Are Diet Pills Safe?

There is really no short answer to the question ‘Are diet pills safe?’ There are many different kinds of diet pills available in the market today, and some are totally safe while others may pose dangers to certain individuals. The FDA has identified various ingredients found in diet pills and has categorized them as being likely safe, possibly unsafe, likely unsafe, and insufficient information.

Some of the common pills that have been labeled as likely safe are Guar gum and Chromium. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), green tea extract, and Chitosan have been classified as possibly safe while Country mallow (heartleaf) and ephedra have been labeled as likely unsafe. The last two have also been banned by the FDA. As for Hoodia, the FDA concludes that there is insufficient information as of now. Another product, Alli, has been proven quite effective for weight loss, but is currently being investigated for potential damaging effects on the liver.