Dangers of Stimulant Based Weight Loss Supplements

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Stimulant based dietary supplements can be dangerous to consume, even after just one dose.

In the world of weight loss, stimulant based weight loss supplements are one of the most dangerous ways to lose weight. Along with the risk that they pose to your health, the effect they may have on your weight is not sustainable.

These supplements tend to result in a trend of repeatedly losing weight and then gaining it back known as yo-yo dieting.

Taking a stimulant weight loss supplement can be like a bad shot of adrenaline. It can potentially cause cardiac arrest or other serious heart problems. Many of their dangerous side effects are similar to those of amphetamines, to which many are a cousin. Their mixture of compounds may give you a boost of energy but it comes at a great cost to your body.

The two most common ingredients in these supplements are guarana, a source of caffeine, and ephedra which is similar to an amphetamine and a source of botanical ephedrine. The dangers of stimulant based ephedra are especially hazardous. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning about these supplements since they have received reports of several deaths. Other side effects include nausea, dizziness, strokes, seizures and heart attacks. Even one dose can elevate your heart rate to an unhealthy level.

Another drawback to these supplements is that your body will eventually build up a tolerance to the effect of the stimulants. Often this leads to taking a higher dosage with the hope it will be successful again. Taking more may not actually make the supplement more effective but it does increase the risk of sudden death.

What you may not realize is that you can increase your metabolism without taking these dangerous compounds by creating a successful diet plan. Either by doing weight-bearing exercises or eating metabolism boosting foods, you can help your body burn more fat without harm. Just drinking more water can increase your metabolic rate. If you want to boost your metabolism consider incorporating more of these foods into your diet: green tea, yogurt, grapefruit, apples and pears, broccoli, lean meats, oatmeal and hot peppers.

Not only is it less risky to speed up your metabolism by eating metabolism boosting foods but it can also lead to more consistent, sustainable weight loss. These foods leave you feeling full longer so that you will consume few calories throughout the day. High-fiber foods, like oatmeal, broccoli, apples and pears, steady insulin levels and keep your digestive system on track which helps to prevent the storage of fat. Lean meats take more energy to burn which means that you burn more calories.

If you are thinking about using stimulant weight loss supplements because you want to increase your energy, SaffroLean is a safer alternative. SaffroLean is stimulant free, but its mood enhancing benefits also give you more energy. It does this by naturally increases your serotonin levels, which means it has a similar affect to a good workout that leaves you with a boost of energy. The benefit of SaffroLean is that the energy it gives you can help get you to the gym.

Photo Credit: H. Michael Miley

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