Tuesday, January 24, 2006

FDA to approve "fat-blocker" for over-the-counter sales

Am I a killjoy or what? Even if approved by the FDA for over-the-counter sales, I'm still no fan of diet pills. Okay, so the FDA people apparently tested a "fat-blocker" that does dispose of some fat after it's been consumed, and I guess nobody got sick and died using it. Nevertheless, if you take diet pills, it ought to be only a minor part of an overall fitness and dietary program -- and taken under a doctor or nutritionist's supervision. At present, a doctor's prescription is required for the pills that are likely to soon be available over-the-counter.

Yes, some people will use the product in a responsible context. But you know human nature. Now being told that there really is a "free lunch" after all, those looking for an easy way out will gobble up the "magic pills," while doing nothing to change disastrous eating habits. In fact, many overweight people will likely eat even more bad fat than before, figuring that the pills will block it.

Excuse my skepticism, but you know I'm right. There's still no short cut to health and fitness that doesn't require healthful eating and regular exercise. Bottom line: over-the-counter fat-blockers will not do anything to solve the nation's obesity problem. Probably they will make matters worse.

Read more about the latest diet pill panacea.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I worked in a Health food store for years, people would come in and say sell me a pill to make me lose weight. I would answer their really isn't a magic pill, you must eat less and move more.