Experts say diet pills not the solution to weight loss

Story by Alyssa Miller

In preparation for spring break at the beach, college students at Ball State are doing everything they can to shed the pounds.

College students are feeling the effects of society's increased emphasis on being thin. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 10 percent of female college students suffer from a clinical or sub-clinical eating disorder. Fad diets like Atkins, South Beach and The Zone are becoming popular ways to lose weight quickly, and diet pills are selling faster than usual in the weeks before spring break.

Students especially have been buying diet and energy bars rather than chips and doughnuts like usual, Lydia Segerstrom, manager of the Walgreen's on Tillotson, said.

Students aren't buying expensive diet pills, but Trimspa and Hydroxycut have been selling like crazy lately, Segerstrom said.

Ball State senior Jessica Dalton said that, despite concern over the health effects of diet pills, she uses Metabolife and exercises several times per week to help her lose weight before going to the beach.

"I used to take Stackers to boost my energy, and I thought Metabolife would do the same, help me lose weight and be less expensive," Dalton said. "I have read about the dangers and what diet pills can do to the heart among other things, so I"m trying to focus more on exercise."

The dangers of diet pills range from high blood pressure to heart problems to stroke, Jeane Toomey, registered dietician at Ball Memorial Hospital, said.

"Some of the affects of diet pills can be very detrimental to the body," Toomey said. "Some of the common ingredients in diet pills greatly increase risk for serious health problems."

Diet pills alone will not reduce a person's size or weight. According to the Food and Drug Administration, over the counter diet pills won't make a big difference in how much weight a person loses or how long they keep it off.

"People spend millions of dollars each year for a potential magic bullet that will help the pounds melt away," Carol Friesen, associate professor of nutrition in family and consumer sciences, said. "It won't happen."

Fad diets promote health risks

College students are buying into fad diets like Atkins, South Beach and The Zone to lose weight quickly before spring break.

The FDA recommends dieting and exercise for effective weight loss but reports that not all diets are healthy.

Fad diets might be less harmful than diet pills in the short term, but could have long-term adverse affects on the body, JeaneToomey, registered dietician at Ball Memorial Hospital, said.

The Atkins diet is based on a high-protein, low carbohydrate food guide. It reduces the amount of breads, pastas and fruits the dieter takes in each day.

The diet has become such a craze in the United States that restaurant chains like Subway and Applebee's offer low-card menu items, but the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute warns individuals to avoid fad diets that promote fast weight loss.

"If you stay on diets like Atkins or South Beach for too long, your body doesn't get enough nutrients," Toomey said. "The high protein intake those diets are based on is really hard on the kidneys, and it increases cholesterol."

Weight loss programs like Atkins and South Beach are very popular among college students, because they're easy, Carol Friesen, associate professor of nutrition in family and consumer sciences, said.

"Choosing a fad diet will be a quick fix," Friesen said, "but by not addressing the root problem: whether it be eating too much sugar, not eating enough fruits and vegetables, eating under stress, eating when lonely or overeating in social situations, the weight will come right back after the dieter reverts to his or her old habits."

Exercise most effective way to lose weight

Successful weight management to improve overall health for adults requires a lifelong commitment to healthy lifestyle behaviors and daily physical activity, according to the American Dietetics Association.

While fad diets and diet pills may seem like fast solutions to weight loss, the only way to lose weight and keep it off is to change eating and exercise habits, Carol Friesen, associate professor of nutrition in family and consumer sciences, said. Ball State senior Jessica Dalton said, although she has taken some diet pills, exercise has made all the difference for her.

"I started working out this semester, and I have seen many results in addition to lost weight," Dalton said. "I also have much more energy and find that, after I work out, I couldn't sleep if I wanted to."

Dalton said she has also noticed a change in her eating habits.

"Last semester, I changed my diet but didn't exercise at all, and I didn't lose weight, look better or feel better," Dalton said. "I now eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner instead of just lunch and dinner, and I have noticed it takes much less to make me full."

The safest way to lose weight and keep it off is to follow the food guide pyramid, drink eight to ten glasses of water every day, make sure you consume enough calories to sustain you each day — 1000 for women and 1200 for men - and exercise regularly, Friesen said.

"Get off the couch, quit sitting in front of the computer all day, walk to class — students need to get moving!" Friesen said.

Students on campus use different means to stay healthy