The Truth about Natural Weight Loss Supplements: Three Things You Didn’t Know

If you’re thinking about taking natural weight loss supplements, think again.  You may want to read this article to see if natural weight loss supplements are safe and if not, whether or not they are worth the risk in terms of efficacy.

• What does Natural mean?

Natural weight loss supplements sound like they’re safe.  After all, isn’t “natural” good?  We use the term natural in a positive light all the time.  “She’s ‘naturally’ beautiful.”  “It’s all ‘natural’.”  Why wouldn’t we think that natural weight loss supplements meant that they are good for us and safe?

The fact is that many things were natural at one point or another.  Penicillin is naturally from mold.  Cigarettes are naturally made with tobacco… a plant, right?  Morphine is derived from a beautiful natural flower:  the poppy.  Of course, the poppy is also turned into heroine. 

• Dangerous side effects

Okay, so natural weight loss supplements aren’t nearly as dangerous as something like heroine.  However, they are more dangerous than you might think.  Natural weight loss supplements can have some pretty severe side effects.

Natural weight loss supplements containing ephedra, though banned in the United States, are still available on the internet.  They were banned after a few young women lost their lives when they suffered aneurysms.  The aneurysms were linked to the use of Dexatrim which used to contain ephedra.

So, ephedra in any of the natural weight loss supplements available on the internet should definitely be avoided.

• Environmental impact for no good reason

Hoodia is another one of the natural weight loss supplements.  The Hoodia flower from a cactus in South Africa is harvested for the booming natural weight loss supplements business.  It was discovered that tribal people had been using Hoodia to stave off hunger during long hunting trips. 

Hoodia has been known to cause jitteriness; more importantly it’s been the source of another issue.  This one of the natural weight loss supplements has been a topic of free and ethical trade. 

Buyers in the West are extremely eager to purchase Hoodia to be used in natural weight loss supplements, so they are willing to pay top dollar.  Unfortunately, this sort of money doesn’t go directly to the workers that harvest the cactus.  The people who harvest the cactus only get a small fraction and instead, more powerful entities are able to collect.

Not only that, but it is being harvested at such rapid rates that there’s a good chance it will become endangered.

Worst of all, Hoodia is only effective if it is used while following a proper diet and exercise plan.  Check out the bottle… the fine print that is.

• The Bottom Line

So, while some natural weight loss supplements are dangerous to your health, others are dangerous for other reasons and highly ineffective.  There just really isn’t any way around healthful weight loss.  It takes a bit of discipline and an easy way to follow a healthful diet.

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