FDA pushes for natural supplements vs quick fix drugs

Manila Bulletin

Today’s quick fix mentality has resulted to people thinking that any goal can be attained at the drop of a pen. Health matters come as no exception, as many over-the-counter products promise astounding weight loss results in no time at all. While these quick and easy diet solutions may seem to guarantee instant results, they do gloss over issues that certainly weigh more heavily than fast weight loss.

Many of these products contain ingredients that do more harm than good to one’s body. People are easy to dismiss the fine print, due to the promise of losing pounds easily. With the onslaught of these over-the-counter medications come the many dangerous side effects that spell the difference, not just between fitness and poor health, but also — and more importantly — between life and death.

The US Food and Drug Administration has carefully studied these quick fix drugs, and the side effects that are inextricably linked with them. Weight loss drugs that contain ingredients such as phenylpropanolamine, dexfenfluramine, and fenfluramine and phentermine (also known as fen-phen) lead to complications that will eventually result to all sorts of medical illnesses, from stroke to heart valve problems.

Even drugs that promise to absorb, block or trap fat can lead to a drop in bone density, as well as the depletion of natural fat-soluble vitamins. Studies show that any product containing ephedra, an herbal stimulant which has garnered a reputation as an effective weight loss solution, leads to serious illness and even death as it increases one’s heart rate to a dangerous level.

"There are dangers to consumers who purchase diet pills that contain drugs of unknown origin and quality," said Steven Galson, head of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "These products are not approved by the FDA and if people experience side effects, it is difficult to trace problems and for physicians to treat them."

The last thing people expect from the weight loss products they purchase is a health problem. Research and verified literature should always come into play, especially during the purchase of over-the-counter drugs.

With such a scare glowering over modern pharmaceutics, it proves that the best solution any person can rely on is a balance between the right exercise and a proper diet, supported by a good dose of natural supplements such as green tea.

History and careful scientific studies published in the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that green tea contains extracts which help stimulate thermogenesis — a natural process of one’s body wherein heat is generated and metabolism is increased. Universal Nutrition’s ThermoGreen Tea is a supplement which contains these extracts — epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and naturally-occurring caffeine in measured amounts, to help one’s body manage fat oxidation.

This product, being all-natural, does not contain any of the harmful ingredients that many of today’s weight loss pills promote. In addition, since thermogenesis is a process that is inherent to the body, it does not come with associated increases in heart rate, mood swings, heart palpitations and other side effects caused by other products.

Its potency and purity is assured by its being all natural; and the weight loss it delivers is guaranteed because it supplements healthy living and a proper diet. Losing weight does not come with quick and easy solutions — but Universal Nutrition’s ThermoGreen Tea’s safe, ephedra-free and high-quality ingredients make shedding off those extra pounds and staying healthy, within anybody’s reach.

Universal Nutrition’s ThermoGreen Tea is exclusively available at Healthy Options, with stores at Rustan’s Makati, Shangri-La Plaza, Greenbelt Mall, Festival Supermall, SM Megamall, SM City Manila, SM City North Edsa, SM Mall of Asia, SM City Sta. Rosa, SM City Clark, SM City Pampanga and at the Ayala Center in Cebu.