iVillager defends weight loss pills

By:
Jonny Bowden

A reader posts the following comment to the Shape Up Board:

"I just wanted to respond to the article bashing weight loss drugs. I took Metabolife and I lost 20 pounds. That was six months ago and I haven't gained any back, no heart problems. My sister takes it now and she lost 10 pounds so far. We didn't have to exercise. I just wanted to say that they do work and if you follow the directions they don't hurt you."

Her comment deserves a fair response, one that isn't unduly argumentative and alarmist yet presents the more complete picture.

The ingredient in Metabolife that has generated the controversy is ephedra. Ephedra, also known as ma huang, has a long history of being used in China for upper-respiratory disorders, and synthetic versions are found in hundreds of over-the-counter medications, mainly for allergies and asthma. Its primary active ingredients are stimulants -- ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. These mimic the "fight or flight" response in which the body secretes adrenaline.

In addition, it can suppress appetite and may help speed up metabolism.

Is it Satan Incarnate? No, obviously not. But my problem with recommending it across the board stems from its potential side effects -- by acting like adrenaline; it speeds up the heart rate and can also have a diuretic effect. Couple it with the coffee most people drink, and the potential for mischief increases. It interacts with numerous medications and can easily cause nervousness, heart palpitations and insomnia. Developing a tolerance for it is not uncommon, and in severe cases with susceptible individuals it can cause dangerously high blood pressure.

Clearly this reader did not have a bad reaction to ephedra, used a moderate amount of it and had good results. I'd be lying if I said that wasn't possible. But I'm nervous about giving it a blanket green light for all the reasons mentioned above.

Remember that weight loss is one thing, but weight loss with optimal health is another. There are lots of ways to get weight off. The trick is to get it off and keep it off and to do it while promoting health. This reader did not use exercise to lose weight. However, exercising regularly would improve her health and longevity and contribute significantly to her overall well-being. It's about time we considered the benefits of exercise independently from its effect on weight loss.

In the long run, there are really only three ways to effectively decrease the amount of food you eat. The first is with weight loss drugs or their herbal equivalent, which suppresses appetite but frankly have too many problems to make them a first-choice recommendation for most people. The second is "will power," and we all know what happens with that. The third way is to maintain even blood-sugar levels with a diet rich in protein and good fats and balanced with a limited amount of high-quality carbohydrates. Get off the "low fat" bandwagon, stop eating junk carbohydrates and eat small frequent meals that contain adequate amounts of protein and fat. That's a strategy that will benefit just about anyone and is a natural way of managing appetite that should certainly be tried before reaching for the drugs.

So while I'm happy Metabolife worked for this reader, I would still suggest that she could improve her overall health and well-being and possibly extend and enrich her life if she were to try some of the changes that we advocate here at Shape Up. Take Metabolife if you must, but why not add some things that will not only help you lose weight but also help you have a fuller, better, healthier and longer life at the same time?

Got a question or comment for Jonny? Post it on the Shape Up message board!