Stay away from diet pills; snack with an eye towards a steady blood sugar level.

Want to lose weight? Pears are safer than pills.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning customers to steer clear of more than two dozen different weight-loss products, warning that they contain illegal ingredients that could pose major health problems.

THE DETAILS: After investigating companies linked to selling illegal weight-loss pills, the FDA found undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients in 25 products. The illegal substances include sibutramine (a controlled substance), rimonabant (a drug not cleared for marketing in the United States), phenytoin (an antiseizure medication), and phenolphthalein (a solution used in chemical experiments and a suspected cancer-causing agent). Sibutramine has been linked to high blood pressure, seizures, palpitations, heart attack, and stroke. It could interfere with medications you’re taking, too. Rimonabant is legal in Europe but has been associated with two deaths, increased suicidal thoughts, and depression.

“These tainted weight-loss products pose a great risk to public health because they contain undeclared ingredients and, in some cases, contain prescription drugs in amounts that greatly exceed their maximum recommended dosages,” says Janet Woodcock, MD, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in the warning issued yesterday.

The agency warns consumers not to buy or take the following products:

• Fatloss Slimming
• Japan Lingzhi 24 Hours Diet
• 999 Fitness Essence
• Imelda Perfect Slim
• Perfect Slim
• ProSlim Plus
• Slim Express 360
• Superslim
• Venom Hyperdrive 3.0
• 2 Day Diet
• 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming
• 8 Factor Diet
• Extrim Plus
• Lida Daidaihua
• Perfect Slim 5x
• Royal Slimming Formula
• Slimtech
• TripleSlim
• 3x Slimming Power
• 3 Day Diet
• 7 Diet Day/Night Formula
• GMP
• Miaozi Slim Capsules
• Phyto Shape
• Slim 3 in 1
• Somotrim
• Zhen de Shou

The FDA says the companies are not cooperating with recall efforts, and the agency may seek criminal charges.