MBOMBELA – In a country where the prevalence of obesity is steadily increasing, more people are experimenting with diet pills and supplements, unaware of the related risks and side effects.
One such product is The Secret Fat Burner, which promises a “funeral for your fat”.
Lowvelder spoke to a local general practitioner who said he has treated at number of patients suffering from negative side effects of this drug.
“The patients come with weird symptoms of anxiety like heart palpitations and muscle pains. We picked up the use of The Secret in all of these patients. This product is dished out left, right and centre as a safe drug by personal trainers and general sales people,” he said.
“You cannot find any documentation on the product. We also picked up abnormal thyroid test results on many of the patients. Just in the last week, I treated three patients who admitted to using The Secret.”
The doctor added there is no scientific proof that the product works and that all diet pills have side effects, a common one being hypertension (abnormally high blood pressure).
Like most other diet pills and supplements, the product contains mostly plant extracts. Bitter orange extract, chromium (trace mineral), yohimbine (derived from the bark of a tree with the same name in central and western Africa), are a few examples.
Mr Edwin Roos, of the The Secret team, said the company has a certificate of analysis for the product.
“Spot tests are done on a monthly basis by the Food and Drug Association on the two most common harmful ingredients in fat burners across various batches to ensure that our standard is upheld,” Roos said.
“Please be aware that unfortunately our product has been copied and there are fakes on the market. We are doing everything in our power to stay ahead of them in terms of new branding that they can’t copy. We also have all our agents informing consumers of these fake products and how they should be wary. We are unsure of what’s in these fakes but investigations are in process.”
There are several warnings on the company’s Facebook page warning members of the public about the fake products. The fat burner supplement is not available in pharmacies or shops. It has to be acquired through an agent.
According to The Secret product packaging, side effects include a slight headache, insomnia, a coated, pasty tongue and irritability.
Roos explained the above-mentioned effects are those generally experienced by The Secret consumers, although “some people do react differently”.
“After just over two years of business we haven’t had any consumers experience any other side effects unless the directions on the bottle or insert weren’t complied with correctly.”
Local dietitian, Mr Reon van Aardt, said the temptation to lose weight easily and quickly is hard to resist but agreed that most of these products have proven to be ineffective.
“There is still very little research done to confirm the efficacy and safety of most of these drugs. Unfortunately, the prestigious ‘wonder pill’ still doesn’t exist,” he explained.
Van Aardt added that diet pills and other dietary supplements are regulated as ‘food’, meaning that they do not need to undergo clinical studies to confirm the safety and mechanism of the products, before being placed on the market.
The Medicines Control Council classifies diet pills and supplements under Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAMs).
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“We can never be 100 per cent sure of the content of these pills. These products will only be removed from the market once there is evidence that they may be harmful to the consumer,” he said.
“For weight loss, I would not advise diet pills but rather promote a lifestyle change. There are a few cases in which we can consider the use of a dietary supplement. If the patient is severely malnourished or struggles with swallowing for example. But of course, they must be products that have been tested and proven to be safe.”
According to Van Aardt, the mechanism of action of diet pills can be classified into three groups. The first group includes stimulants that accelerate your metabolism.
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“These drugs can have a negative effect on your blood pressure or blood circulation,” he said.
“The second group includes appetite suppressants. Apart from nausea and vomiting that will commonly occur, the effect that these drugs may have on liver function is also a big concern.
“The third group of drugs alters the absorption of nutrients. These drugs are marketed with the promise of fat absorption, or to reduce the formation of fat cells. Reduced fat absorption causes decreased absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, as well as abnormal fat distribution as a result of a disturbance in lipid metabolism.”
It is evident that these drugs may be cause harmful, long-term side effects. Van Aardt emphasised the fact that even though a product may be natural, it is not necessarily safe.
“The only ‘diet pill’ that is really safe and effective in the long term is a healthy, balanced diet (take three to six times per day with water), together with physical activity. I guarantee this ‘pill’ has no side effects,” he concluded.
White River’s Dr Hein van Wyk said people will still use diet pills but they must be used with caution as there have been cases of sudden death caused by these drugs.
“They can be very dangerous in the wrong hands, especially among patients with problems like angina, cardiac failure, hypothyroidism, depression, psychosis and urinary retention. It can also be very dangerous to use these substances with other drugs such as antidepressants, eye medicine or heart medication. When one uses these medicines, one must know exactly what ingredients these drugs contain,” he explained.
