How about a pill to burn fat? Weight loss would be a breeze, isn’t it? Unfortunately, there’s no such magic pill.
“Fat-burning pill is a misnomer,” Dr Matthew Apel, a bariatric surgeon with Blossom Bariatrics in Las Vegas, told the US News & World Report. “There aren’t any medications that directly target fat cells.”
But the internet says otherwise. There are plenty of supplements available online. Search for fat-burning pills, and you get these options: The best fat burners of 2024 that actually work; Night Time Fat Burner Weight Loss; Best fat burner for belly fat; Fat burning pills for women; Best fat burner for belly fat for female; Natural fat burner; Best fat burner supplement, and more.
A weight-loss journey with fat-burners
Dhanusha G. turned to fat burners to boost her weight-loss journey. “I had lost 15kg and hit a plateau. On my gym trainer’s advice, I started using these supplements. And it helped me shed 5kg in three to four months,” she said.
A regular at the gym, Dhanusha decided to use fat burners to increase her resting metabolic rate. “The high caffeine content raised my blood pressure, so I burned more calories even when resting,” the Dubai-based media professional said.
The use of fat-burner pills is common among gym rats. “If you need a shredded body, you’ve to use fat burners. You consume fat-burners and have to work out in the gyms to reach the weight goals,” Dhanusha added. “It helped me reach my goal. But I worked out at the gym regularly. I would certainly use it again.”
What the doctors say
“Fat-burning pills are not effective, and they can be harmful to health,” Katherine Metzelaar, a registered dietitian, certified intuitive eating counsellor and founder of Bravespace Nutrition, said, adding that any short-term weight loss, if achieved, is not sustainable.
Instead of fat burners, weight-loss medications are deemed a better approach. “New weight-loss medications belong to the class of GLP1 analogues (both DHA and FDA-approved) are effective in losing significant weight in a short period,” Dr Velmurugan Mannar, Specialist - Endocrinology, Aster Clinic, Dubai Silicon Oasis & Karama, told Gulf News.
Here’s a deep dive into the world of fat-burning pills; they are called supplements.
What are fat-burning pills?
Fat-burning pills, as the name suggests, are dietary supplements that help promote fat loss in the human body. These thermogenic (heat-producing) supplements are marketed as products that contain natural or artificial compounds to aid weight loss.
Some refer to it as diet pills, but they are not weight-loss medications, which are a different class of medicines.
What’s the difference between weight-loss medications and fat-burning pills?
Fat-burning pills are quick weight-loss supplements sold over the counter, which means a doctor’s prescription is not required. Moreover, there is not enough scientific evidence to back the claims of manufacturers, reports say.
Unlike fat-burning pills, weight-loss medications require a prescription. These are medications, not supplements, and extensive studies have been conducted on their ability to help lose weight if combined with diet and lifestyle changes.
“They work by altering the gut hormones and also the brain at the level of centres controlling the food intake (appetite centre). Some earlier pills work by decreasing the absorption of fat from the gut,” Dr Velmurugan said.
How do fat burners work?
Fat burners don’t melt fat cells. In theory, these pills help increase metabolism to burn calories faster, besides reducing the amount of fat the stomach absorbs and suppressing appetite.
Do fat burners really help you lose weight?
There’s no definite answer. One review of 21 studies on supplements found that there is no significant benefit to reducing body weight, according to Forbes Health.
Yet some studies show that there may be some short-term benefits. The Ohio-based Cleveland Clinic said on its website that some ingredients have been linked to small amounts of weight loss, but added that most of these supplements haven’t been tested in scientific studies.
Are fat-burning pills safe?
Fat-burning pills can have adverse side effects and may interact with other supplements or medications. This is a grey area since there haven’t been in-depth studies on the ingredients and how they interact with other medicines.
Since the supplements do not require US FDA approval some products may contain ingredients not listed on the label, which can be dangerous, Metzelaar said.
What are the possible side effects of using fat burners?
“Fat-burning pills are essentially concentrated forms of active ingredients; you might be giving your body more than it can handle,” Nate Masterson, health expert and the head of natural product development at the New Jersey-based Maple Holistics, told Eat This, Not That website. “High levels of caffeine can increase anxiety, damage the liver, and result in blood pressure fluctuations.”
Many of these supplements, notes Masterson, can also cause adverse effects, including headaches, irregular heartbeat, gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiety, and more.
Have the fat-burning pills received regulatory approval?
Fat burners aren’t regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). So manufacturers can make tall claims about their products, even without evidence.
What are the ingredients of fat-burning pills?
Fat-burning pills are a blend of several ingredients. Some contain more than 90 ingredients, according to the US National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements.
What’s the best way to reduce weight?
Healthy eating habits and regular exercise are the best ways to manage weight, according to Dr Velmurugan. “There are no alternatives to a good healthy lifestyle.”
Do weight-loss medicines require medical supervision?
Dr Velmurugan advocates using weight-loss medicines with expert guidance because these medicines shouldn’t be used in specific clinical situations.” Remember, weight can be gained quickly when these pills are stopped. Hence, proper expert guidance is required for the initiation and long-term follow-up.”
