Note: BestDietForMe.com does NOT provide medical advice or diagnoses. You should always consult your physician first, before beginning any weight loss regimen or if suffering from a medical condition.

Retail Diet pills Market Summary

Diet pills sales were down 5% in 2005, as new competitors entered the market and the post-ephedra ban’s effects lingered on and dampened consumer’s enthusiasm for these products. In addition, there was more government scrutiny of this category, and ultimately fines levied on several major marketers of heavily advertised and popular brands. In addition, consumers may be growing weary of claims of fantastic results, which they are not experiencing.

Competitors have already switched to new ingredients other than ephedra (like Hoodia, green tea extract, chromium, etc.), and will continue to do so. We also think that mail order and infomercials will remain popular with the do-it-yourself dieter, despite FTC fines and regulatory actions.

The biggest competition for OTC diet pills is new prescription diet drugs that may enter the market.

It is only new product innovations and continued heavy advertising that will support this very moderate growth. For example, SLIMQUICK was the first OTC diet pill to offer consumers a comprehensive diet and exercise program and a free 32-page booklet. Slimage is targeted at women over age 35, and promises a weight loss product that defies the visible signs of aging. It also offers a free weight loss booklet, with a walking program and recipes. Marketers will likely need to complement their diet pills with more—informational websites (as Slim-Fast has done with meal replacements), booklets, guides, and appealing to specific niches (women, men, elderly overweight, etc.). Other health benefits and boosting energy will be touted along with weight loss.

Description  of Xenadrine

In the case of Xenadrine EFX (about $35 for one-month supply), the FTC says that placebo pills produced greater weight loss in one clinical trial than the supplement. Some of the Xenadrine advertising shows customers who claim to have lost anywhere from 20 to 110 pounds while on the diet pills, but the FTC says that these people actually "engaged in rigorous diet and/or exercise programs in order to lose weight, and some were provided with a personal trainer" in addition to a fee ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 for their endorsements.

As with the rest of these diet pills, it's unclear whether Xenadrine will work, and what we read to the contrary concerned us.  A 2004 article from Consumer Reports highlights the case of a woman who suffered seizures while taking Xenadrine EFX diet pills, a reaction that her doctors believed was triggered by bitter orange in the supplement (bitter orange is also an ingredient in TrimSpa and CortiSlim). Xenadrine EFX has since stopped listing bitter orange as an ingredient in the diet pills, but Xenadrine EFX clearly contains caffeine, green tea extract, some chocolate-derived ingredients and yerba mate, all of which have stimulant effects.

Commentary

In our opinion, herbal supplement formulas lack the scientific proof to be considered as part of a healthy diet plan for achieving and maintaining long term weight loss.  We believe that use of diet pills alone falls short in that it does not educate dieters on healthy diet habits, and does not address the psychological issues many dieters face, as do many traditional weight loss programs. A diet program that fails to recognize these two important components may not sufficiently serve the needs of many dieters.  Overall, we feel it would be unwise to rely on an herbal supplement as a long-term weight solution.

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The information on this web site is intended for information purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.  Before starting any weight loss program, it is recommended that you consult your physician or other health care professional.