There are, however, some new diet pills that are being used in other countries and are being studied for FDA approval. One of them is the drug Rimonabant, which is known as either Acomplia or Zimulti.
Rimonabant has been used in European countries for a while, but it has come under scrutiny in the USA because of the possibility of causing depression and anxiety as side effects.

Herbal Diet Pills: The FDA doesn’t approve herbal diet pills, nor does it disapprove them. Herbal remedies and natural diet supplements can be bought over the counter as diet pills. With the ability to use plant-based products without FDA approval, many people are turning to these seemingly more natural and safer alternatives to helping get their weight under control.

What many people don’t realize is that there are just as many side effects and complications when an all natural product is used as there are for medication. As a matter of fact, herbal or natural diet pills are sometimes more dangerous for the simple fact that people don’t put as much caution into using them as they would with medication.

With no FDA warnings or approval, potential problems are often overlooked until there have been injuries or deaths related to the improper usage of the product.

There are ways to make sure what you are taking is safe whether it is FDA approved or not. With research and label reading, you can find out about potential side effects and problems of any herbal formula or natural product.

When they are used properly and the necessary safety precautions are taken, natural and herbal diet pills can be a great alternative to medication for weight loss and many other physical problems.

Herbal Diet Pills in the News: With the focus on problems, most people who are familiar with diet pill research are aware of the problems associated with Ephedra (Ma Huang). What many people aren’t aware of is that Ephedra is still being used in many herbal remedies. From asthma and bronchial remedies to weight loss pills, Ephedra is still legal to use as  an ingredient. It is also still available in the form of tea, which is something many people drink to enhance weight loss.

With all the potential problems associated with it, Ephedra also has many medicinal qualities, and if used under the proper medical supervision and with caution, it has the ability to help many people with health problems.

News Makers: One nutrient that has made the news lately as a weight loss supplement and has been beneficial to many aspects of health is fish oil. The problem is finding fish oil that is free of contaminants. With mercury levels at a dangerous point and mercury-free fish oil being difficult to find, the prices for the purest form of Omega 3 fish oil have gone way up.

Omega 3 fish oil has gained new attention as being helpful to people who suffer from some auto-immune diseases, and from inflammation disorders. With weight gain being a problem that is sometimes caused by inflammation, fish oil is now said to help many people lose weight.

Wouldn’t it just be terrific if, after enduring months of careful dieting and losing those unwanted pounds, you could take a pill and go back to eating the goodies you ate before your diet, with no fear of the consequence of extra pounds?  A study has been performed on rats with encouraging results, but researchers aren’t sure whether those results will translate to humans.  Alpha-lipoic acid, which is widely sold as a dietary supplement in many health food stores and online, has been found to have the benefit of “locking in” the results experienced from a successful six-month weight loss program.  In addition to that, as icing on the cake, the ingredient has been shown to have anti-aging properties.  What more could you ask for in a diet pill?

The leader of one of the medical studies was so intrigued by the prospect that he decided to try it out himself.  Alpha-lipoic acid seems to “fool” the body into believing it is still on whatever diet plan was being followed before going off the diet.  In some way, this ingredient has an “anti-obesity” effect.

Normally, when an individual leaves a diet plan they have been following for a few months, they will tend to begin gaining weight back.  A successful diet must be maintained for life if you want the weight loss to stay off.  That held true until now.  If this ingredient is found to work in humans as well as it has worked thus far in rats, the old theories of weight loss may go right out the window.

Returning to the anti-aging element of Alpha-lipoic acid, it has also been confirmed through medical studies that restricting the number of calories a person takes in each day can lead to a longer life.  Reduced caloric intake equals weight loss and longer life.  A study was done among people living in Japan’s Okinawan Islands that proves a traditionally low-calorie diet led the inhabitants to the highest proportion of people in the world living over age 100.

The researchers investigating the properties of Alpha-lipoic acid entertain the beliefs that this ingredient will do the same thing.  By following a reduced-calorie diet for six months and then taking Alpha-lipoic acid afterward, while eating normally, the average age and life span will rise.

The properties of Alpha-lipoic acid have long been sought, not only as a dietary aid, but to help with liver damage and to help stroke victims.  It has long been touted for its anti-oxidant qualities.  If the research from medical studies such as this one continue in the direction they are now headed, Alpha-lipoic acid could gain a favorable reputation for many more reasons.

The pill is GW1516, and as reported by Amanda Gardner, in a Business Week article, entitled, “Pill Could Boost Sports Performance”, it helped mice in a structured test. It increased their running endurance by 68 percent and the distance they ran by 70 percent.  The pill, when combined with four weeks of exercise training, produced these stunning results.  The pill without the exercise did nothing that compared with the results when the two were combined.

This has only been tested in mice and no one knows how it will translate to humans, but the results are encouraging for development of a diet pill that could react the same way in humans.  If this were to occur, imagine the possibilities.  The possible creation of such a pill would be great diet pill news for those looking for an extra edge, advantage, or opportunity of shedding excess pounds and building muscle.

The test, according to the article, cites a July 31 issue of Cell magazine as reporting that when another compound was added, endurance was increased even further because the mice’s muscles were “tricked” into believing they were being worked on a daily basis when, in fact, they were not.  This kind of behavioral change at the cellular level could mean a change in diet pill news that could be a whole new way of looking at dieting, working out and losing weight.

The muscles of the mice that received both drug and physical exercise training showed patterns of gene activity not seen without the combination of the two parts.  Another compound, AICAR, was added.  This compound affects enzyme activity that replenishes cell energy.  This result produces a trickle-down effect of activating other cells, tissues, and enzymes, and can have a widespread effect on muscle-building and energy level.

This diet pill news could cause an adverse effect on athletes who take it outside the limits of regulations enforced at sporting events. They could potentially use it to gain an unfair advantage during competition.  The researchers and scientists responsible for formulating these compounds are currently working a method of detecting it in one’s system when used for illegal or unfair purposes.

It is a well known fact that by keeping weight at an optimum level and exercising on a regular basis, especially as individuals age, the risks for heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, among a host of other diseases reduces significantly.  Physical activity is key to good overall health.  Muscle cells are desired over fat cells, although a certain number of fat cells are needed within the body as well.

The science of this study bodes well for the possible introduction of a new pill that is already showing signs of increased physical endurance in mice.  It is extremely difficult for an overwhelming amount of people living in today’s society to get the proper amount of exercise needed to control medical and health issues.  We live such a sedentary lifestyle and even though changes are do-able, it is far too drastic for some.  For those who find it nearly impossible to get more exercise, hope may be on the way.  Researchers and scientists are constantly on the lookout for new and innovative ideas that can be parlayed into useful medical knowledge and tools.

If you have used a diet pill, then we would love to read your review. Your review can help thousands find the right diet pill the first time, everytime.

So if you are ready, lets take a look at some of the diet pills available.