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I remember about Hydroxycut, another weight loss pill from old days. That was recalled due to liver damage. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3952288

I remember about Hydroxycut, another weight loss pill from old days. That was recalled due to liver damage. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3952288/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3952288/

gadders 8y ago
If you want a weight loss tablet that can kill: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dinitrophenol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dinitrophenol Seems to kill a couple of people a month in the UK.
- SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
  Why can't people just eat a bit less and do some exercise? It's not rocket science.
  - choko 8y ago
    Because many people have poor impulse control and it's not nearly as easy as you present. If it were, many fewer people would have issues with obesity. It's not as if those people don't know why they are overweight.
    - gaius 8y ago
      many people have poor impulse control Yes and no. I expect that most people’s impulse control is actually OK, in the absence of continuous advertising i.e. an obesogenic environment. Snack companies spend literally billions to psychologically profile and manipulate their customers...
  - Broken_Hippo 8y ago
    Sure it isn't rocket science, but it isn't nearly as simple as "just eat a bit less and do some exercise". I've lost a lot of weight and kept it off for years. Good advice is hard to come by, and half of the advice is complete crap or so restrictive that it is difficult to follow. Even "simply eating less" isn't that simple. 1. Few tell you ways to deal with actual hunger. Frank talks about this would help: I explain that it is, to a point, something you get used to and to a point, something you learn to control after a while. It isn't that hard to wait an hour for a snack, but it is hard to simply not have a snack. 2. Most folks still need to be satisfied with food. I personally opt for eating less during the day and eating more in the evening because that is when I am the most hungry. 3. Simply being sure to eat enough fruits and vegetables might cause you to lose weight without eating less bulk. You don't need to focus on eating less, just healthier. Same goes for whole grains. You wind up eating less calories. 4. A slew of people need to learn to cook differently and have options available at times when they cannot cook. 5. American society (at least) puts a lot of emphasis on food. 6. Exercise doesn't actually help you lose much weight. In fact, you might find yourself more hungry for doing it. It does, however, help with health - but it doesn't have to be tons of stuff. It would really help if more places had safe biking and walking paths along roads.
    - hedvig 8y ago
      Per 4, I think our imposed "market" focused ideology is mostly responsible. And I am not of the belief that there are market based solutions that will get us out of the obesity problem.
zone411 8y ago
There is a chance that Hydroxycut was actually something good overall. There were 23 reported cases of serious health problems and apparently one death. Maybe we can triple that, as not every case will be reported. But this has to be compared to the negative effects of consuming something common, e.g. coffee. There were a million units sold each year and assuming it was effective in reducing fat among a percentage of overweight people, the lifespan of an average user might have easily increased, not to mention the quality of life. I don't think this would convince the public or the regulators of course. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxycut https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxycut

gadders 8y ago

If you want a weight loss tablet that can kill: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dinitrophenol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dinitrophenol Seems to kill a couple of people a month in the UK.

SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
Why can't people just eat a bit less and do some exercise? It's not rocket science.
- choko 8y ago
  Because many people have poor impulse control and it's not nearly as easy as you present. If it were, many fewer people would have issues with obesity. It's not as if those people don't know why they are overweight.
  - gaius 8y ago
    many people have poor impulse control Yes and no. I expect that most people’s impulse control is actually OK, in the absence of continuous advertising i.e. an obesogenic environment. Snack companies spend literally billions to psychologically profile and manipulate their customers...
- Broken_Hippo 8y ago
  Sure it isn't rocket science, but it isn't nearly as simple as "just eat a bit less and do some exercise". I've lost a lot of weight and kept it off for years. Good advice is hard to come by, and half of the advice is complete crap or so restrictive that it is difficult to follow. Even "simply eating less" isn't that simple. 1. Few tell you ways to deal with actual hunger. Frank talks about this would help: I explain that it is, to a point, something you get used to and to a point, something you learn to control after a while. It isn't that hard to wait an hour for a snack, but it is hard to simply not have a snack. 2. Most folks still need to be satisfied with food. I personally opt for eating less during the day and eating more in the evening because that is when I am the most hungry. 3. Simply being sure to eat enough fruits and vegetables might cause you to lose weight without eating less bulk. You don't need to focus on eating less, just healthier. Same goes for whole grains. You wind up eating less calories. 4. A slew of people need to learn to cook differently and have options available at times when they cannot cook. 5. American society (at least) puts a lot of emphasis on food. 6. Exercise doesn't actually help you lose much weight. In fact, you might find yourself more hungry for doing it. It does, however, help with health - but it doesn't have to be tons of stuff. It would really help if more places had safe biking and walking paths along roads.
  - hedvig 8y ago
    Per 4, I think our imposed "market" focused ideology is mostly responsible. And I am not of the belief that there are market based solutions that will get us out of the obesity problem.

zone411 8y ago

There is a chance that Hydroxycut was actually something good overall. There were 23 reported cases of serious health problems and apparently one death. Maybe we can triple that, as not every case will be reported. But this has to be compared to the negative effects of consuming something common, e.g. coffee. There were a million units sold each year and assuming it was effective in reducing fat among a percentage of overweight people, the lifespan of an average user might have easily increased, not to mention the quality of life. I don't think this would convince the public or the regulators of course. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxycut https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxycut