Diet products fall into two categories: Diet pills and diet foods. In the case of diet pills, yes, they do. Most diet pills sold over the counter decrease weight in various ways. However, none of them are without side effects.

Take Alli, a weaker version of Orlistat, which prevents us from digesting a percentage of our fat intake by preventing it from being absorbed into the small intestine. The pill works well, but eating too much fat can lead to sticky poop and uncontrollable bowel movements. It also blocks fat soluble vitamins along with the fat, so vitamin supplements are needed. Other pills work in different ways and have different side effects.

Diet foods are more difficult to judge. Foods such as digestive biscuits, low fat creams and diet sodas contain less calories and fats, but these foods are not exclusive to a person’s diet. If the only sodas a person ever has are diet sodas, but that same person eats a lot of other fatty foods, then the diet soda hasn’t helped his diet much. Also, studies have shown that when foods have smaller calorific content, people tend to have more of them.

So diet products don’t work unless people help them along –by sticking to the diet plan and exercising regularly.