Hunting the Elusive Fat Pill

This article addressed solving the complex problem of obesity, which is increasingly becoming a major factor in American society, with a simple pill. 2/3 of Americans of are overweight, and half of those are considered obese. This health issue is considered complex because it is both biological and psychological. The body is programmed to hoard calories in the form of fat because, until recently, dying of starvation was one of the major concerns for human existence. Overcoming the body's inherent need to store energy can be problematic for certain people. Additionally, the body's of obese people don't register that they have enough stored energy. When they diet, their bodies undergo the same withdrawal mechanisms of a person who is starving. One failed attempt to overcome these mechanisms was a drug produced in Europe under the name rimonabant. Interestingly enough, this product was created by reverse engineering endocannabinoids. These compounds, found in marijuana (cannabis) are responsible for the stereotypical side affects associated with the drug. For example, the munchies. By reversing the effects of these compounds, people have "reverse munchies," or the loss of a desire to eat. Unfortunately, since these compounds affect a wide range of receptors throughout the body, changing it's mechanism has a wide variety of side effects. Reversing the "high" of marijuana results in a "low," which caused several people to commit suicide after the drug was released. This low was exacerbated by the fact suicide and depression rates are typically higher among the obese. Despite this set back, there are still a few new approaches to the next greatest "fat burning pill". The primary approaches involve using hormonal mechanisms, but they are still in their infant stages of development.

I found this article particularly interesting because I am an employee at GNC. I deal with "thermogenics," which is a fancy name for diet pills, on a daily basis. In truth, I have little faith in most of them, and I feel they are much more detrimental to your health than helpful. Most of the weight you lose on these products is gained by putting strain on your body, and you gain it right back when you stop taking the product. Plus, they slow your metabolism. This article did give me a little more sympathy for people who struggle with losing weight. There are legitimate biological hurdles to overcome, and I agree some people do need assistance with their goals. However, I do see a significant amount of people totally unwilling to change their habits (start exercising/ eat healthy). They just want a miracle pill that will make them skinny without doing any work. That laziness is irritating to me, and is probably why they are overweight to begin with. Overall, this article did change my mindset though. If science could produce a legitimate healthy weight loss pill, I would be all for it. It could help alot of people, particularly Americans.

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-02/hunting-elusive-fat-pill?page=1