Topic Overview

There are many over-the-counter products for weight loss. Individual products often contain several ingredients. Some contain 20 or more. It’s important to read the label before you buy.

The one thing all these ingredients have in common is that none of them have been proved to be both safe and effective. And taking any diet aid makes it hard for you to listen to your hunger signals so that you can have a normal relationship with food.

Most over-the-counter diet aids don't work. And those that do work come with warnings about their safety. Doctors don't recommend any of them.

Diet aid	What it claims to do	Is there evidence that it works?	Is it safe for most people?
Alli	Blocks fat from the food you eat	Yes	May cause side effects
Apple cider vinegar	Burns calories, lowers appetite	No	Unknown
Bitter orange	Burns calories	No	Probably not; related to ephedra
Caffeine	Lowers appetite	No	Yes
Cascara	Acts as a laxative so you lose water weight	No	Long-term use may cause health problems
Chitosan	Blocks fat from the food you eat	No	May cause health problems
Chromium	Burns fat	No	Yes
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)	Burns fat	No	Mild to moderate side effects
Country mallow	Burns calories	Yes	No; contains ephedra
Dandelion	Increases amount of urine so you lose water weight	A little	May cause health problems
Ephedra	Burns calories	Yes	No; banned in U.S.
Glucomannan	Acts as a laxative to absorb water, so you feel full sooner	A little	Yes
Green tea	Burns fat	No	Yes
Guar gum	Lowers appetite	No	Yes
Guarana	Lowers appetite	No	Yes
Guggul	Aids weight loss	No	May cause side effects
Hoodia	Lowers appetite	No	Unknown
Hydroxycitric acid (HCA)	Lowers appetite	No	Yes
L-carnitine	Burns fat	No	May cause side effects
Laminaria	Burns calories	No	Unknown
Licorice	Burns fat	No	May cause health problems
Psyllium	Acts as a laxative to absorb water, so you feel full sooner	No	Yes
Pyruvate	Lowers appetite, burns calories	A little	Yes
Spirulina (blue-green algae)	Lowers appetite	No	May cause side effects
Yerba maté	Lowers appetite	No	May cause health problems

Related Information

• Weight management: Should I use over-the-counter diet aids?

Credits

Author	Christine Wendt, R.D., L.D.
Editor	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN
Associate Editor	Pat Truman, MATC
Primary Medical Reviewer	Ruth Schneider, MPH, RD - Diet and Nutrition
Primary Medical Reviewer	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Rhonda O'Brien - Certified Diabetes Educator
Last Updated	December 12, 2009