Obesity is fast becoming the number one health problem in developed and developing countries around the world and in addition it is affecting younger people. To cure this problem, some people have resorted to surgical measures whereas others have decided that adjustments to their food intake and an increase in physical activity is necessary. Impatience to see results usually means that overweight people can frequently resort to using weight loss drugs to achieve that fast result they crave.

The drugs work by increasing the serotonin levels in the brain, making it believe that the stomach is already full, thereby, increasing the person’s metabolic rate. The problem arose when it was found that one of the side effects from this type of drug was the increased risk of heart valve disease and of course the drug was quickly withdrawn from use. Not to be defeated though, manufacturers have introduced updated drugs, prescribed by doctors but the FDA approval process is slow.

Most people have known friends or family members who have tried using diet pills and have seen tremendous improvement. The idea that a simple drug can change your body shape without the need to change the diet or sacrificing those pleasures in life can be very tempting. Many millions of dollars are spent each year in The United States alone while the drug manufacturers spend huge sums on further research into weight loss drugs.

Weight control pills can be purchased either over-the-counter or prescribed by a doctor but even with the advances in medical technology they can still cause a lot of health related problems which can be unpleasant such as diarrhoea and vomiting. These include heart attacks, tremors, strokes, hallucinations and renal failure.

Stopping using the drugs completely may not eradicated all the problems they may have caused. Problems like irritability, tiredness, vomiting, stomach pains and sleep problems are all common effects reported when someone stops taking these weight control pills.

Although these weight loss drugs do work, an increase in beneficial effects occurs when regular exercise is undertaken along with a change in eating habits.~Despite all the bad publicity, weight loss drugs do work but they are more successful if they are used in conjunction with a low calorie diet and regular exercise, preferably using a properly worked out exercise regime. This type of diet requires a balance of the food groups to ensure a proper intake of vitamins, minerals and fibre, almost all of which can be bought at your local supermarket but may require a little preparation.

Exercise can be done in whatever form suits the individual best but it should incorporate fat-burning exercises that will burn up any excess calories. The best exercise plans should have cardiovascular and weight training exercises as this helps burn calories and increase the muscle to fat ratio that will increase a person’s metabolism and assist with weight loss.

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