Most overweight people tend to try any weight loss product that they see in advertisements. These weight loss products often claims miracle cure to obesity problems and can offer fast weight loss effects. For those people who are not inquisitive may end up using these products which could pose serious health risks to them. Not all weight loss products available and offered in the market are safe to the consumers. In the previous years the FDA have been warning the public about the health hazards that can result from using weight loss products.

In the latest advisory of the FDA, people are discouraged from buying a popular slimming pill which is marketed as a pure herbal weight loss product. In the laboratory tests, the agency found out that the Slimming Beauty Bitter Orange Slimming Capsules from the Beautiful Health Inc. (formerly LL Health and Beauty) contains a prescription only ingredient. The regulatory agency was alarmed on the findings because the slimming pill was marketed as a natural weight loss supplement which can be taken by children. “The sample packet label is misleading because it indicates that it is a natural vitamin and calcium capsule for use in children as young as two years old,” said the FDA.

According to the agency, they have learned that there were several cases of serious side effects from the use of this product including elevated blood pressure, headaches, vomiting and insomnia. What makes this slimming pill a dangerous product? The FDA found out that there is an excessive amount of sibutramine in the product. The ingredient was not disclosed on its label. This ingredient has been used before by another supplement company but was later pulled out from the market because of adverse side effects to the users.

Sibutramine is a stimulant and should only be given to patients with valid prescriptions. This is used to promote and maintain weight loss in obese patients. Sibutramine should only be used under medical supervision because of its side effects. Obese patients under sibutramine medication should also undergo a reduced calorie diet and appropriate exercise program. Not all people can use sibutramine. It can be given to people with body mass index equal to 30kg/m2, or BMI equal to 27kg/m2 with other risk factors.

Unsupervised use of Slimming Beauty Pill Bitter Orange can lead to other serious side effects. Aside from the high blood pressure and stroke or heart attack risks, the ingredient in this weight loss product may also interact with other drugs. The active ingredient Sibutramine is contraindicated with MAO’s; medicines for colds, sinus, and breathing difficulties; medicines for anxiety, depression or other mental problems; and other weight loss drugs. It can also interact with some herbal medications.

The product is currently being sold in online stores and widely promoted in local community events making it accessible to any user. The FDA recommended that consumers should immediately discontinue the use of Slimming Beauty Pill Bitter Orange weight loss capsules. They have to contact their health care provider if they experience adverse side effects as a result of using the slimming product. The agency also urge the consumers to report to the FDA’s MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program any side effects or health problems that the consumer experienced while using this weight loss product.

The kind of diet is still considered as one of the major causes of obesity among American children and teens. Nutritionists found out in a recent study that children aging from 2 to 18 years old resort to unhealthy foods. The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, noted that at least 40% of children in the country consume foods with empty calories. Most of their source of energy comes from foods with solid fats and added sugar.

Most of these children eat pizza, pasta, grain desserts, sweetened beverages, carbonated drinks, and whole milk. Health experts believe that relying solely in these foods will increase the risk of becoming obese. It could also lead to other weight-related diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

The researchers looked at the eating habits of children between 2 and 18 years old using the data they gathered from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The USDA MyPyramid Equivalents Database was used as the baseline in analyzing and computing the amount of solid fats and added sugar from their food intake.

The result of the study should serve as a wake up call to parents to monitor and watch what their children are eating. Researchers said that 10% of the respondents’ calorie intake came from consuming added sugar drinks such as soft drinks or soda. And the main concern is half of these children consume empty calories from pizza, whole milk, fruit drinks, grain desserts, dairy desserts and soda. Empty calories means that the children are devoid of the necessary nutrients that will make them healthy.

23 Million Children Are Obese and American Adults Take the Lead

Right now, there are at least 23 million children and young teens who are overweight or obese based on the data published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. This is aside from the burgeoning adult obesity in the country. In a separate study, it was found out that obese adults in the country has doubled as compared to the data 10 years ago. This would mean that the US will be confronting obesity problems and other weight related diseases in the years to come. Experts also said that obesity reduce the quality of life of obese people.

