Currently, the weight loss drug market is almost entirely counterfeit. There are no truly green weight loss products in a real sense. Nationally approved weight loss drugs are for treating obesity or binge eating disorder. These conditions are only treated with medication when they have already harmed health and conventional dieting and exercise therapy has been ineffective; they are not suitable for ordinary people trying to lose weight.
First, let's talk about laxatives. Laxatives merely reduce the absorption rate of food. Long-term use can lead to malnutrition, and indeed, they can cause weight loss. However, the downside is that they easily cause stress-induced colitis and habitual diarrhea. Due to the excretion of large amounts of water and intestinal fluid, it causes electrolyte imbalance in those losing weight, making them prone to potassium deficiency, as well as causing low blood pressure and high blood viscosity, which can easily trigger thrombosis. Common examples include Cassia seeds, lotus leaves, senna leaves, phenolphthalein tablets, and rhubarb.
Second, there are those claiming to be "fat burners." These medications claim to make fat burn and require the user to drink more water. If you see such claims, whether labeled as traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine, the basic component is usually sibutramine hydrochloride. Representative drugs include Trim and Auctique. This type of drug can stimulate the satiety center and inhibit the hunger center, making people feel less hungry and reducing appetite. The side effects of these drugs include heart damage and depression. After taking them, the risk of coronary heart disease increases, as does the likelihood of cerebral hemorrhage. Users may also experience mental confusion, depression, irritability, and find everything unpleasant. You can look up the other side effects yourself.
These drugs are not used alone; they often contain added thyroid hormones and mild laxatives. The former is to increase the basal metabolic rate, allowing the body to consume more energy, while the latter is to relieve constipation caused by sibutramine. However, this exactly increases the side effects of such drugs, making sudden death from coronary heart disease and manic symptoms more pronounced.
The third category is oil-excluding drugs. A representative drug is Orlistat. Its pharmacological action is as an inhibitor of intestinal fat hydrolase, preventing part of the consumed fat (about one-third) from being hydrolyzed into monoacylglycerols and fatty acids, and instead excreting it as triglycerides. This reduces the absorption of consumed fats. In other words, it is only effective for high-fat diets. If you eat starches and sugars, this will be completely ineffective. Most of the energy we consume daily comes from carbohydrates, so simply reducing fat intake doesn't mean much. This drug has no obvious side effects, but long-term use can cause colitis similar to that caused by laxatives.
The fourth category is acupuncture for weight loss and the mentioned weight loss shoe pads. These methods are extremely imperfect and are still in the theoretical exploration phase. Most acupuncture weight loss treatments just use needles to alleviate hunger while adhering to a very strict weight loss diet during treatment. Spending thousands on treatment yields the same results as following the diet yourself, so there's no need to take it seriously. Without doubt, I work in the acupuncture department, so I have the most authority to speak about acupuncture for weight loss.
The fifth category includes various shaping underwear and topical weight loss drugs like capsaicin. These products claim that applying them externally accelerates local fat burning and can quickly reduce fat. Some even wrap themselves in cling film to sweat. This method merely expels local water. The only way for fat to burn is when glycogen is depleted and reserve energy needs to be utilized, at which point fat consumption begins. Topical substances like capsaicin and leptin applied to the abdomen only induce diarrhea, working similarly to laxatives. When applied to the limbs, they merely make the body sweat.
The sixth category includes various hypoglycemic drugs, such as glyburide. These are originally for treating diabetes. After taking them, blood sugar levels decrease, forcing the body to utilize fat reserves. This is actually effective, but the side effects include coma and liver and kidney damage. This is explicitly banned by the state.
The seventh category is fat-shaking machines. They've been exposed before, and the principle is: passive muscle movement does not consume energy.