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Weight Loss

Teenagers - especially girls - are not exempt from the American penchant for dieting. One expert says that as many as three - fourths of high school girls are on a diet at any one time. Writing in the May - June 1987 issue of Nutrition Today, Dr. Kelly Brownell of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine said that some children begin dieting as early as the fourth grade.

Those figures may startle some people, but not the quacks. They know them well and have pounced on that audience, offering "magical" diets and pills to keep the pounds off. Most of the diets and virtually all of the pills are worthless - some are even dangerous. At times, some diets will achieve a temporary weight loss that is usually unrelated to the "magical" food or pill.

The dieting craze may be particularly questionable for adolescents, since a well-balanced diet is vital during the teen years when the body goes through dramatic change and growth.

Depending on the ingredients, some pills promoted for weight loss can cause side effects such as nervousness, nausea and insomnia, and can also be addictive.

The recognized active ingredient in most nonprescription diet pills is either phenylpropanolamine (PPA) or benzocaine. The effectiveness of these two ingredients for weight loss has yet to be determined by FDA. However, too much PPA has been associated with elevated blood pressure. Benzocaine is supposed to work by numbing the inside of the mouth to make food less appetizing.

Most weight-loss products sold as part of a diet-and-pill plan are harmless. The products don't work, but the plan may. Of course, the plan would work just as well without the product, which is nothing more than a psychological crutch.

Some devices are also promoted for weight loss. Electrical muscle stimulators, for example, have a legitimate use for physical therapy treatment, but FDA has had to take a number of such devices off the market because they were promoted for weight loss and "body toning." These stimulators can be dangerous when used incorrectly. Hazards include electrical shocks and burns.

Body wraps are another favorite gimmick of the quacks. They're touted as a means of "burning fat." The wraps are worn around part or all of the body, sometimes preceded by the application of a cream or lotion. Temporary weight loss may occur as the result of sweating and loss of water in the tissues, but when the water content of the tissue returns to normal, the "lost" weight reappears. The wraps do not "burn" or dissolve fat. Furthermore, experts consider them dangerous because they can cause severe dehydration and circulatory problems.

There are no magic foods, pills, wraps, diets or wands for losing weight. The only way to lose weight is to consistently eat fewer calories than the body needs and uses. But teenagers should be cautioned about excessive dieting. Their growing bodies can't tolerate the nutrient loss that comes with eating too little.

For More Information
If you have questions about a product or company, get answers before you make a purchase, For information, contact:

• The Better Business Bureau
• The nearest Food and Drug Administration office
• Your local consumer office or state attorney general's office
• Your doctor

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Quackery Targets Teens
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Source:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
FDA Consumer
February 1988, Revised April 1990
Department of Health and Human Services
Public Health Service
DHHS Publication No. (FDA) 90-1147
www.cfsan.fda.gov

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