At the beginning of the year, many people awaken the desire for the feel-good weight. A range of weight loss aids promises support on the way to the dream figure. The pounds fall briskly, first successes motivate to continue. However, the results of flash diets are rarely long-lasting, because at some point the dreaded yo-yo effect sets in.
3 types of weight loss products
Who wants to have long-term success, can not avoid a change in eating and living habits. At the same time, there are remedies that can help you get started and stick with slimming down. Some of these require a prescription and are prescribed for those who are severely overweight, while others are available over-the-counter. There are three groups of weight loss aids:
- Appetite suppressants
- Fat blocker
- Swelling agents
Lose weight with appetite suppressants
Conventional appetite suppressants or appetite inhibitors act directly in the brain. There they promote or slow down the release of various neurotransmitters. This dampens the feeling of hunger. People who want to lose weight feel full faster and eat less. At the same time, the body’s energy consumption is stimulated.
Appetite-suppressing drugs with the active ingredients amfepramone, cathine and phenylpropanolamine, for example, require a prescription and may only be taken for a few weeks.
Drugs containing the well-known active ingredient sibutramine have been withdrawn from the market in all industrialized countries due to significant side effects on the heart and blood vessels. In Germany, it was banned in 2010.
In addition, since October 2008 the European Medicines Agency has been recommending that marketing authorizations for drugs containing rimonabant be suspended. One of the reasons for this is the risk of causing mental disorders such as depression. As a result, the manufacturer has withdrawn the drug from the market.
Losing weight with fat blockers
So-called fat blockers, such as the active ingredient orlistat, also promise relief. They slow down – without curbing appetite – the breakdown of dietary fats in the intestine, which the body therefore does not absorb. “What is not absorbed does not make you fat,” is how Wiesbaden health scientist Dr. Claudia Christ describes the effect. In this way, a third of the dietary fat is said to escape digestion.
The substance works up to a maximum fat intake of 60 grams per day. Otherwise, diarrhea may occur due to the increased fat excretion. Fat blockers can be used to support a calorie-reduced diet. Those who change their diet in parallel can soon make the so-called lipase inhibitor superfluous.
Lose weight with swelling agents
Saturation compresses from alginates, collagen or cellulose fill the stomach completely without calories. The mostly over-the-counter swelling agents can be helpful on the way to the desired weight. Swallowed before meals, the substances absorb liquid in the stomach, swell and create a feeling of fullness. The following meal is thus smaller and the “sponges” are simply excreted again.
A lot of liquid should be drunk with the preparations, otherwise severe constipation can occur. Weight loss aids – regardless of whether they are sold over-the-counter or on prescription – usually have to be paid for by the patient. Only in exceptional cases do health insurance companies reimburse the costs.
And don’t forget: There is no way around less fat and more exercise. Climbing stairs or walking short distances already burns calories. At the same time, you’re doing something for your fitness and protecting the environment.
