HEALTH AND BEAUTY ARCHIVE: 538: Pool party Keep your cool this summer with a visit to one of Tokyo’s many pools. Metropolis shows you where to take the plunge. 536: Don't sweat it With the hot and humid months upon us, Cristy Burne share some tips on staying cool. 534: Swept away Put away your broomsticks—all you really need to soar through the clouds is an armful of nylon and a good gust. Cristy Burne checks out the air up there. 532: Tee time Can’t keep it on the fairway? The ‘yips’ invaded your game? Rob Smaal finds a few experienced golf pros who can work out your kinks on the links. 530: Balancing act An ancient science is helping modern men and women find peace, health and the always elusive “balance.” Tama M. Lung takes a closer look at ayurveda. 528: Kicking on Former K-1 Japan champion Nicholas Pettas shares his love of martial arts at the new Spirit Gym in Nogizaka. Chris Betros goes along to watch. 526: On call A revolutionary daily disease self-management system is making life easier for diabetics. Chris Betros finds out about Lifewatcher. 524: Team spirit From rugby to roller hockey, Tokyo is teeming with sports clubs for the expat athlete. Rob Smaal shows you how to get in the game. 522: Type casting Second-generation blood-type expert Toshitaka Nomi looks at the links between blood classifications and health. Mick Corliss reports. 520: Like a rock Climbing instructor Luke Kearns gets a grip on Tokyo's best indoor climbing gyms. 516: The personal touch Madonna and Matsui aren't the only ones who need help staying fit. Hanna Kite pumps it up with the top personal trainers in Tokyo. 514: From here to maternity Kavitha Rao turns to a handful of Tokyo experts to track down baby basics for nervous expat mothers-to-be. 502: Tour de Morton, part deux Don Morton gets back on two wheels for a leisurely ride out toward Haneda Airport. ISSUES 499- ISSUES 449- ISSUES 399- ISSUES 349- ISSUES 299-

Slim chance?

Shops are stocked with pills and potions that promise quick weight loss. But are they safe? Cathy Frances reads the fine print.

With summer upon us, it's the season for skimpy wear. Unfortunately, for many of us, swimsuits and short skirts are uncomfortable reminders that we need to lose a few kilos. But how to go about it? Cut out the cheesecake and exercise regularly, right? That's the tried and true way, but dieting has become big business with an array of gimmicks and "short cuts" that include diet pills, fat burners, appetite suppressants, patches and creams, among others.

Popping pills
Diet pills are by far the most popular weapons in the overeater's arsenal. Touted as an effortless means of weight control, diet pills have become an international phenomenon. Japanese consumers snapped up $25.2 billion worth of such nutritional products in 2000. Pressure to conform to "normal" standards-if only to buy off-the-rack fashions-has given Japan 18 percent of the world market for nutritional supplements, ranking third behind the US (35 percent) and Europe (32 percent), according to Nutritional Outlook magazine. Ironically, a recent government report stated that 47 percent of Japanese women are already more than 10 percent under their ideal body weight and 5 percent of junior high school children in Tokyo suffer from anorexia nervosa.

With all the dietary supplements on offer, how do you know what works and doesn't, what's safe and what isn't? In the past year, media have reported at least four Japanese deaths attributable to Chinese herbal diet supplements (including a 60-year-old woman and 30-year-old man). "If you take a supplement, choose a reputable brand name with a comprehensive list of ingredients and follow the instructions to the letter," cautions Tokyo Dr Takashi Abe.

Knowing which diet supplement to start with can be difficult. Ephedrine gets high marks from many nutritionists. Ephedrine sinica is an amphetamine-like herb, also known as ma huang, that has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years and is the most common source of ephedra in dietary supplements. "We have no scientific evidence of any dietary supplement ingredient that works better than ephedra to help a person lose weight," explains Bob Herrmann of Metabolife, the largest diet pill company in the world. "It is primarily a metabolism enhancer," meaning that it speeds up body functions, like respiration and heart rate.

For most people, increasing the metabolic rate just means a few more calories are burned, but like all things, there will be individuals who are adversely sensitive to the herb. Although sporadic, these rare incidents have been well publicized, like the death of Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler in February this year, which the Florida Medical Examiner's report attributed in part to Xenadrine, (an ephedra-based, over the counter supplement).

However, in a report to the FDA in the US, the Ephedra Education Council (www.ephedrafacts.com/index.html) defended the drug: "The available information does not demonstrate an association between the use of dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids and serious adverse events when used according to the AHPA Trade Recommendation and the presence or absence of a 'susceptible population' cannot be determined; however, severe overdosing can lead to serious adverse events as they can with any ingested food." The American Herbal Products Association recommends 90 mg/day (30 mg three times a day) of ephedrine.

Dieetary supplements are big business across the world

Nutritionists and doctors advise consumers not to buy any diet pill that doesn't have an adequate cautionary statement on the label. Children, pregnant women, and anyone with a heart condition should avoid diet supplements. Contents and instructions for use should also be clearly stated, so that you are aware of what you are ingesting-in the same way that people with nut allergies need to identify nut ingredients. Misuse by consumers is a major issue. According to the Ephedra Education Council, "16,000 deaths a year in the US are attributed to the misuse of aspirin, but this does not mean that aspirin should be banned, any more than the misuse of dietary supplements justifies a ban on ephedra."

Tipping the scales
Ephedra-based products are only one of the many items on the dietary supplement menu. Appetite suppressants, such as Diethylpropion, Phendimetrazine and Phentermine, basically stop you feeling hungry and reduce what you put into your mouth. Then there are fat absorption blockers: they contain lipase inhibitors that stop the action of lipase enzymes, effectively reducing 30 percent of fat from being digested and ingested by the body. They should only be taken short-term, and can reduce weight, but will cause diarrhea and require vitamin A, D, E, K and beta- supplements. Fat burners, a vespa amino-acid mixture, better known as VAAM, burn body fat to produce energy. They are effective when combined with exercise. Diuretics and laxatives ensure anything you put into your mouth passes swiftly through the digestive system. They can be particularly dangerous if taken long term and can cause skin rashes, diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome.

Carbohydrate/calorie inhibitors, such as Metabolife's Starch Buster, are brand-new products, made from an extract of white kidney beans, which binds with alpha amylase to reduce carbohydrate conversion to sugar calories. Metabolife (www.metabolife.com) is also promoting a new Ephedra Free stimulant and appetite suppressant. Biolean is the supplement recommended by many sports and fitness professionals like Andy Cordina at Intense Wellness (www.intensewellness.com). "Biolean is a thermogenic weight loss catalyst which controls cravings for food and sweets, stabilizes blood sugar levels and enhances exercise performance," Cordina explains.

Non-oral means of dieting include patches: In theory, they stimulate the thyroid gland thus increasing the metabolic rate and calorie consumption, but there is no evidence they actually work. In fact, on www.dietfraud.com, which reviews a wide range of health products, Dr Terry Polevoy suggests they are probably most effective "stuck across the refrigerator so you can't open the door." Creams that claim a svelte figure within days have also been debunked. Good Housekeeping magazine found no scientific evidence supporting their effectiveness after trials.

"Tips for the savvy supplement user" can be found at the FDA website at www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ds-savvy.html. To calculate your metabolic rate and recommended calorie intake for a weight loss program, visit www.room42.com/nutrition/basal.shtml. Or listen to Dr Abe, who says supplements "should never be a substitute for moderating your food intake, eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly."

Photo credit:
Courtesy of Metabolife (Starch Buster)
Courtesy of Intense Wellness (BioLean)

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