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Researching this article was one of the most eye-opening pieces of research I have ever done. You see, what I didn't know about diet pills is that these days they not only have a multitude of ways to help you lose weight but many of them are multi-functional! Yes your diet pills can also help lift your libido, improve your skin, increase your energy and stamina and help you to either stay awake or go to sleep. And the little I knew about side-effects (such as addiction) was nothing compared to what I discovered diet pills can do to your health.

First things first though. As far as helping you to lose weight, diet pills work in numerous ways. The most common of these are -

Appetite Suppressant
By reducing your desire for food, these pills help you to manage your portion control and reduce snacking. Appetite suppressants are often combined with other functions to create a more powerful result.

Enzyme Blocker
Some diet pills block certain enzymes in your body. For example, alpha-amylase enzyme, which is an enzyme required for the metabolism of carbohydrates. Through altering your body's digestive process, they reduce the likelihood of your body storing fat from the food you consume.

Increasing Metabolic Rate
We all know the key benefit of exercising is an increase in our metabolic rate so that we burn more calories. These pills achieve increased metabolic rate without the exercise. They do this through the use of stimulants such as caffeine.

Fat Absorption
By binding fatty acids, these pills help prevent your body from digesting the fat you consume, instead letting the fat pass straight through you.

The diet pills on the market - both prescription and over-the-counter options, combine these functions using a number of different ingredients. Changes continue to be made to diet pills and it seems that there are numerous ingredients which were thought helpful up until recently which are now banned due to the severe side-effects they cause. In addition to understanding the basic way in which diet pills work, I think it is also necessary to look at the results and the side-effects briefly.

Generally the evidence is that while diet pills may help you to obtain immediate weight loss, they do not have significant proof of long term success. I always come back to the same thought where is the motivation for the pill company to have me stop taking the pills?

As for the risk, it varies from pill to pill but side effects can be as simple as causing interruptions to sleep patterns to dangerous side effects such as increased risk of heart attack or stroke.

Many of the pills contain caffeine or other stimulants to help increase your metabolic rate. Of course this can also make it more difficult to get a good nights sleep (poor sleep is a contributing factor to obesity) so now some pill companies are also producing night-time pills to help you sleep.

Herbal alternatives containing ingredients such as chilli, capsicum, orange or green tea are also available although research on these also shows limited long term results.

Overall it seems the best results are achieved when diet pills are accompanied by a strict diet and intensive exercise regime. With all the possible side effects, I can't help but wonder if the diet and exercise regime on their own would be the wiser choice.

Learn more about this author, Jacqueline O'Donnell.
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