Americans Prefer Surgeries, Drugs for Weight Loss

Americans prefer to consume weight loss medications drugs and weight loss surgery, in comparison to self-modification, which includes a healthy diet and exercise, reveals a study published in the Science Daily. The findings were shared at the annual International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society (ICE/ENDO) meeting, held in Chicago last week.

After closely monitoring and studying the findings of 23,000 surveys, Dr Z Jason Wang, the study's principal investigator, said, "Obese and overweight Americans who have tried losing weight report far greater overall satisfaction with weight loss surgery and prescription weight loss medications than with diet, exercise and other self-modification methods."

Wang said the average person who is obese or want to lose some extra kilos prefer to "insert sleeves and bands around organs to self-modification." However, previous studies have shown that weight loss medications drugs and weight loss surgery have extreme side effects and is not recommended by most doctors.

On weight loss drugs, three types of drugs are used - stimulant-like drugs, orlistat and sibutramine (meridia). Stimulant-like drugs stimulate the central nervous system and reduce appetite. The side effects include pulmonary hypertension, resulting in a fatal disorder due to high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, valvular disease of the heart, increased pulse and heart rate, elevated blood pressure, restlessness, dizziness, insomnia, dry mouth, and constipation. Sibutramine makes you feel full by increasing levels of serotonin and norepinephrine. The harmful effects of sibutramine include insomnia, headache, dry mouth, anorexia, constipation, runny nose and sore throat. Orlistat ensures prevention of fat absorption in the gut. The ill effects of this drug include gas, diarrhea, flatulence, oily stools, and a decrease in absorption of fat-soluble vitamin.

Surgeries for weight loss too are not recommended by health professionals. According to NIH statistic, most people who have undergone weight-loss surgery begin to regain weight after two years. Moreover, many individuals who have had weight-loss surgery have to get the surgery reversed because the problems are so severe that they could die. The side effects of weight loss surgery are far too many. Few of them include -
- Throwing up if you eat more than half a cup of food at a time.
- Frequent complaint of diarrhea, hernia, infection and gallstones.
- Cannot eat fruits or vegetables.
- Unable to eat any food with fat in it.