What Experts Recommend in Solving Obesity in the Country

Dr. Rae-Ellen W. Kavey, a pediatric cardiologist of the University of Rochester Medical Center said that high added sugar consumption which commonly occurs in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with several cardiovascular risk factors and leads to the development of obesity. With these problems, experts recommend that major changes in the food offered to these children should at least help in preventing them become obese.

Dietitians from the U.S. National Cancer Institute, Jill Reedy and Susan M. Krebs-Smith suggested that reducing the flow of empty calories in the market would help solve the problem. Reformulation of food products is not enough in curtailing obesity in children. But it is still best that parents guide and educate their children on what food to take and monitor their eating habits.

The pursuit in finding a notable and effective weight loss medication continuously gain the interest of several major pharmaceutical firms over the past decades. Weight loss drugs has a problematic and challenging history wherein many new medicines struggle to get an FDA approval, and others being pulled out in the market after sales begun. Obesity drugs oftentimes faced difficulty even after getting an approval because of mandatory labeling that their product contains severe health warnings. Even though weight loss prescription drug makers confront quite a lot adversity, others continuously hope to offer weight loss drugs with safer and better results.

Established Anti-Obesity Drugs

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 68 percent or nearly 211 million of the US adults are obese. For the past 50 years, there have only been three medications approved and one of which is Phentermine. Having the third of population obese attracts pharmaceutical companies to continuously come up with new medications to combat obesity.

Lorcaserin

Drug companies remain vigilant in making an attempt at getting weight loss drugs on the market after series of high-profile recalls. There are currently three new obesity drugs being considered for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A recent review was conducted by the FDA for lorcaserin, a potential player in fighting the obesity epidemic. This new type of weight loss drug works by acting on our body chemical associated with feelings of well being and satiation called serotonin.

Researchers claim that this weight loss drug does not appear to increase blood pressure or cause any other health problems. It is also stated that lorcaserin has an outstanding safety profile with very minimal side effects that is tolerable. Further studies also showed the weight loss drug seem to provide benefits in terms of reducing risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. However, some experts states that lorcaserin produce only relatively modest weight loss results.

Qnexa

Qnexa manufactured by Vivus is also up for the FDA review. This weight loss drug is a combination of phentermine and topiramirate with a promise of 13 to 15 percent reduction of total body weight as clinical trials showed. The FDA briefing acknowledge Qnexa’s effectiveness for weight loss control, however the review panel is also taking into account several nervous system and psychiatric side effects. Qnexa targets mood related psychological systems with side effects such as loss of concentration, numbness, tingling and fatigue. FDA panels had been very sensitive regarding a drug that is intended for body systems that controls addiction, mood and reward.

Contrave

The third new drug is Orexigen Therapeutic Contrave which works on the same biological systems that control mood and appetite. It is the first drug to combine buprioprion and naltrexone that aims to hit multiple points for improved weight loss effects. This new innovation of combining active ingredient that could be more effective and safer than currently available drugs reflects the growing trend towards the development of weight loss drugs. According to the results of the clinical trials conducted, researchers believed that the effectiveness of Contrave was the effect of combining the two medications that target different areas involved in weight loss. Its most common side effects include headache, dry mouth, constipation, dizziness, vomiting and temporary increase in blood pressure.

Adverse effects are the primary obstacle of drug manufacturers in seeking FDA approval and keeping weight loss drugs on the market. Explanations as to why numerous high-profile diet drugs fail to get an approval is never an easy one. FDA considers a weight loss drug to be effective if it reduces your total body weight by at least five percent after a year. Lower weight reduction rate is deemed ineffective and higher percentage could also be dangerous to one’s health. The continuous hope for new obesity drugs that will deliver big weight loss without the risky side effects gives obese patients a drive to struggle their way out to a healthier body.