Focus 2 Def

Losing Weight Safely

The so-called China scare, which was triggered by the discovery of toxic and dangerous chemicals in consumer products, food and drugs from China, has brought in negative and positive effects on the market. While it affected retailers and China-made products that were otherwise safe, the scare increased the awareness and the vigilance of consumers. Buyers now check labels, scrutinize ingredients and ask experts. People no longer listen and immediately believe TV and print advertisements.

However, many are still riding blindly into the bad bandwagon, hoping to achieve their desired effect fast at the least cost. This is truer in weight-loss drugs and supplements. Unlike medication drugs or food products where consumers are more educated and reliant on trusted quality brands, weight-gain and weight-loss drugs, particularly from Asian countries like Thailand and China are still very popular. People think that since it is just a weight-loss drug, it does not pose any grave danger to their health. More importantly, these products do have their weight-loss effects, making them all the more popular.

According to the Nutrition Business Journal, US consumers in 2007 spent $24 billion spent on dietary supplements. About $1.7 billion went to weight-loss pills. A separate report from the Center for Disease and Control Prevention said 15 percent of American adults admitted taking weight-loss supplements.

The danger in the two reports, however, is that a large chunk of consumer spending on weight-loss pills is spent on black market purchases on drugs that are either smuggled or downright illegal. The bigger danger in this practice is that although many of these drugs claim to be safe, many of them do not declare certain potent chemicals mixed into the supplements, which could be dangerous to the consumer’s health in the long run.

The FDA’s rule on this matter is to, immediately label as illegal those drugs that contain chemicals listed as dangerous. However, the rules needed to be extended. The 1994 law governing FDA’s mandate over drugs, only allow the agency to check drugs that are already in the market. They cannot check manufacturers and their processes, and they even lack the manpower to check the shelves.

The government agency has already listed in their website chemicals like sibutramine, fenproporex, fluoxetine, bumetanide, furosemide, phenytoin, rimonabant, cetilistat, and phenolphthalein as dangerous. It also continuously updates its list of drug names and manufacturers that are deemed to be dangerous to public health.

The cardinal rule in making sure you do not aggravate your precarious health with a potent drug is by checking the labels carefully. First, one must only buy weight-loss drugs at legitimate drug stores and only after consulting your doctor. This eliminates the risk of buying fake and illegally produced drugs. Second, check the FDA website for the latest update on drugs that are found to be dangerous. This is to ensure you are educated and updated on the latest findings of the agency.

America is in the middle of the war on obesity. However, it must fight it carefully, lest it will be facing another front in the war – a battle for sickness caused by dangerous chemicals.

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