Issue date: 4/10/01 Section: Lifestyles

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (U-WIURE) - Picture this: Perfect abs, slender legs, great arms and a butt that makes Sir-Mix-a-Lot cry.

Now picture that all of this can be yours for a mere $49.99 — that is, the cost of a month’s supply of diet pills. Before you run out to the nearest mall and pick up a 10-year supply, you might want to read up on both sides of this controversial topic.

Over-the-counter diet pills are becoming more and more popular by the day. Americans are getting fatter, and savvy business people are tapping into how they can make a fast, easy buck. Books, magazines and self-help tapes on the subject of weight loss are everywhere, and the public just can’t get enough. Within this craze, diet pills have become one of the most popular places to turn.

So what’s the harm in successfully making money? Well, here is where it gets complicated. Companies that distribute over-the-counter diet pills such as Metabolife stress the safe, effective qualities of their products. Over-the-counter diet pills are marketed as “herbal dietary supplements.” When people think of herbs, they think of natural substances and consider these pills safe.

According to doctors and nutritionists, this idea is false. Many diet pills contain Ma Huang, a Chinese herb from which ephedrine is extracted.

“Because these pills are herbal products, people are misled to believe that these pills are all natural,” said a pharmacist at a CVS pharmacy. “But the drug ephedrine is the main appetite suppressant.”

According to the Food and Drug Administration, ephedrine can cause many dangerous side effects. The FDA has cited approximately 1,000 reports of these side effects including nervousness, dizziness, tremor, alterations in blood pressure or heart rate, headache, gastrointestinal distress, chest pain, myocardial infarctions (heart attacks), hepatitis, stroke, seizures, psychosis and 44 deaths.

Although these side effects have been cited, Mike Rothmiller, director of public relations at Metabolife, said that Metabolife, an over-the-counter diet pill containing ephedrine, is “safe and effective when taken as directed.”

Continued...

Page 1 of 3 next >

Article Tools