3 ms·

It's worth pointing out that "losing weight" isn't a panacea for health. Yes, it would almost certainly be a very good thing for significantly overweight and ob

It's worth pointing out that "losing weight" isn't a panacea for health. Yes, it would almost certainly be a very good thing for significantly overweight and obese individuals to shed pounds, period, but the article doesn't address the fact that in and of itself this is unlikely to make them "healthy." There are lots of people who are not overweight who have many of the same cardiovascular issues commonly associated with obesity (high cholesterol and blood pressure, insulin resistance, etc.). If the goal is overall health and well-being, the title of this article is arguably misleading. Diet drugs might "work" when it comes to weight reduction, but it would be unrealistic to ignore the fact that without real lifestyle changes (diet, exercise), many of those who use them will likely be plagued by the same serious health issues.

Killah911 13y ago
Finally a well thought out comment. One of the big issues I see with obesity is that the problem is oversimplified, as are the solutions. I know of several people on whom counter-obesity problems have had a significantly detrimental effect. I've seen ineffective gastric bypass surgery which led to a friend gaining even more weight and watched helplessly as he slipped into a very depressed and negative state. As the article points out, if someone said there's a drug that just cures cancer it would be laughable. It is indeed so with weight loss. Phentermine will have minor side effects with impulse control, addiction, paranoia etc. Interestingly enough, obesity is typically not associated with the "poor" in the rest of the world. I have often heard it mentioned as an anecdote to how "wealthy" Americans really are. But therein lies a very interesting problem to which I simply haven't seen a very good answer. Unfortunately the sigtma associated with obesity and the well entrenched and highly profitable "weight-loss" industry gets in the way of significant advances being made in this arena. Again, as is mentioned in the article, there is even a stigma associated with "diet doctors", which surely has dissuaded more than a few brilliant minds to explore the field more. Ofcourse, as a programmer who is very familiar with a sedentary lifestyle and the pizza culture, obesity is a serious issues that does affect more than just the poor. And for crying out loud, I hope someone figures out more about it than pseudo science of obesity we have now. It's not as simple as it looks at first glance.
gph 13y ago
Thank you, I couldn't believe there wasn't a quoted doctor somewhere in the article bringing up this point. I'm not overweight, but I know I don't get quite enough exercise right now either. My blood pressure and cholesterol levels are a bit higher than normal. Nothing concerning yet, but if I let it go on like this for another decade it won't matter if I'm not technically overweight. I'll still be unhealthy and facing similar cardiovascular/metabolic problems. These things can't be solved by a diet pill.

Killah911 13y ago

Finally a well thought out comment. One of the big issues I see with obesity is that the problem is oversimplified, as are the solutions. I know of several people on whom counter-obesity problems have had a significantly detrimental effect. I've seen ineffective gastric bypass surgery which led to a friend gaining even more weight and watched helplessly as he slipped into a very depressed and negative state. As the article points out, if someone said there's a drug that just cures cancer it would be laughable. It is indeed so with weight loss. Phentermine will have minor side effects with impulse control, addiction, paranoia etc. Interestingly enough, obesity is typically not associated with the "poor" in the rest of the world. I have often heard it mentioned as an anecdote to how "wealthy" Americans really are. But therein lies a very interesting problem to which I simply haven't seen a very good answer. Unfortunately the sigtma associated with obesity and the well entrenched and highly profitable "weight-loss" industry gets in the way of significant advances being made in this arena. Again, as is mentioned in the article, there is even a stigma associated with "diet doctors", which surely has dissuaded more than a few brilliant minds to explore the field more. Ofcourse, as a programmer who is very familiar with a sedentary lifestyle and the pizza culture, obesity is a serious issues that does affect more than just the poor. And for crying out loud, I hope someone figures out more about it than pseudo science of obesity we have now. It's not as simple as it looks at first glance.

gph 13y ago

Thank you, I couldn't believe there wasn't a quoted doctor somewhere in the article bringing up this point. I'm not overweight, but I know I don't get quite enough exercise right now either. My blood pressure and cholesterol levels are a bit higher than normal. Nothing concerning yet, but if I let it go on like this for another decade it won't matter if I'm not technically overweight. I'll still be unhealthy and facing similar cardiovascular/metabolic problems. These things can't be solved by a diet pill.