The Unintended Consequences of Government-Sponsored <b>Weight-Loss</b> <b>...</b>

Here’s how Darin McCloud, a 45-year-old man in Portsmouth, England, has been eating lately:

He has been scoffing three-quarters of a loaf of bread, several packets of crisps and bacon rolls every day, and tucking into chips, takeaways and junk food for his tea.

Why?

Because, according to the Mirror, he wants to lose weight.

And McCloud has apparently decided the best way to lose weight is to have gastric-bypass surgery. (We once wrote a column on this topic.) The problem is that, at 20 stones (280 pounds), he doesn’t quite meet the requirements for NHS-sponsored gastric surgery. So he’s trying to eat his way up to the limit:

“The reason why I want the operation is to help my diabetes. It will help me stop being on insulin and help me with my other problems. I have had diabetes for the best part of 15 years and I’m absolutely scared of being a burden on my family in the future.”

Can you imagine what would happen if Alcoholics Anonymous decided to require a certain level of alcohol intake?

(HT: Colin Gray)

Stephen J. Dubner is an author and journalist who lives in New York City. Follow @freakonomics on Twitter.

View the original article here

Minn. Lawmakers Take <b>Weight-Loss</b> Challenge « CBS Minnesota

By Esme Murphy, WCCO-TV

ST. PAUL (WCCO) — On Tuesday night, at least some Democrats and Republicans will sit together at President Obama’s State of the Union Address. State lawmakers followed suit Monday.

They stood side by side, and took on a challenge to eat healthy, lose weight and stay fit. And they were joined by a couple of reality show stars to launch the Biggest Loser Minnesota Challenge.

“Who really wants to weigh 400 pounds,” asked O’Neal Hampton of St. Paul. “No one does.”

He sure didn’t. And neither did Richfield’s Jesse Atkins. So now, these Biggest Loser alumni are helping Minnesotans with a weight loss competition of their own. There are 14 different divisions. Some for the state’s biggest companies signed up, and so did the legislature.

“We are firmly committed to not only participating, but to beating the Senate wholeheartedly,” said Senate Majority Leader Matt Dean.

It will be a bipartisan competition between the House and the Senate, not between the parties.

“I think it sends a message to our citizens,” said Sen. Terri Bonoff. “That we think this is serious.”

With tempting foods like Swedish meatballs at the Capitol cafeteria, and more meetings than time to work out, lawmakers say fitness can be a struggle during the session. But it will be worth the work.

“The reality is this is something, regardless of partisan lines, that I think everybody understands,” said Rep. Paul Thissen, the House Minority Leader. “The most important thing we can do to keep healthcare costs down is for all Minnesotans to stay healthy.”

They’ll get points for healthy eating and exercising, along with weight loss. And, the winner will be announced April 15.

“It’s the House against the Senate,” said Sen. Julie Rosen. “And I tell you what, if you were a betting guy, I’d put money on us. The Senate.”

The contest was created by Alliance For A Healthier Minnesota. Almost 18,000 people have already signed up.

View the original article here

HCG <b>Weight-Loss</b> Claims Are Fraud Says FDA

The FDA announced yesterday that there is no evidence that hCG is an effective means of weight loss, and further called hCG weight-loss products fraudulent and illegal. Although the products do not appear to be “a serious direct health hazard or a serious indirect health hazard,” says Elizabeth Miller, the FDA’s leader of the Internet and health fraud team, “they could be subject to enforcement at any time.” The 500 calorie “protocol” to be followed while taking hCG is surely the cause of all weight-loss that users observe, and Miller says that the products are at least “economic fraud.”

Another major problem with many hCG products is that many claim to be homeopathic. True homeopathic remedies use a very small amount of a disease-causing substance to treat a condition. However, hCG is a hormone made by the placenta during pregnancy, and its use in no way could be considered homeopathic. “We are aware of HCG products that claim to be homeopathic, but it is not recognized in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia,” said Miller, adding that such products “are not recognized by the FDA as homeopathic drugs, so they are unapproved drugs and are illegal.”

The idea of using hCG for weight loss originated with a British physician in the 1950s, who thought the hormone could help people tolerate a near-starvation diet. “Since then, a lot of research and clinical trials debunked that theory,” said Miller.

Many health experts concur, like Samuel Klein of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “Data from most randomized controlled trials show that HCG is no better than placebo in achieving weight loss or reducing hunger,” he said.

Via USA Today.

Also Read:

New hCG Drops Claim to Have No Side Effects

HCG Diet: Look Elsewhere for Weight Loss

The Safety and Dangers of hCG Diet Clinics

View the original article here