Could That Weight-Loss Supplement Land You in the ER?

Is your weight-loss supplement going to send you to the emergency room?

It could be, according to a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. In this study, researchers from federal agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, estimated that 23,000 trips to a hospital emergency room annually are due to folks taking dietary supplements. The researchers reviewed 10 years of data obtained from more than 60 hospitals, which comprised a nationally represented sampling of emergency departments in the United States.

While some of the visits were due to the unsupervised swallowing of the supplements by children and choking issues by older adults, the biggest culprit in landing these folks in the ER was the use of weight-loss products. The most common adverse effect that consumers of these products experienced were heart issues, such as palpitations, chest pains and a rapid heartbeat. If that isn't scary enough, the majority of these folks on the ER gurney were young adults, age 22 to 34 years old.

According to the Federal Trade Commission's website, "FDA has discovered hundreds of dietary supplements containing drugs or other chemicals, often in products for weight loss and bodybuilding. These extras generally aren't listed on the label -- and might even be sold with false and misleading claims like 100 percent natural and safe."

The FTC warns against falling prey for these seven weight-loss gimmicks that sound too good to be true:

Lose weight without diet or exercise!

Nothing in life is free. Pass on any product that promises miraculous results with little effort on your part.

Lose weight no matter how much you eat of your favorite foods!

When was the last time you were ever able to eat unlimited amounts of high-calorie foods and lose weight? When it comes to losing weight, you can't have your cake and eat it, too.

Lose weight permanently! Never diet again!

Weight loss is never permanent if you regress back to your unhealthy eating habits and couch-potato lifestyle. If there isn't a discussion of long-term lifestyle changes, you are being duped.

Just take a pill!

There isn't a magic pill that will let you off the hook if you don't also reduce your calorie intake and get off the couch.

Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!

If the advertisement guarantees speedy results, it's guaranteed to be a fad diet that is likely to be untrue, unhealthy and unsafe. Losing weight at the rate of a pound or less weekly is the safest and most realistic rate that you should expect.

Lose weight with our miracle diet patch or cream!

There isn't a patch or cream on this earth that you can apply topically that will melt fat away on or in your body.

Everybody will lose weight!

There isn't one perfect weight-loss diet. Rather, you should meet with a registered dietitian nutritionist for a personalized, individually tailored weight-loss plan that is based on science and designed to meet your health and lifestyle needs. Depending on your medical history, the costs may even be covered by your insurance company. (Check with your insurance policy to see if this service is covered.)

Don't let your battle of the bulge land you in your local ER. Recognize that losing weight is a good goal for many of us, but the use of a dietary supplement cannot safely get you there by itself.

Joan Salge Blake is a Clinical Associate Professor at Boston University and the author of "Nutrition &You," 3^nd Edition, Pearson/Benjamin Cummings (2014), "Nutrition & You: Core Concepts to Good Health," Pearson/Benjamin Cummings (2010), and "Eat Right The E.A.S.Y. Way," Prentice Hall Press (1991). She is the co-author of "Nutrition: From Science to You," Pearson/Benjamin Cummings (2016). Joan has conducted more than 1,000 media interviews and has been quoted in or written for various media outlets, such as the New York Times, Food Network, Newsweek, Washington Post, Forbes, Prevention, WebMD, Consumer Reports, Boston Globe, Newsday, Time, The Atlanta Journal Constitution Readers Digest, and Cosmopolitan, People, Parade, Cooking Light, Parents, Shape, Self, More, Sports Illustrated, Woman's Day, More, All You and O magazines. She has appeared on CBS, The Early Show, CNN, CBS News Boston, NBC News, Boston, NPR and Fox TV, Boston. In 2012, Joan was named by Good Housekeeping Magazine as the expert to follow on Twitter for healthy eating. She is currently working towards her doctorate. Follow her on Twitter at: @JoanSalgeBlake.