by Manuel Villacorta

You may have heard the alarming statistics about America’s weight problem: 65% of Americans are obese or overweight.  Ten years ago about 10-15% of the nation was labeled obese today it is 20-29%.   So, what should we do?  Should we wait until a pharmaceutical company discovers a magic pill?  Or should we learn how to eat properly and control our self-destructive behaviors?

Pharmaceutical companies have spent millions of dollars researching the “magic pill.”  Many have been released on the market only to have dire consequences.  These companies propagate the illusion that there is a simple weight-loss solution requiring no effort.  They instill false hope that lifts peoples’ spirits, only to drop them farther down in the end.   And let’s not forget that most of these drugs can only assist people in losing 10 to 15% of their weight.

Here are some facts about the top 4 anti-obesity drugs:

1. Sanofi-Aventis by Merk, Pfizer was supposed to stop the munchies while in clinical trials, however one major side-effect?  Suicide.

2. Orexigen by Vivus, Amylin.  This company found that by combining drugs that treated seizures, addiction and diabetes a person could shed more pounds than taking the drugs alone but the side-effects were memory loss, dizziness, and depression.

3. Fen-Phen by Arena pharmaceuticals.  Remember Fen-Phen the “super drug?”  It produced double-digit weight-loss but was found to cause heart disease, so the FDA requested the pills be taken off the market.  But Arena is not ready to give up yet.  They are currently working on a pill that promises not to affect the heart and will deal directly with the appetite-controlling center in the brain.  But I ask you, if heart disease was the side-effect of the last pill, what kind of effect might the new and improved pill have on the brain?

4. Alli is the only FDA approved over-the-counter weight-loss product.  Alli promotes weight-loss by decreasing absorption of fat by the intestines, which reduces the number of calories you absorb.  However, the average weight loss is a modest 6 pounds greater than diet and exercise alone and the pill’s side-effects include:

The answer to weight loss is clear.  There are no magic pills that will solve your problems.  Just like any important endeavor, weight loss takes time, work, discipline, motivation and stamina.  Once you have learned how to lose weight the healthy way, this knowledge is yours forever.  If your weight creeps up a few pounds, you will know what to do.  You won’t have to call your doctor to get another pill that will detrimentally affect your health.  Stick with a smart and realistic weight loss plan and you will be successful!