Formulas promise to lose weight, but lead to health damage – 04/23/2023 – Health

Images of skinny people, with measuring tapes encircling their thin waists, try to convince people looking for weight loss products in a simple internet search. Among them, teas and herbs pop up with the promise of fast, easy and safe weight loss, without side effects – after all, they are “natural”.

But not quite. These types of formulation do not have scientific evidence to prove their effectiveness, in addition to there being no regulation on what actually comprises the goods. And worse: in some cases, they lead to serious health problems.

One of these tragic cases was that of a nurse victim of fulminating hepatitis after consuming herbs with the promise of weight loss. “It wasn’t the first case and it won’t be the last. The indiscriminate use of herbs, which are said to be weight-loss, end up damaging the liver”, says Liliana Ducatti, doctor-surgeon of the digestive tract at the Hospital das Clínicas.

It was Ducatti who attended to the nurse who died. According to the doctor, cases of fulminant hepatitis, the most serious for the patient’s health, are rare. Other damage to the liver, such as common hepatitis, is more common, as the organ metabolizes substances and, in some cases, they are toxic.

Herbal medicines, such as herbs and plants, cause different effects on the body. Some substances can be diuretics, when urine production occurs. Even laxatives can be part of this type of product without supervision or regulation.

For Carlos Schiavon, scientific and teaching coordinator of the Obesity and Bariatric Surgery Center of Beneficência Portuguesa in São Paulo, this disorderly mixture of substances is a negative point of these products. He mentions that even antidepressants are sometimes added to formulas in order to reduce anxiety.

“The big problem is that, when you have several associated drugs and patients start to have a side effect, it is difficult for us to know exactly which medication is causing that effect”, he says.

In the case of laxatives and diuretics, the promise is that the person would lose weight due to the loss caused by the greater amount of urine and feces. But the reality is somewhat more complex. A momentary decrease in weight may even occur, but it will soon be restored with regular consumption of food and fluids.

“If you lose fluids or take a laxative and have diarrhea, the body will not remain that way. You will end up being thirstier, taking more fluids and things will return to balance”, explains Schiavon.

In addition to not being an effective measure to lose weight, laxatives and diuretics used improperly can represent damage to health, such as loss of minerals and, in more tragic cases, dehydration.

More serious health problems can also occur with irregular hormone use. One of them is the thyroid, produced naturally by the gland of the same name. “It is a very important hormone for the metabolism as a whole”, summarizes Carlos Minanni, an endocrinologist at Albert Einstein Hospital.

As the body is normally able to meet the need for the hormone, the use of formulas that increase its amount is not recommended in most cases. According to the endocrinologist, supplementing the hormone “ends up disturbing the normal functioning of the gland and causing other problems, such as arrhythmia, nervousness, insomnia and can contribute to loss of muscle or bone mass”.

Another example is testosterone, recognized among bodybuilders who want to gain muscle. As in the case of the thyroid, the supply of this hormone should only be done when there is a drop in the expected level of natural production. In such cases, going to an endocrinologist is essential.

On the other hand, effective weight loss remedies are important mechanisms for weight loss in some situations. Even so, their adoption requires medical follow-up.

An example is Ozempic. Officially, the drug is indicated for the treatment of diabetes, but studies have concluded that its active ingredient – ​​called semaglutide– leads to a positive effect in the treatment of obesity. For this reason, many doctors prescribe the drug off-label, when it is used in a context different from what is foreseen in the package leaflet.

But the unregulated use of this and other drugs is not recommended. “These drugs are good, they help with weight loss, but even they have to be monitored by doctors […] and not simply taking it without guidance”, summarizes Ducatti.

diet and exercise

In addition to formulas and medicines, it is important to pay attention to diets and physical exercises. Both are essential for losing weight or maintaining what has been lost, but if not done properly, they also pose risks.

“The ideal diets are the most balanced ones, which have all the components of a balanced diet and with guidance from a nutritionist”, says Schiavon.

Minanni also points out that the most restrictive diets, in which certain components such as carbohydrates are ignored, cause harm to health. “This can lead to a nutritional, vitamin deficit, it can contribute to loss of muscle mass, make the person feel bad, with fatigue and dizziness.”

The practice of physical exercises is also necessary for those who want to lose weight, especially to avoid regaining what has already been lost. Still, the collaboration of a professional can be welcome.

“Often, we see that the person decides to do [atividade física] without doing it for a long time and it starts with great intensity without adequate guidance, and could end up getting hurt”, says Minanni.