Miraculous Misconceptions: Magic Bullet…to the Heart?

There’s been a lot of press talking about a new diet pill Qnexa this week. Have you heard about it? Basically it’s a diet pill that combines amphetamine phentermine, medication said to suppress appetite and approved for short term diet use, and Topamax, a medication said to increase satiety. Many federal health advisors have been singing its praise this week and it was even voted in favor 20-2 from FDA doctors. The next steps are a follow up study to make sure the drug doesn’t cause any heart problems.

Excuse me you say? Yes that’s right. The FDA urges the company to conduct a folIow up study. You see, Qnexa was rejected by the FDA in October 2010 because a study showed a higher heart rate in those who took Qnexa and birth defects for woman who became pregnant. Although, the drug did yield an average of a 10% weight loss, the highest reduction noted by any “diet drug,” the FDA wants to be sure to follow up just to be sure of the drug’s safety. I’ve read that the second ruling will take place as early as April 17^th.

If Qnexa is approved, this will be the first diet drug to reach market in over a decade. With millions of the population overweight, this could be a very popular drug. My question is how long have the studies been going on and will a follow up in time for a second ruling of April 17^th be long enough to assess long term efficacy? Although 10% is the highest loss a diet drug has yielded, is it worth birth defects and a higher heart rate? I wonder what tier this medication will be and how much it will be a month for patients. Does it make sense?

Either way, I’m looking forward to much more information. What do you think? Will you try this drug?

Comments

Family Nutrition: What’s the deal with Multivitamins?

This is definitely one of my top ten questions from clients and frankly it’s a hard question because there isn’t a generic answer. The internet and such stores as the Vitamin Shoppe and GNC continue to place a lot of focus on vitamins and minerals and some of my clients swear by their regimen. I’ve even had some clients tell me they can tell a difference within hours of taking certain supplementations. Since this is a subject I try to tame my responses too, I was very glad to see the article “Multivitamins, So Many Types, So Many Labels” by Melinda Beck in the Wall Street Journal published June 21, 2001. Did you know that the multivitamin is the number one dietary supplement producing $4.8 billion back in 2008 and that one third of American’s take multivitamins religiously? As Melinda points out there are many different varieties of multivitamins yet there is no specific formulation that specifies what a multivitamin should look like. ...

Miraculous Misconceptions: Raspberry Ketones

The interwebs are abuzz about the supposedly “miraculous” Raspberry Ketone supplements. Raspberry Ketone popularity started with Dr. Oz's show in February 2012, when he nicknamed it a “miracle weight loss drug.” Some even credit Raspberry Ketones with stimulating hair growth, but for our purposes here, let’s talk about weight loss. Raspberry Ketones are derived from red raspberries. Proponents claim that the supplement will stimulate your metabolism causing weight loss. However, there are no reliable studies to prove this. Specifically there is no scientific evidence to show how it alters metabolism to promote weight loss. There is also no scientific evidence to determine a proper dosage. If you find a study that claims otherwise, check the funding source. Most likely, that study was funded by a company who produces or funds raspberry ketone products. As far as I know, no major pharmaceutical companies are investing in Raspberry Ketone research. And it is my opinion ...

Food Trends: Plant vs. Animal Protein

In my practice I see a lot of vegetarians who have a lot of questions about the types of protein they eat. In case you need a refresher, animal proteins are proteins derived from meat, dairy, and eggs. Plant protein is derived from nuts, seeds, beans, legumes and soy. Most animal proteins are higher in saturated fat as well as cholesterol which have been proved to increase risks of arteriosclerosis, a precursor to cardiovascular disease. A lot of the general public, not just vegetarians, are starting to focus on decreasing intakes of animal proteins and focusing on plant sources to decrease total calorie, fat, and cholesterol intake. It’s important to know that most generally healthy individuals only need .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Basically this means that a 150 pound man or woman requires about 54 grams of protein in an entire day. Protein is made from amino acids. Although there are many amino acids, ther...

Search This Blog