Herbal Dietary Supplements :: Diet Supplement Weight Loss Gain Research Paper

Herbal Dietary Supplements Fit America Fit America touts itself as the very best and most practical 100% Natural system of weight loss that helps an individual lose weight without dieting. Fit America is a natural weight control that is composed of 13 herbs and minerals that supposedly "help suppress appetite, regulate the bowels and kidneys, and stimulates the metabolism so the body uses the foods consumed more efficiently." The Fit America program requires a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. Fit America promises that an individual can expect to lose up to 10 to 18 pounds per month with a proper balance of food and water consumption. These herbal supplements include astragalus, bitter orange, cascara sagrada, fo-ti, gingko, english hawthorn, henna, licorice root, ma huang, and valerian root. It is recommended that individuals who utilize the Fit America program begin by taking one gray colored herbal capsule twice a day and one peach colored herbal capsule once a day. The Fit America program then encourage s the individual to gradually increase their dosage of grey colored capsules but to take no more than eight in one day1. For a 7 - 10 day starter kit of Fit America, the price is $29.95. For a 45 day supply, the cost is $139.00. I will attempt to review the safety of these herbs and their effects on the human body. Herbal Regulations When a pharmaceutical company desires to market a prescription drug, they must meet certain procedures and standards established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These procedures can last many years and incur hundreds of millions of dollars of cost for the pharmaceutical company. Before a drug can be marketed, it must first be patented and then pass three phases of clinical investigation. In Phase I, the drug is tested by giving a small amount of it to a limited number of people. At this stage, the researchers are looking for the pharmacological effects on the body such as side effects. In Phase II, individuals who have the condition that the drug is supposed to treat are tested. Approximately 100 people are tested in this phase. If Phase II shows signs of promise, then clinical investigations move into Phase III.