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There are numerous weight loss products that are promoted as being natural, but just because a weight loss product is natural, it may not be safe, and it may not even be effective in the long-run. The fact of the matter is, certain types of natural weight loss aids not only have some serious potential risks associated with them, but they often cause hormonal reactions in the body that can result in weight gain in the long run, even if they stimulate weight loss at first.

Natural weight loss aids that act as stimulants create most of the problems. Natural stimulants do pretty much the same thing that stimulant drugs do, and because the biochemical effects are basically the same, the risks of natural stimulants are essentially the same as the risks of the drugs.

The main ingredients that act as stimulants that are found in natural weight loss products are ma huang (ephedra), guarana, caffeine, yerba mate’, and kola nut. These are all extremely strong stimulants. Their effects are quite similar to those of drugs such as amphetamines. While many people recognize that taking amphetamines can be risky, some may mistakenly assume that a natural product is safe.

There are two reasons that I recommend against using any kind of stimulant to promote weight loss. First, such products have potential health risks such as high blood pressure, tachycardia (elevated heart rate), insomnia, and stroke. Second, although these products do usually stimulate weight loss initially, in the long run they actually hinder weight loss and discontinuation of these products is typically followed by rapid weight gain.

As you first start using stimulants, the adrenal glands produce large quantities of the hormone adrenaline. Adrenaline speeds up the metabolism and causes fat burning and weight loss. This may sound great if you are trying to lose weight, but the problem is that the adrenals cannot keep up with high adrenaline production for more than a few weeks. When the adrenal glands can no longer produce large quantities of adrenaline, the metabolism slows down and weight loss typically ceases.

The fall in adrenaline levels is not the only problem, though. Stimulants cause the adrenals to produce another hormone in large quantities, called cortisol. Cortisol causes you to gain weight and accumulate fat in the lower abdomen. Cortisol production in the adrenals can be kept up for much longer than adrenaline production. A first, the adrenaline production will overcome the fat-storing effects of cortisol and fast weight loss occurs. Over time though, cortisol production will overcome the declining effects of adrenaline, and weight gain is the inevitable result.

Discontinuing the use of stimulants suddenly usually has the result of rapid weight gain, because the effects of cortisol will outlast the effects of the adrenaline. Whether or not stimulants are discontinued though, the eventual effect will be that adrenaline production will be exhausted long before cortisol production begins to fade, and sooner or later the effects of cortisol will win out and weight gain will result.

Even though the idea of fast weight loss through using natural weight loss aids that contain stimulants may be appealing, these products can only complicate your weight issues in the long term and may cause potentially serious damage to your overall health. Natural or not, weight loss aids that contain stimulants should be avoided.