All this begs the question, as to why there are so many weight-loss supplements in the market today. And the answers are not so hard to fathom.
For one, the proliferation of weight-loss supplements is arguably demand driven: as there is so huge a need for them. Just a couple of decades ago, being obese could have made you very conspicuous in a crowd. You were likely to be the only overweight person in such a crowd. Today, it is being thin that is likely to make you conspicuous! In some parts of the world, being obese (or at least relatively overweight) has become the norm, rather than the exception. Yet this is not to be taken to mean that the overweight people are very comfortable with their condition: many are quite distressed with it, and often ready to take anything that can help them in overcoming the problem: hence the great demand for the weight-loss supplements.
Second is the rise of the 'instant gratification culture' as another factor behind the proliferation of weight-loss supplements. As it turns out, the people who happen to be overweight are not only looking to lose weight, but to lose it quickly, (actually instantly if possible). Now traditional advice to people looking to lose weight was that they had to change their diets and exercise regularly in order to attain that goal. But while diet and exercise always worked (and they still do) in helping with weight loss, the problem tended to be in their speed: as they were notoriously slow in delivering results. Many people want faster weight loss, and it is here that the weight loss supplements enter, promising just that: fast weight loss.
Finally, there is lack of regulation on the production of health products, in most countries, as another factor behind the proliferation of weight-loss supplements. In days gone by, the people making the supplements today would still have loved to make them (for the small market then), but due to strict regulation, they were often unable to do so. With today's less strict regulation though, anybody seeing a good business opportunity in the weight loss industry, and who is ready to make products for it can come up with some sort of a concoction, label it a weight-loss supplement...and get into business right away, with hardly any question asked!
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