Diet Pills: Safe or Unsafe?

“Fast and Easy!”, “Guaranteed Weight-Loss!” These are the frequent ads that one can encounter easily everywhere. They all targets and tempts millions of people out in the world who is suffering from obesity. Who would want to lose weight by tough exercise which requires strong determination and will if there is the easier way – simply swallowing a pill -- to lose weight? Of course most people, including myself, would be attracted to choice number two. But is it that trustworthy? Some say that diet pill benefits health, but there are claims that it brings side effects to our body. To look for reliability, I have researched about this issue.

Diet pills are a natural and herbal way to loose weight easily and quickly. They increase energy production by increasing metabolism rate thus allow consistent burning of calories 24 hours. These diet pills contain perfect amount of soluble fiber. They also help to improve the body's insulin levels and thus these diet pills are very beneficial in any problems related to diabetes.
http://www.sueshealthcenter.com/diet_pills_benefits.html

Moreover, diet pills work more variety of good ways for obese people; they can suppress appetite, increase metabolism, or disable the body from absorbing fats that are in diet. For instance, Qnexa, a combination of the appetite suppressant phentermine, and an epilepsy drug makes the patient feel fuller. Another drug in development, Contrave, combines an appetite suppressant and a second drug that speeds weight loss. It is the new medicine designed to switch off appetite in the brain and maintain metabolism.
http://www.suite101.com/content/natural-diet-pills-a35187#ixzz1FVsv3jMN

However, Ephedra, which is frequent component of diet pills, was banned by the Food and Drug Administration after several deaths were linked to its usage. Steve Bechler, Major League baseball pitcher, took Ephedra before a game, after he realized that he needed to drop some weight to have a healthy start to the season. One heart attack later and he passed away. As shocking as it is, this healthy 23 year old man didn’t know the dangers of diet supplements. Ephedra, along with other diet pills that increase metabolism, increases a person's heart rate significantly. Shockingly, the side effects to this can be death, anxiety, an elevated resting heart rate, insomnia, and addiction. It's the same idea as caffeine, and to a more severe degree, crack. In addition, Orlistat or Alli, blocks the absorption of fat by inhibiting the action of an enzyme called lipase. Lipase breaks down dietary fat so the body can absorb it. Orlistat blocks the absorption of up to 30% of dietary fat, and the unabsorbed fat is eliminated through the stool [as] oily rectal seepage, and gas with discharge, and in extreme cases [the user] may need adult diapers," wrote Dr. Heather Bauer in an article in World Now.
http://falcononline.spu.edu/article.php?id=6397
http://www.medhealthinsurance.com/blog/the-dangers-of-diet-pills/

In conclusion, it is sure that diet pills are good for short-term weight loss for people who suffer serious obesity. It restrains the hunger and speeds weight loss. However, it seems that there are dangerous truths behind the flashy ads. It brings severe side effects such as heart attack, high blood pressure and addiction to our body which is very unhealthy. Therefore, it seems that it is not a very good idea to buy the diet pills. Rather, people should choose to exercise and stay active to lose weight.