[Suzanne 3FC]

SHADY SLIMMING

SLIMMING cures aimed a people trying to lose weight after the festive binge have been branded a waste of money - and dangerous.
The Sunday Mail teamed up with Catherine Collins, 41, chief dietician at St George's Hospital, London, to investigate five glitzy internet ads peddling the diets.

The results are horrifying. Catherine said: "Most of these products are just scams. There's no way they can help you lose weight.

"Herbal remedies can be dangerous and should be treated with caution. Just because a product claims to be natural does not mean it can't harm you.

"Prescription diet pills are the only ones likely to have an effect on your weight but they have serious side effects and should only be used when supplied by a doctor."

Catherine examined Intra, a 30-day slimming kit costing pounds 130. They claim their pills and potions are a "revolutionary approach to achieving and keeping your desired weight". After careful examination, Catherine dismissed the Intra products as "aload of rubbish".

Next under her microscope was Herbalife - with a herbal drink costing pounds 30 and pounds 24 worth of tablets.

They claim to "provide technologically advanced products which, combined with a healthy lifestyle, help increase your body's own natural fat- burning ability by utilising thermogenic ingredients".

Catherine said: "The only products that speed up your metabolism are toxic, illegal drugs such as amphetamines."

She also studied Xenical and Reductil - prescription-only drugs to help weight loss in cases of obesity which are sold for between pounds 120-pounds 140 a month.

It is illegal to sell prescription-only drugs in this way but firms with British web addresses get round this by sending out the pills from abroad.

Reductil suppresses chemicals in the brain which control hunger and Xenical blocks enzymes which break down fat, cutting the amount of fat we absorb. Catherine said: "They can be dangerous for people with certain medical conditions."

Diet pill Thermoslimmer - which costs pounds 40 for a five-week supply - was next to be analysed. They claim the pills cause "thermogenesis" which increases metabolism and reduces appetite. Catherine said: "Putting your faith into herbal remedies is awaste of money."

We contacted all the firms whose products we had examined but only Herbalife replied. Medical advisory board chairman Dr Larry May said: "We have been in business for 22 years and operate in 56 countries worldwide. There have been published clinicalstudies regarding the efficacy of our products."

Why these diet plans could damage your bank balance.. and your health

INTRA: 30-DAY SLIMMING KIT, pounds 130

THIS international lifestyle products company sells a range of pills and potions which promise to do amazing things for your body.

Their Rapid Results Weight Loss System is billed as a "revolutionary approach to achieving and keeping your desired weight".

The website features testimonies plus before and after pictures from people claiming to have lost up to 16lbs in one week on the Intra programme with no cravings. It all sounds very promising.

But in reality it's nothing more than a calorie- controlled diet with a collection of expensive and useless diet supplements.

The firm's Dream Diet Programme comprises a seven-day menu plan of Dream shakes, Dream cookies, food supplements and low-fat meals.

The blurbs say the 200-calorie shakes which replace breakfast and lunch are "scientifically formulated to provide the essential vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates needed to supply the body with maximum energy - without the calories".

While their "delicious" high-fibre cookies - in flavours such as chocolate chip or French vanilla - promise to make you feel full between meals, removing the need to snack.

Nothing revolutionary here, that's left to Dream AM-PM - "a scientific breakthrough in weight loss supplementation" featuring Advantra Z.

This claims to "naturally accelerate the metabolic function of the body and assist in properly metabolising the fats we eat" to increase the rate the body burns calories and help us lose weight.

EXPERT

CATHERINE'S VERDICT: "These products are a load of rubbish.

"A low-calorie, low-fat diet is bound to help you lose weight - but you don't need to spend money on expensive `dream' shakes and cookies to do this.

"The Advantra Z supplement is a load of scientific blurb with no scientific evidence."

HERBALIFE: HERBAL DRINK pounds 30 TABLETS pounds 24

AT first glance the Herbalife Weight Management programme seems quite sensible.

It recommends swapping high-fat foods for low-fat alternatives, eating more fruit and vegetables, drinking more water and less alcohol.

However, problems emerge when you come to their Thermojetics tablets which combine "ancient herbal wisdom with modern ingenuity".

The Herbalife programme claims to provide "technologically advanced products which help increase your body's own natural fat-burning ability by utilising thermogenic ingredients".

This roughly translates as healthy eating will help you lose pounds from your waist, while expensive Herbalife supplements will help lose pounds from your pocket. At pounds 30 for 100g, Thermojetics herbal beverage is a costly cuppa if it's no better foryou than your average tea.

And the same applies to their Thermojetics tablets which contain Garcinia Cambogia, "a centuries- old Indian fruit" and Chromium GFT, a trace mineral, which are supposed to suppress your appetite.

