Anti-Obesity Medicines - are they worth it?

Medicines to help you reduce weight are all the rage. So much so that countries are not facing the economic impact of increasing sales. CNN reported that there was an influx of dollars into Denmark thanks to skyrocketing sales of an anti-obesity drug. But should you be taking these medicines?

Most weight-loss medicines work on the regulation of blood sugar, which is the instant energy that your body needs to function. That itself tells you a lot.

Your body has roughly five grammes of blood sugar at any given point in time. Of course, there is plenty stored in your muscles, your liver, and your fat cells. Your fat cells, in fact, have one of the largest stores of energy—fat that was converted from the food that you ate.

So, in a nutshell, these medicines are working to prevent blood sugar from being converted into fat in your body. That is how it helps you lose weight.

Here is my disclaimer. If a doctor really believes that you need the medicine and you have tried everything and it has not worked, then definitely take it.

But do consider this. The medicine is doing what you could do on your own. Regulate the production of excess blood sugar, which in turn would be converted into stored fat. Yes, you guessed it—eat less.

Of course, most people would say—but I have already tried all of these, and they don't work. You are right; they don't work. But they don't work because you are looking for a magical, quick fix.

It is not a scientific and systematic way of looking at regulating the energy balance in your body. You are not looking for a systemic way of changing your habits.

Medicines that help you lose weight have side effects. They affect your digestive system. They are known to have negative side effects on your muscles.