that cause allergies.

Even prescription drugs for weight loss can be risky. In October, rimonabant (Acomplia) was suspended across the EU. Though it works, the dangers outweigh the benefits.

Monday, November 24, 2008 The Sun

Falcons DT Jackson sues manufacturer of diet pill

Grady Jackson

Atlanta Falcons nose tackle Grady Jackson on Monday filed a class-action lawsuit against against the manufacturer of a diuretic that reportedly led to his four-game suspension from the NFL.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Jackson, who is appealing the league's suspension, filed the suit in Superior Court of California against Nikki Harrell's StarCaps diet pills.

The lawsuit also names Balanced Health Products, the maker of StarCaps. Jackson is seeking restitution and damages for false advertising and unfair business practices against the company and retailers of StarCaps.

The company acknowledged the lawsuit in a message posted on its web site, StarCaps.com.

"We've received notice of a problem with an NFL player," the statement read. "We have referred the matter to our counsel and are taking all necessary steps to ensure that our customers receive product that is safe and effective. We have temporarily suspended shipping of StarCaps pending the results of our investigation."

Jackson is among a handful of NFL players who reportedly tested positive for Bumetanide, a diuretic which is on the NFL's list of banned substances.

Defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams of the Minnesota Vikings and a trio of players with the New Orleans Saints - running back Deuce McAllister and defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant - have been identified in multiple media reports as testing positive for the drug.

Bumetanide is a diuretic which can mask the presence of other substances, including steroids.

Nationalpost November 14, 2008

McAllister said last month that he was not surprised to learn of his inclusion on the list, although he insisted he always has tried to play by the rules.

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The Sun : £1 super-diet pill on way to UK

A DIET pill that can boost weight loss by 50 per cent may soon be sold in Britain.

The drug — called Alli — costs just £1 a day.

It was approved by watchdogs last night and may be available over the counter to over-18s within months if given the final nod from the European Commission.

The pill, currently used by millions in the US as part of a calorie-controlled diet, works by stopping about 25 per cent of food fat being absorbed into the body. Medics say it is safe as it operates in the gut so a minimal amount of the active ingredient gets into the blood.

Dr David Haslam, of the National Obesity Forum, said: “This is more than just another weight-loss product. It is genuine and effective.”

Makers GlaxoSmithKline added: “With two-thirds of UK men and half of women overweight, we are thrilled the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has proposed approval.”

But Bristol Uni Prof Gareth Williams said: “It perpetuates the myth that obesity can be fixed by popping a pill.”

What can weight loss pills do for you?

The results of weight loss programs that include Xenical or Meridia are best described as modest. The average weight loss is around 20 pounds in a year. You may want to lose this weight in a shorter span of time but remember the keywords here are long term. The weight loss is gradual because the program is meant to minimize health risks rather than get you ready for the beach.

Basically there are two type of diet pills available in the market which is Prescription diet pills and non prescription diet pills. Prescription diet pills are intended for long term use. If you are obese and would like to work on your health rather than your looks, they are worth asking your doctor about.

Diet pills are showing amazing results. As technology improves so do their formulas. There was a time when these pills were mere pills to suppress hunger. Today, these supplements do more than that. Let’s have a simple diet pill reviews and see what weight loss pills can do for you!?

What can weight loss pills do for you?

1. Appetite suppressant. Some weight loss supplements can trick the brain into thinking that you are full. Once your brain believes your body is full, you lose your urge to eat. The less you eat the fewer calories you have to store or use. If you increase your physical activity, you will be using those stored fats.

2. Increase metabolism. Some weight loss pills can increase your metabolism. They make the transport of fat on a cellular level more efficient. A common symptom experienced by people who take these supplements is an increase in their body temperature.

3. Block fat. Some supplements prevent the body from absorbing fat. What they do is they inhibit the fat from being absorbed and deliver it directly to the large intestines for excretion. It can be a bit messy but it is effective.

4. Prevent carbohydrates from being stored as fat. Newer generations of best diet pills claim to prevent the body from storing carbohydrates and converting them to fats. Instead the carbohydrates are transported directly to the muscles for burning.

Western diet causes heart attacks

The typical Western diet, which includes red meat, fried foods, dairy products and salty snacks, is responsible for 30 per cent of the world's heart attacks, according to a study of dietary patterns in 52 countries. The study has been reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers identified three dietary patterns in the world: Oriental, which include higher intake of tofu, soy and other sauces; Prudent, which includes higher intake of fruits and vegetables; and Western, which includes higher intake of fried foods, salty snacks, eggs and meat.

The Prudent diet was associated with a lower heart attack risk than the Oriental, researchers said. "The objective of this study was to understand the modifiable risk factors of heart attacks at a global level," said Salim Yusuf, D.Phil., the study's senior author.

Researchers analyzed the INTERHEART study, which documents the association of various risk factors and the risk of heart attack in about 16,000 participants in 52 countries. Here, they analyzed 5,761 heart attack cases and compared them to 10,646 people without known heart disease(controls).

The researchers created a dietary risk score questionnaire for heart attacks patients, based on 19 food groups and adjusted it for dietary preferences for each country. Trained medical personnel interviewed the heart attack patients and the control group. The questionnaires included healthy food items (such as fruits and vegetables) and unhealthy food items (such as fried foods and salty snacks).

"A simple dietary score, which included both good and bad foods with the higher score indicating a worse diet, showed that 30 percent of the risk of heart disease in a population could be related to poor diet," said Romania Iqbal, Ph.D., lead author of the study.

After adjusting for known risk factors, researchers found: people who consumed the Prudent diet of more fruits and vegetables had a 30% lower risk of heart attack compared to people who ate little or no fruits and vegetables; people who consumed the Western diet had a 35% greater risk of having a heart attack compared to people who consumed little or no fried foods and meat; and the Oriental pattern showed no relationship with heart attack risk.

Researchers said that while some components of the Oriental pattern may be protective, others such as the higher sodium content of soy sauces, may increase cardiovascular risk, neutralizing any relationship.

Are Diet pills worth the risk?

Diet pills are showing amazing results. As technology improves so do their formulas. There was a time when these pills were mere pills to suppress hunger. Today, these supplements do more than that.

Are Diet pills worth the risk??
1) Long term versus Short term

It is undeniable that modern diet pills show a lot of promise. They deliver weight loss results not possible a few years ago. But the million dollar question about sustainability remains. More often than not once you stop taking the supplements the benefits stop too. Worse the old weight creeps back. Soon you find yourself back to square one.

2) The role of exercise and diet

Exercise and diet are proven long term solutions to weight maintenance. These two are not just band aids; they are meant to change your body. In return, you must commit to a change of lifestyle for these two to be effective.

Diet means a commitment to change your eating habits. Exercise is your commitment to change your daily routine by including regular physical activity.

3) Exercise, diet and weight loss pills

Diet supplements play a big role in diet and exercise. It enhances the effects of diet and exercise. It can increase your weight loss by a fraction. Even if the increase is just a little the mental boost that extra weight loss gives is a big deal.

Another positive effect of including diet supplements in your program is avoiding the dreaded plateau. When the body plateaus, you stop losing weight even if you increase your reps or decrease your food intake.

Crab blocker diet pills, such as Dietrine which can save you during moments of weakness. So you indulged in a healthy serving of prime rib or pizza. You can work out like crazy the following day. But you can allow yourself to be less crazy if you take fat inhibitors since they will make sure your body absorbs as little fat as possible.

Diet pills that work best with diet and exercise. Each complements the other to ensure a realistic, long term weight maintenance solution.