The answer is maybe/kind of/who knows. Experts in the medical field are constantly debating about whether or not diet pills work, and there isn’t a definite answer yet.
Lorraine McCreary, a state-registered ­dietician who runs the respected diet advisory service, Diet ­Scotland, gave some reviews of diets medication you may be familiar with and a rating at the end.
Xenical
Main ingredient: Orlistat.
Claim: Enzymes in your digestive ­system, called lipases, help digest fat. Orlistat binds to lipase, rendering it less effective and limiting — by one third — the amount of fat that can be broken down, absorbed or stored. ­Prescription-only, it’s offered to ­people with a BMI of 30+ (or 28+ and associated with ill-health such as high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes).
Potential side-effects: If you eat a high-fat meal you may suffer profuse, oily ­diarrhoea with no warning.
Expert verdict: Studies show ­Xenical can be successful, but only in ­combination with a low-fat, healthy diet and exercise regime. It can be used long-term, but if your diet remains ­unbalanced (high in sugar, processed foods or ­alcohol) you won’t lose weight.
Rating: 8/10 (if combined with ­adequate education and support from GP, dietician or practice nurse).
Alli
Main ingredient: Orlistat.
Claim: Taking up to three capsules per day before, during or up to one hour after a meal will boost your weight loss by 50 per cent.
Side-effects: ­Potential side-effects similar to ­Xenical if you have an unbalanced, high-fat diet.
Expert verdict: A less potent ­version of Xenical (it’s half the dose), but only licensed for use for six months at a time, so there’s a strong chance of regaining weight if your old ­lifestyle habits are resumed. The research behind it is robust. The pills alone won’t work and weight loss will depend on long-term behavioural change.
Rating: 7/10
Seaweed Pills
Main ingredient: Fucus (seaweed).
Claim: This stimulates the thyroid, so increasing metabolic rate.
Side-effects: ­Raised blood ­pressure, allergic reaction ­(itching) and hyperthyroidism.
Expert verdict: Fucus is rich in iodine, which is an essential ­component for normal thyroid function. However, there’s no ­evidence of any metabolic ­stimulant effect unless you have an underactive thyroid. Other ingredients in these ­products (dandelion root) are­­­ ­diuretics which might reduce bloating and help your stomach look flatter. Some ingredients ­(butternut) are ­anecdotally used as a laxative, but it is not healthy for bowel and ­kidney function to use laxatives or diuretics long term.
Rating: 1/10 (for possible comfort improvement and less bloating).
Green Tea Pills
Main ingredients: Green tea extract, bioperine (extracted from black pepper), capsaicin (from chilli peppers), mate, guarana, or damiana extract are all said to increase metabolism by raising body heat (a ­process called thermo­genesis).
Side-effects: Can cause side-effects similar to caffeine such as ­headaches and sleep problems.
Expert verdict: Green tea may slightly speed the metabolism due to caffeine content; bioperine and capsaicin have purported ­thermogenic effects — where the body temperature may be raised slightly in response to the ­digestion of food, thus burning more ­calories, but this is not proven.
Any rise in body temperature from the pepper will be transient and insufficient to make any fat-burning impact.
If it does have an effect on your metabolic rate, it would only assist weight loss and reduce body fat as claimed if diet and lifestyle change significantly, too.
Some of these pills also contain L-carnitine and chromium ­picolinate, neither of which has proven effective in weight loss. One product, Zotrim, quotes research from the University of Liverpool which states it ‘may’ help reduce overall food intake. But, in science, the word ‘may’ means nothing.
Rating: 2 /10
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