Title: 
Understanding the Risks and Benefits of Weight Loss Pills

Word Count:
546

Summary:
Weight loss pills are readily available, easy to use means for people to reduce their bulk and improve their physical health. However, these same qualities make them relatively easy to abuse, turning them from a health supplement to a health hazard. There are numerous risks and benefits to using weight loss medication, and it is up to the person to decide if one outweighs the other.


Keywords:
weight loss pills


Article Body:
It is often a surprising thing for people to learn that others they consider fit and attractive are concerned with carrying around excess weight. Often, the expression is one of disbelief, though some have been known to act in a slightly more hostile manner. As unbelievable as this may be, this does reflect the reality that the media has permeated the popular consciousness to the point that everyone believes they need to lose weight. This prevalence has lead to, and can lead to, a multitude of nutritional and medical problems. Anorexia and bulimia are the ones that are getting the most attention, but another big concern would be the excessive use of weight loss pills.

Despite the desire to lose weight, it is a well known fact that a vast majority of people simply do not have the patience or dedication to stick to a long-term diet plan. Others lack the willpower, allowing themselves to succumb to the temptation of that chocolate cake from the cake shop down the street, or that delectable Italian confectionery your neighbor is making. So things like weight loss pills are taken as substitutes, simply because you pop the pill and virtually do nothing else. There might be a warning or reminder that needs to be kept in mind while taking the pills, but overall, the simplicity of using weight loss pills has led to increasing worries in the medical community of the pills being abused.

The primary benefit of using weight loss pills is their ease of use. You pop the pill and generally forget about anything else related to weight loss. The pills come with advice stating that it is better to combine their use with things like exercise and a proper diet, but there are no concrete guidelines on what should be followed. The fact that taking a pill regularly only takes a small amount of time out of a busy day also holds quite a bit of appeal for the busybody that can't be bothered to have a regular exercise routine interrupt his schedule. Most weight loss medications are effective in what they do, with the more common approaches being suppressing the appetite to reduce the amount of  food eaten and increasing the metabolic rate to burn through food nutrients faster and more efficiently. Even without a proper diet plan or regular exercise, both functions can help achieve weight reduction with minimal effort on the part of the person.

However, there are potential consequences. It doesn't take a genius to realize that the ease by which weight loss pills can be obtained and used makes them prone to being abused. There are some people that believe that they can eat even more food since the pill will compensate for the increased intake, not realizing that the medication does have limitations and that they are likely putting their health at risk. Another possible problem stems from a combination of the pills and psychology. In the event that a person becomes incapable of recognizing that they no longer need to lose weight, the medications suddenly become health hazards. Finally, there is the possibility of the medication hitting a weight loss plateau, which is the point where the body develops a tolerance for the drug's effects and renders it useless.


