Do weight loss pills work or can they cause side effects? Click here to find out!

If your goal is to lose weight, you must have once thought of trying weight loss pills. However, you may have stopped after wondering whether they actually work and whether they are safe or not. If you’re still contemplating whether weight loss pills work, we can show you some direction.

Recently, this question was addressed by Dr Siddhant Bhargava, who is also a nutritionist for Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, in a recent Instagram post. 

His response to this question was clear cut:

“Yes, weight loss pills work!”

There are different types of weight loss pills, according to him:
* Fat burners
* Appetite suppressants
* Fat absorption (Prevention pills)

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Do fat burners help you lose weight?

Fat burners are dietary supplements that claim to contain natural or artificial compounds to help one lose weight and get back in shape.

Dr Bhargava said, “Fat burners are mainly caffeine based, containing 500-600g of caffeine. They increase your metabolic rate. But they can also have some side effects like palpitation, dryness of mouth, and tiredness. Usually, athletes consume them. We won’t recommend it for the normal population.”

To get more information about it, we asked Dr Manish Motwani, Chief Bariatric Surgeon – Aastha Bariatrics -Centre of Excellence in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Explaining about fat burner pills, he said, “These supplements work by blocking fat, suppressing the appetite, and revving up one’s metabolism. Remember that the fat won’t magically disappear.”

A word of caution- using fat burners can lead to hypertension. It is best to avoid them and lose weight with the help of diet and exercise. There is no concrete evidence available suggesting that fat burners help battle the bulge.

Are appetite suppressants effective?

Appetite suppressant is also a type of weight loss pill. It works by suppressing the appetite so that you consume fewer calories in order to speed up your weight loss journey.

Dr Motwani said, “Appetite suppressants are a type of weight-loss medication (diet pill) that helps one grill that excess fat by curbing hunger or making you feel full. They can allow you to manage hunger pangs or make you feel full faster on less food. These appetite suppressants are believed to be helpful in weight loss when it comes to overweight or obese people. But, un-monitored use of them can lead to diarrhoea, dizziness, nausea, constipation, and insomnia.”

A bit about fat absorption (prevention pills)

The fat absorption pill helps decrease the amount of dietary fat absorbed in your intestine by breaking down the dietary fat into smaller parts so it can be used for energy.

Dr Motwani says, “Fat absorption pills are over-the-counter medications used to help people lose weight. These pills will block the fat from the intestines. They claim to reduce visceral fat, associated with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. It is essential to stick to a low-calorie, low-fat diet while taking the pills.”

Appetite suppressants and fat absorption are prescription-only pills and they can work, according to Dr Bhargava. But do not take them without consulting your doctor because they can turn out to be harmful to you.

To whom do doctors prescribe weight loss pills?

We should be aware that obesity is a medical problem and it needs to have a scientific solution.

“This scientific solution is done on the basis of staging the level of obesity which is done as per the Body Mass Index (BMI), wherein patients less than 30 BMI are candidates for appetite suppressors or fat burners,” said Dr Motwani.

Also, read: What’s the safest weight-loss surgery? A study analyses

Once BMI is more than 30, the only solution becomes Laparoscopic Weight Loss Surgery or Bariatric Surgery to get long-term weight loss and also get rid of associated medical problems.