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Warning Signs

In a day when natural teas, organic herbs, exotic fruits, and unheard-of plants hold promise for the wonder-working elixir of weight loss, be wary. Be very wary. It could be a scam. Today, many diet pills boast natural ingredients that are safe and effective means for losing weight. But how do you know what’s legitimate and what’s a scam? Here are some clues.

Rare claims

Does the diet pill claim to have an extremely rare ingredient, an ingredient so rare that no other diet pills contain it? Be skeptical. Concocting stories about a diet pill’s rarity is one technique used to enhance its legitimacy. Apparently, if harvesters must endure extreme rigors in order to gain access to the diet pill ingredients, it must be worth your money and be effective? So goes the logic.

New claims

Other diet pills avow that the ingredients contained in their pill are new, never before discovered by mankind. Furthermore, they may declare to have new powers—the ingredient that all the other diet pills have been missing. Again, this should register as a red flag. Chances are, the “new” ingredient is either not exactly new, not entirely revolutionary, or not even there at all.

Outrageous claims

Clear-thinking people, or people with any awareness of health and the human body will recognize the illegitimacy of these claims. Some diet pills actually claim to have wonder-working powers that will shed fat off the body with no exercise. These are the kind of diet pills advertised with claims such as “lose fifty pounds in two weeks!” The claims may or may not be true, but if they are true, you can be sure that these are dangerous pills. Stay away.

Just plain weird

In an effort to make a sale or start a trend, some diet pill makers advertise the presence of dubious ingredients. Goat semen? Beetle shell extract? Reptile heart compounds? Not me.

So, if you spot any of those claims, just keep alert. I’m not saying that they don’t all work. However, do some homework, some research, and put your money where the results are proven.