Just Say No to Hydroxycut!

If you are considering taking diet pills, more specifically, Hydroxycut, it’s time to get rid of those thoughts once and for all. The FDA recently linked their products to severe liver damage and death (yes, death!), so the makers pulled 14 of its products from shelves.

Here are the gross details, from this article: The FDA said it has received 23 reports of serious liver injuries, including liver damage that resulted in a transplant in 2002, liver failure, jaundice, seizures and cardiovascular problems. The reports include the 2007 death of a 19-year-old man living in the Southwest, which was reported to the FDA in March.

Death, people! And for what? The hopes that a supplement, which is not regulated at all, and could, for all we know, have dog poop in it, may help you lose a tiny bit more weight? To fit into a smaller size? To see results like the commercials (which really just use two different people!)?

I’m pretty sure the cons outweigh the benefits in this situation…

If you ever thought that it was a good/safe idea to take a dietary supplement, think again. According to a recent article on CNN, dietary supplements sold before October 1994 are not required to undergo any FDA review before going to market. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 required manufacturers to ensure a supplement to be safe before marketing. But manufacturers still don’t need to register a product with the FDA or get approval before selling a supplement...The agency can take action against an unsafe supplement once it’s on the market.

Which means that companies can basically put whatever they want on the market, and only after somebody is injured or dead, will the FDA do anything to stop them.

Bottom line: Stop taking Hydroxycut, and really, any “dietary supplements” for that matter. There’s just no way to tell if they’re really safe. There are plenty of healthier alternatives to lose weight that won’t risk your life. You may think working out and eating healthy will kill you, but it’s this sorta stuff that really will.

I am curious to know: Have any of you ever taken supplements? Was it a good or bad experience?