It is late in the evening. The bed is calling. But you feel the urge to snack coming on. Maybe even the ‘need’. You fight it, but in the end, you delve into the candy drawer.
Most people have experienced giving in to the urge for something sweet that manifests itself shortly before bedtime or in the afternoon. But now guilt might be on the way.
Something indicates that those dreaded side-effects of the medicine ‘Larcaserin’ can’t be traced back to the drug after all. And this pave the way for a unique kind of pill to enter the European market.
Less hunger – more strokes
Larcaserin reduces the appetite and can therefore help you ignore your sweet tooth. In the USA, it has been possible to purchase the pill, known as Belviq, since 2012, but it has never been approved for sale in Europe, due to uncertainties regarding its side effects.
In fact, it is far from the first time, a miracle pill like this has been tried. Since the 1930’es we have tried to develop a pill for weight loss. However, almost every time the pill has proven to be lethal, because it increases the risk of strokes and cardiovascular diseases.
This is because the part of the brain, which regulates metabolism and appetite is also connected to our cardiovascular system.
The medicinal institution has therefore feared that Larcaserin would cause problems in the vascular system, however resent studies have shown that the side effects, most likely, aren’t caused by this iteration of the pill.
Greater weight loss on the pill
A scientific journal, published in the ‘New England Journal of Medicine’, clears the pill of suspicion.
The scientists have followed 12.000 obese individuals through three and a half years. The large number of people were divided into two groups. One group were given Lorcaserin, while the others received a placebo – medicine without any effects, but the group believed to be the real thing.
Over the course of the study, the scientists could conclude that both groups made lifestyle changes. On average, the group that received Larcasarin lost four kilos over three years. The control group – those who received the placebo – lost one and a half kilos. Thereby, the medicine had a positive effect. Meanwhile there were not any significant difference in the two groups risk of cardiovascular disease.
Side effects wind up in the hospital
Why is it important to verify or determine the side-effects of a pill like this? The Danish expert Thue Schwartz, professor at the Center for Basic Metabolix Research at the University of Copenhagen, has the answer to that: “The problem with many forms of medication is that they often have side effects, and a host of diseases and hospital admissions are in fact caused by these side effects. The good news is that the pill against obesity at least doesn’t appear to promote cardiovascular diseases,” says Thue Schwartz.
This could be an indication that the ‘miracle pill’ could be one of our time’s greatest achievements, since obesity is one of the major publish health hazards.
Perspective
More than half the population carry around a little extra on sides. And around 26 per cent of adults in the UK are classified as obese. And it is not only in the UK that obesity in running rampant. In fact, we are speaking of an obesity epidemic. The American National Institute of Health predicts that half the population of earth will be obese by 2030.
According to World Obesity Center, the global cost of obesity is more than 800 billion pound sterling – and despite a plethora of more of less creative diets, we are moving in the wrong direction. Therefore, we have spent a lot of time searching for the ‘easy solution’ in the form of a pill, capable of preventing excessive eating. However, due to serious side effects, most pills have been removed from the market.
Maybe this is our lucky break.