Although Herbalife claim hundreds of thousands of people have successfully lost weight through their products, their website only contains two testimonials.

These are from a Swedish man who lost 30kg (more than 412stones) and a Danish woman who lost 21kg (just over 3stones). In both cases the results are highlighted as "not typical".

Following an investigation by the ASA in August 2002, Herbalife has had to modify its advertising.

The ASA code allows companies to say you can lose up to 2lbs a week on their products but Herbalife were claiming you could lose 1lb a day.

EXPERT

CATHERINE'S VERDICT: "The yellow pills in this programme claim to help control snacking but in reality they will do no such thing.

"They contain Garcinia Cambogia but this is just another name for Hydroxy- citric acid which medical studies prove has no effect on obesity.

"Hydroxycitric acid is produced naturally in the body in every reaction that generates heat energy but adding a little more to your diet will not speed up your metabolism and help you lose weight.

"The only products that really speed up your metabolism are very toxic, illegal drugs such as amphetamines."

XENICAL & REDUCTIL: pounds 120-pounds 140 A MONTH

THESE prescription-only drugs can be an effective way to help weight loss in cases of true obesity.

But the side effects can be severe and the drugs should only be used when prescribed by, and monitored by, a doctor.

Companies such as In House Pharmacy and Choice Viagra, which sell the drugs over the net to anyone with a credit card who fills in on- line medical forms, are putting lives at risk.

Although it's illegal to sell prescription-only drugs this way in the UK, firms with British web addresses get around restrictions by sending the products from abroad.

A spokesman for the Medicines Control Agency said: "We are concerned about the sale of these drugs on the internet and investigate any site reported to us which appears to be in breach of the law.

"Companies which refuse to comply can face unlimited fines and individuals can be jailed for up to two years."

Reductil works by suppressing chemicals in the brain which control hunger so people feel full after eating less. It has been linked to primary pulmonary hypertension, a high blood pressure which affects the lung tissue and can cause death in severecases.

Xenical works by blocking the enzymes we produce to break down fats. This can reduce the amount of fat absorbed by a third and can help you lose weight if used in conjunction with a calorie controlled diet.

However, the side effects can be quite unpleasant, ranging from diarrhoea to nausea, fainting and problems absorbing calcium and fat soluble vitamins.

EXPERT

CATHERINE'S VERDICT: "I'm really worried that people can buy these drugs over the internet because they carry such severe health risks.

"They can be very dangerous for people with certain existing medical conditions or when combined with other drugs.

"People on Xenical need to take extra vitamins and minerals because the drug prevents your body absorbing fat soluble vitamins you normally get from food.

"And, like Reductil, it can have an adverse effect if taken with other drugs.

"If you really need one of these weight loss drugs you will be able to get a prescription from your doctor and it will be a lot cheaper and safer than buying it over the internet."

THERMOSLIMMER: 5-WEEK SUPPLY, pounds 40

IF only weight loss could be as easy as popping a pill and waiting for the fat to disappear.

But, according to Thermohealth, that's all you need to do with their "100 per cent natural" weight loss tablets.

They claim the pills cause thermogenesis, which increases your metabolism and reduces your appetite. But if you burn calories faster and eat less anyway then logic follows you will lose weight.

However, a quick look at the product ingredients indicates they are not going to have a major effect on your weight.

No matter how persuasive the scientific blurb, you're not going to get the figure of your dreams from a mixture made up of hydroxycitric acid and a few vitamins. The Thermoslimmer product is supposed to get rid of excess fat by activating yourthermogenic levels.

This effectively means breaking down calories into energy and heat.

Thermoslimmer claims to help increase your metabolic rate so you burn up more calories faster and thus lose weight.

The other aspect is suppressing your appetite so you eat less food anyway.

Thermoslimmer may contain "one third more active slimming ingredients than any other thermogenic product", but if that means more bee pollen, sylvestre fruit, ginger root and cocoa, hold off buying smaller clothes for the moment.

Mother Nature, a company distributing Thermo-slimmer, was required to amend claims about the product following an ASA investigation in November last year.

EXPERT

CATHERINE'S VERDICT: "If a product contains anything which causes a thermogenic reaction it should come under the Medicine Act. This company uses a few scientific truths mixed with claims about their product that are completely unfounded.

"You can get the same amino acids in their Nightslimmer product just from eating protein rich food, and while ingredients like spirulina might help top up your iodine levels it won't make you lose weight.

"The only way most people will lose weight is through a calorie controlled diet and exercise.

"Putting your faith into herbal remedies is a waste of time."


Julia Hunt, SHADY SLIMMING. , Sunday Mail, 01-12-2003, pp 25.