Emetine, the active ingredient, can build up in tissue and cause muscle or heart weakness. Ipecac is toxic, whether taken as a single large dose or as small doses that can build up over time. Diet pills are often taken to help with weight loss. These reduce appetite, but only temporarily. Typically the appetite returns to normal after a week or two, the lost weight is regained, and the user then has the problem of trying to get off the drug without gaining more weight.
Fad diets promise rapid weight loss but actually encourage unhealthy dietary habits.
They prey on the dieter's wish for quick results with little effort or make the diet seem exciting because the types of combinations of foods consumed are different from those normally eaten. Unfortunately, such quick weight-loss schemes do not help the body lose fat or provide the nutrients that are required to keep the body in optimal health. The dieting cycle - You probably know someone who claims to have tried every diet known, but still can't lose excess weight. The fad diets have backfired and he or she is caught in the dieting cycle. For example, a woman may go on a quick weight-loss diet and boast of losing seven pounds in two days.