For those who seek a quick and easy solution to weight loss, it is natural to gravitate toward weight loss dietary supplements. But what exactly are weight loss dietary supplements? Are they safe and healthy for you to use? Will they really be effective? Or will they be counter-productive and/or a total waste of money?

Weight loss dietary supplements include a variety of ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids and occasionally, herbs and plants. They can be used in conjunction with proper diet and exercise to assist in weight loss. But always check with a physician prior to using them.

Weight loss dietary supplements are typically not approved by the FDA, so use them with caution. They don’t have to meet the guidelines that most other medications have to conform to. They can be prohibited for sale if the FDA finds that they do not meet the standards of being fit for human consumption.

Ephedra was a highly popular weight loss dietary supplement that was discontinued. This was because it was proven to cause seizures, increase blood pressure, worsen depression, and was linked to chronic headaches and even death. The label on these pills may not accurately reflect their ingredients, since the FDA does not regulate these pills.

Ephedra has been banned as a weight loss dietary supplement and in its place, some are promoting bitter orange. However, bitter orange has recently been shown to possibly produce similar effects on the body as ephedra, making it an ineffective and possibly dangerous weight loss dietary supplement. So far, bitter orange is still available for purchase, but it may not be available for too much longer.

Guar gum and chitosan have been shown to be two very common but ineffective weight loss dietary supplements. Ingestion of these two dietary supplements for weight loss is not encouraged anymore. Their long term effects on the body are not known since neither of them has been studied or tested for that in particular. However, it has been shown that they do not contribute or help dieters to reduce appetite or lose weight.

St. John’s Wart and green tea are reportedly helpful in weight loss. When used together with diet and exercise both of these have proven to be effective weight loss dietary supplements. Green Tea can come as pills and patches if you would like a change from the traditional tea form.

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