We keep hearing how obese the people of the U.S. are and that it’s leading to many of our health problems. The FDA Tuesday approved another new drug for weight loss but are the benefits going to outweigh the side effects.

Obesity leads to health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure or cholesterol and diabetes among others. Weight loss can get most if not all of those under control but is a “magic pill” the answer?

The two new drugs most recently approved by the FDA are Qsymia and Belviq but there are still safety issues about the use of these drugs. Mostly heart problems including stroke and heart attack can be associated with the use of these drugs, and you can NOT be pregnant during their use either due to birth defect problems.

Weight loss is minimal even with the use of these drugs, only an average of 8%-10% a year. Let’s just say you weigh 300 lbs, with an 8% weight loss over a year that’s only 24 lbs.

I don’t know about you but I don’t think the risk associated with these pills would be worth an 8%-10% weight loss rate even if you are obese. A better diet and exercise seem to be the only real fix for weight loss. I understand in some situations there are underlying medical problems that cause the weight problem but for the most part it’s just a lifestyle change that needs to be made. We are a lazy Nation and just need to get off our butts and get moving again.

What are your thoughts; would you take the pills?

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