Weight Loss and Medical News November 10th, 2008

weight loss diets

Caution Advised With Nonprescription Weight Loss Pills

Over-the-counter weight-loss pills are no quick fix to melt away extra pounds. Many local drugstores sell diet pills, and even more choices are available on the Internet. But most diet pills haven’t been proved safe or effective, and some are downright dangerous, according to a special report in the November issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource.

The report looks at popular weight-loss diets, eating plans and strategies, including diet pills.

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diet foods

Tesofensine: New Miracle Weight Loss Drug?

Weight loss drugs have been something of a flop. Between Acomplia being ordered off the shelves for making people mad, and the lackluster performance of the other popular weight loss drugs - there hasn’t been much to celebrate for the pharmaceutical companies *cue crocodile tears.

That is until now… maybe.

An experimental drug called tesofensine is said to produce double the weight loss of current diet drugs. The drug works on three different appetite regulatory centers of the brain - the neurotransmitters noradrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin.

The phase II study, reported in The Lancet, included 203 obese patients whose average weight was about 220 pounds.

The average weight loss was 28 pounds in the highest dose of tesofensine compared to the placebo group which lost an average of 5 pounds. Sounds great…until you read the squinty print:

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Weight-Loss Pills Lead to Positive Tests

A significant number of NFL players have tested positive under the league’s steroid policy because of their use of weight-loss pills containing a substance banned by the league, sources familiar with the cases said yesterday.

A Denver television station, KDVR-TV, reported six to 10 players tested positive, including tailback Deuce McAllister and defensive end Will Smith of the New Orleans Saints. One to two other Saints players also tested positive, according to the report, which cited an NFL source.

Most of the players, including McAllister and Smith, tested positive for bumetanide, described as a drug used to treat fluid retention. The diuretic reportedly also can be used as a steroid-masking agent and is on the NFL’s list of banned substances. According to the report, bumetanide belongs to a group of medicines called loop diuretics, or water pills.

Sources familiar with the case confirmed the report. The players are subject to possible suspensions, pending appeals.

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Weight Loss and Medical News November 11th, 2008

The Real Deal Behind Diet Pills

Now that the magical glow of Halloween is over, and in its wake you realize that you have decimated the entire tub of Halloween candy that failed to attract enough trick-or-treaters. You also realize that now that the winter months are approaching, bringing with them cold, rain, snow, wind, Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas feast and New Years debauchery.

So what does this all mean for you? Well for millions of Americans, it definitely means packing on some extra weight. Winter is the most common season for people to gain weight. It becomes colder outside, discouraging outside exercise; people become stressed during the holiday season, with more things to do than usual, leaving less time to exercise. Coupled with the celebrated notion of overeating during the holidays and a poor diet (deep fried turkey is not really that nutritious), numbers on the scale creep up over the last few months of the year.

A seemingly quick fix to this problem is to turn to the help of diet pills, weight loss supplements that have a notorious reputation. There are two commonly held opinions about diet pills. Either that they work and are a fine addition to any exercise and healthy eating plan or that diet pills are extremely dangerous for your health and should be avoided. Let’s take a closer look at diet pills, their composition and see what the truth is behind the intriguing infamy of diet pills.

diet pills

“Functional” the New Frontier in Foods, Drinks

According to MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily, a new report finds a shift away from foods with reduced sugar or fat toward “functional” products that promise benefits such as appetite suppression and increased metabolism/calorie burning.

The Euromonitor International Trend Watch report, entitled “Opportunities Within Functional Weight Management Products,” reveals that “functional” is the new frontier for food and beverage companies looking to grab the attention and dollars of the growing number of overweight consumers at home and abroad.

Whereas “better-for-you” (BFY) or “lesser evil” ingredients and claims were once mainly the bailiwick of those diet supplements promoted on TV via startling before-and-after photos of women and men in bathing suits, mainstream companies are increasingly looking to get in on the action.

The reason: Worldwide BFY packaged foods sales reached $116 billion, and beverages reached $36 million last year, but together, their annual growth rate was only marginally higher than the 2 percent to 4 percent seen by the overall packaged F&B market, according to Euromonitor. Meanwhile, fortified/functional F&Bs continued to see growth of about 10 percent in 2007.

fast weight loss

New Year’s Resolution Diet Program

The New Year is a time to reflect on the changes we want or need to make and many Americans seem to make the same New Year resolutions each year to start a Diet or weight loss program.

Setting reasonable goals, staying focused and great diet supplements are the most important factors in sticking with a weight loss program, and the key to success for those millions of Americans who made a New Year’s commitment to shed extra pounds.

First you will need a great sound diet program.

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