Wonder pills could create a lazy culture
September 7, 2004
By Dr Mark Porter
A NEW once-a-day wonder pill that helps people lose
weight and stop smoking - the two holy grails in
the fight against heart disease and strokes - could
be available on prescription in the UK within two years.
It is a welcome advance, though I have doubts about
the wider implications.
Initial trials of Acomplia have shown that people taking 20mg of the drug a day lose nearly four times as much weight over a year compared with those using diet and exercise alone.
The drug acts on what are known as endocannabinoid receptors in the brain, which influence both appetite and the desire to smoke. Stimulation of these receptors boosts appetite, for both food and cigarettes, explaining why people who smoke cannabis often end up with "the munchies". Acomplia blocks the receptors, reducing the desire to over-indulge.
We need all the help we can get to fight the current obesity epidemic and help millions of smokers quit, but I worry that we are in danger of becoming over-dependent on medication. As more products hit the market to help people make lifestyle changes, I have noticed a subtle shift in responsibility: patients struggling to lose weight or quit smoking are increasingly keen to take short cuts and expect doctors and their drugs to do the hard work for them.
This is particularly noticeable with the latest slimming pills, Xenical and Reductil. Both are available on the NHS, but obese patients have to prove their commitment by losing at least 2.5kg (more than 5lbs) on their own in the month leading up to starting the drug. Not too onerous you would think, but still seemingly unachievable for roughly half the patients I offer the drugs to. And if they can’t manage even that amount of weight loss without medication, what hope is there for their long-term weight control? True health changes come from within, not in a pill.
BENEFITS OF ASPIRIN
FURTHER evidence that aspirin protects against breast cancer has been published in the latest edition of the British Journal of Cancer.
Researchers analysing data from the General Practice Research Database found that women taking regular low-dose aspirin (75-150mg a day) for a year or more reduced their risk of developing the disease by 23 per cent.
Researchers have stopped short of recommending routine use of aspirin in at-risk women - for the moment.
Source:http://news.scotsman.com
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