Tag: weight loss (Page 2 of 10)

The FDA Has Approved The Diet Drug Qsymia

July 17, 2012 / Staff

The FDA has approved Qsymia for use today by those who are obese, with a BMI of 30 or more, or for those who have a BMI of 27 with weight related illness.

The history of weight loss pills has been fraught with law suits due to life threatening side affects and prescription abuse by physicians and patients.

The major problem with weight loss drugs is that they don’t address the underlying causes of weight gain such as the psychological component of over eating and the food itself.

There is wide ranging debate regarding the way certain processed and scientifically engineered foodstuffs react with human physiology and metabolism.

Until we confront these two major issues surrounding food it will be difficult to solve America’s obesity epidemic with a pill.

“Given the literally insatiable appetite of doctors and patients for new drugs as a quick fix for obesity, there is every reason to believe that, if approved, a combination like this, will be used by millions, over long periods of time far beyond its labeling indications. Because of a long list of safety reasons, this drug should not be approved,” the group’s Dr. Sidney Wolfe told the FDA advisory panel in 2010.
Vivus, the company that makes Qsymia, hopes it will be a safer successor to the notorious and now banned “fen-phen” diet cocktail. Fen-phen combined fenfluramine and phentermine — one of the two drugs in Qsymia — but it damaged the heart in some cases and caused a condition in some patients called pulmonary hypertension, which causes fluid to build up in the chest, bringing a feeling of breathlessness.

Quality Control, Research, Resources, Wellness

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3 Rules For Diet Success!

July 13, 2012 / Staff

3 simple rules can help to make your weight loss efforts a success.

In a study, the women who were most successful at losing weight kept track of their food intake in a journal, didn’t skip meals and avoided eating out.

“This study highlights the important strategies for maintaining weight loss over time, including self-monitoring through [food diaries], regular eating patterns and a healthy food environment [by minimizing eating out),” said Dr. Anne N. Thorndike, of Harvard Medical School, who was not involved in the study.
Thorndike said she was not surprised by the three habits that led to the greatest success. “These findings really mirror what I see in clinical practice,” she said.

Research, Wellness

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Will Eating After Dark Pack On The Pounds?

July 1, 2012 / Staff

Does eating late make you gain weight?

There are those who would say that calories are calories and as long as you don’t consume more than you use then you won’t gain weight.

But the research has shown that it is a bit more complicated than that.

There are optimal times for our body to burn fat and one is at night.

New studies reveal that to burn the most fat, you need to go 12 hours without eating—say, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. So it’s smart to time your calorie intake accordingly.

You’re most likely to make healthy food choices when you’re not tired.

Choose nutritious foods and don’t eat when it’s dark outside.

Pretty simple.

Nutrition, Research, Wellness

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Panal Suggests Screening Patients For Obesity

June 30, 2012 / Staff

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has suggested that patients be screened for obesity by physicians.

The panel has suggested measuring the BMI ( Body Mass Index ) of adult patients.

A BMI of 30 or more would indicate that a patient is obese while a BMI of 25 or less is normal.

For patients whose BMI is 30 or higher, the task force advises physicians to refer them to weight-loss programs that use multicomponent behavioral interventions — in other words, those that combine nutritional counseling with exercise and support groups. In reviewing current studies on such programs, the government panel found that on average, they helped participants lose up to 11 lbs. over a year, or 4% of their starting weight. Even such seemingly modest reductions in initial weight can significantly improve health for obese people.
Overall, the task force found that the best weight-loss programs include 12 to 26 sessions of behavioral counseling during the first year; help patients self-monitor their eating and exercise, using food diaries or a pedometer, for instance; focus on setting realistic weight-loss goals; and help patients understand what may be preventing them from meeting those goals.

While it is projected that by 2030 forty percent of American adults will be overweight or obese, doctors are not trained to counsel patients on matters of nutrition or weight management.

Doctors who are struggling with weight issues of their own have even greater difficulty addressing weight with their patients.

Doctors, Health Care Policy, Nutrition, Quality Control, Wellness

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FDA Approves New Weight Loss Pill

June 27, 2012 / Staff

It has been 13 years since the FDA has approved a new drug for weight loss.

Belviq, the Arena Pharmaceuticals drug which also goes by the generic name lorcaserin, is one of three new potential weight-loss treatments to be approved.

The drug works by activating a receptor in the brain that may help a person eat less and feel full after eating smaller amounts of food.
It is approved for use in obese adults with a body mass index or BMI of 30 or greater and in overweight adults with a BMI of 27 or greater if they have at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol. For example, a 5-foot-7 woman who weighed 192 pounds would have a BMI of 30.

Patients who do not lose 5 percent of their body weight within 12 weeks of taking the pill will be advised to discontinue use of the drug.

It is important that patients achieve “clinically meaningful weight loss” as cardiovascular risks including heart attack and stroke may be a consideration.

Quality Control, Research, Wellness

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