Do Weight-loss Drugs Actually Work?
Obesity and overweight have become serious health concerns in many countries in the last century. Desperately, for health or aesthetics, people look new for solutions that do not involve diet or exercise. Weight-loss drugs are highly advertised and of controversial usage, but do they actually work?
Contrary to all the deceiving advertisements on the Internet and late night TV, there are only two kinds of approved weight-loss drugs, appetite suppressants and fat blockers. Appetite-suppressing drugs contain different chemical compounds, like sibutramine and diethylpropion that act by inhibiting the natural re-absoption of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine. This causes a higher concentration of these signaling molecules in the circulatory system, which the hypothalamus senses as the state of being full. Research has demonstrated that these pills do help weight loss but only temporarily because the brain adjusts to the new levels of serotonin and norepinephrine in the blood.
The second type of drug, fat blockers, works by binding to lipases. These are enzymes in charge of the breakdown of fat molecules into glycerol and fatty acids so they can be absorbed in the intestine. In the presence of the drug, lipases are unable to digest the consumed fats and these have to be evacuated to the end of the digestive system. This type of drug has more consistent results, blocking around 30% of the fats consumed, resulting in weight loss and lower cholesterol levels.
It is important to keep in mind that other over-the-counter drugs are not backed up by sufficient research and are not recommended. Also, the previously mentioned drugs are only prescribed for people with serious health problems and not just to avoid laziness. For now a healthy diet and exercise are the only practices that have been proved to have the best possible results so far.
REFERENCES
1. Watson, Stephanie. “Diet Pills: What You Need to Know” 13 January 2005. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/medication/diet-pill.htm> 08 November 2015.
2. Heck, A. M., Yanovski, J. A., Calis, K.A. 2000. Orlistat, a new lipase inhibitor for the management of obesity. Pharmacotherapy. Mar;20(3)270–9.