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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, April 21, 2002

PRESCRIPTIONS
Some dieting aids can cause more harm than good

By Amy Tousman

For those who are looking for an extra boost in their efforts to lose weight, there is no shortage of products advertised to melt away the fat and make you slender. Many people would like to find such an easy way to lose weight without exercising or giving up their plate lunches.

However, before parting with your hard-earned dollars, you should consider whether these products are safe and effective. The short-term gratification of a few pounds lost is hardly worth ruining your health in the long run.

Here are a few products I believe you should avoid:

• Herbal weight-loss teas: These sound harmless, but most contain potent laxatives or diuretics. This translates into frequent trips to the bathroom. These teas work by dehydrating the body. You lose water instead of fat.

Some of these teas cause stomach cramps, nausea, fainting and breathing difficulties. According to the Healthy Weight Loss Journal, several deaths have been reported from use of diet teas, attributed to irregular heartbeats caused by disruptions in the balance of minerals in the blood.

• Calorad: Marketers of Calorad claim it will help you lose fat while you sleep. Its main ingredients are collagen, which is a protein of little nutritional value, and aloe vera for its laxative effect.

Just like with weight-loss tea, you can poop out your excess weight. Sounds fun, doesn't it? And it claims to do it all: give you better sleep, more muscle tone, improved fitness and increased energy while helping you shed fat, all without exercising.

Tempting as this sounds, I wouldn't be so quick to credit Calorad with weight loss. Package instructions tell users not to eat anything for three hours before going to bed, and then to take Calorad.

Now, I have counseled many patients who eat too little food during the day and are hungry for high-calorie snacks in the evening. In many families, three hours before bed is prime time for snacking. If they stopped eating for three hours before bed, they would lose weight — without taking Calorad.

No magic here. And no scientific studies have been done to back up Calorad's claims.

• Chitosan: Chitosan is a type of dietary fiber prepared from the shells of shrimp, the thin, white membranes of crabs and the exo- skeletons of insects. Ads claim chitosan can lower cholesterol and produce rapid weight loss. Product brochures claim that chitosan causes weight loss by absorbing fat so it can't be digested. Some refer to it as a "fat magnet."

However, "although chitosan can decrease fat absorption, the amount contained in the capsules is too small to have much of an effect on weight or cholesterol levels," says Stephen Barrett of the National Council Against Health Fraud.

Two recent studies — one in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the other in Methods and Findings in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology — have found no significant differences in weight or cholesterol levels between subjects who took chitosan and those who received a phony pill.

• Herbalife, Herbal Phen-fen, Metabolife: The active ingredient in these and many other weight-loss products is ephedrine. Products with the words "thermo" or "fat burner" in their name typically also contain ephedrine. Ephedrine is sometimes called ma huang. Products containing ephedrine have caused heart attacks, strokes, seizures and several deaths. It is a powerful stimulant that makes the heart beat rapidly and raises blood pressure.

Several of these products also contain guarana, which is loaded with caffeine. When taken with caffeine, ephedrine can overstimulate the heart, leading to potentially life-threatening results. Many states and Canada have banned its use.

The famed diet doctor Dean Ornish, writing for Webmd.com, said stimulants such as ephedrine and guarana "are often marketed as energy enhancers. In nature, you don't get something for nothing. When you take a stimulant like ephedrine, you get an initial increase in energy that is followed by a corresponding letdown in your energy level. In other words, you are 'borrowing' this energy, and it has to be paid back.

"A better choice is to increase your energy by improving your health. Many people find that when they change their diet, exercise, manage stress more effectively and wean themselves off stimulants, they have more energy that is real, not borrowed. When you make lifestyle changes, you can lose weight and keep it off."

Amy Tousman is a registered dietitian at Straub Clinic & Hospital Inc. and a member of the Hawai'i Dietetic Association.

Write: Prescriptions, 'Ohana Section, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; e-mail ohana@honoluluadvertiser.com; fax 535-8170. This column provides opinions and information, and is not intended to provide medical advice; you should consult your doctor.