If you are looking for a little help with your upcoming New Year’s resolution to shed those extra pounds, the U.S.Food and Drug Administration recommends that you stay away from the computer. Yesterday the FDA issued a warning to consumers to avoid 28 weight loss products sold online because they contain unlisted ingredients that may be dangerous.

The pills are mostly promoted and sold on various Web sites but some are also sold in retail stores. They are sold under names such as Perfect Slim, 2 Day Diet, and Zhen de Shou. Most of the diet pills appear to be coming from China, but for others the provenance is unknown.

Many of the products are touted as “natural,” or “herbal,” or as new versions of "ancient Eastern remedies,” but actually contain potentially harmful ingredients not listed on the product labels or in advertisements. FDA testing found that the pills contained high doses of a powerful anti-obesity drug, as well as a suspected carcinogen and a pharmaceutical that has not been approved by the FDA.

Many of the pills contain sibutramine, a powerful appetite suppressant that is related to amphetamine. Sibutramine is the active ingredient in the prescription drug Meridia, which is used to treat obesity. But FDA testing found that some of the diet pills contain nearly three times the recommended daily dose.

Even at recommended doses, possible side effects of sibutramine include high blood pressure, seizures, tachycardia, palpitations, heart attack, and stroke, especially in people with a history of heart problems. Sibutramine can also interact with other medications but since it is not listed as an ingredient, people taking the pills are unlikely to be aware of these risks.

Rimonabant, another ingredient found in some of these products, was evaluated, but not approved by the FDA for marketing in the United States. The drug, which is approved in Europe, has been associated with increased risk of depression and suicidal thoughts and has been linked to five deaths and 720 adverse reactions in Europe over the last two years.

Several of the pills also contain phenolphthalein, a solution used in chemical experiments and as a laxative that is being withdrawn from the market because it increases the risk of cancer.

According to the FDA, if a product sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you are taking one of the diet pills on the list, the FDA recommends you taking these pills stop immediately and consult your healthcare professional right away.

The list of tainted pills can be found here on the FDA’s Web site.

For information on healthy ways to lose weight, see the Healia Health Guide on Weight Management. If you want to connect with others interested in losing weight and exchange stories of weight loss successes and frustrations, join the Healia Health Community for Weight Management.

Related blog post: Quick Tips for Eating Healthy and Making Your New Year’s Resolution Come True


_{Photo: tacit requeim, Flickr, Creative Commons}