A new meta-analysis finds that low-carb diets are more effective than low-fat diets in weight loss and reducing cardiovascular risk. The study finding suggests “that a low-carb diet should be the first line approach for weight management,” said the first author of the study, Jonathan Sackner-Bernstein. But the difference between the two dietary approaches was not…
New Analysis Finds Small But Significant Advantage For Low Carb Diets
October 22, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Weight Loss Programs: Slim Evidence And Poor Results
April 6, 2015 by Leave a Comment
A new study concludes that some weight loss programs may be slightly better than other programs but that in the long run none of the programs have been able to show a substantial weight loss over a sustained period. For even the best programs, an editorialist writes, “weight loss is modest and likely below patients’…
Takeda Disagrees With Orexigen Over Data Disclosure
March 5, 2015 by Leave a Comment
(Updated) On Tuesday Orexigen sparked a firestorm by disclosing the interim results of an ongoing clinical trial of its weight loss drug Contrave. Takeda, which markets the drug in the US, has released a statement in which it states that it does not support the release of the interim data. Here is the Takeda statement: “Pursuant to the Collaboration Agreement between…
Popular Diets Achieve Only Modest Long-Term Weight Loss
November 12, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Four of the most popular current weight loss diets produce at best only modest long-term benefits, a new study published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes shows. The study also found few significant differences across the four diets, offering little hope that any one diet can produce a serious dent in the obesity epidemic. Mark Eisenberg and colleagues systematically searched…
Paper Behind The Green Coffee Bean Diet Craze Retracted
October 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The “scientific” paper that helped ignite the green coffee bean diet craze has been retracted. The details of the retraction and the full background of the story were fully reported by Ivan Oransky on Retraction Watch. The paper, published in Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy, purported to report the substantial weight loss findings of a randomized, double-blind,…
Another Diet Myth Exploded: Gradual Weight Loss No Better Than Rapid Weight Loss
October 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Once again, a popular weight loss myth has been exploded. It has been widely believed that weight loss, which is nearly always difficult to maintain, is even less likely to stay lost if it is the product of a rapid weight loss. The belief is even enshrined in current guidelines. Now a study published in The Lancet…
FDA Approves New Weight Loss Drug From Orexigen And Takeda
September 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The FDA announced today that it had approved Contrave, the long-awaited and much-disputed weight loss drug. The drug is a combination of two drugs already approved for other indications: naltrexone hydrochloride, which is used to combat alcohol and opioid dependence, and bupropion, which is used to treat depression and seasonal affective disorder and as an aid to smoking cessation…
Large NIH Trial Finds No Cardiovascular Benefits For Weight Loss And Exercise In Type 2 Diabetics
June 24, 2013 by 1 Comment
A large NIH-sponsored trial has found that an intensive lifestyle intervention was no better than standard care in reducing cardiovascular events in people with type 2 diabetes. The results of the Look AHEAD trial were presented today at the American Diabetes Association meeting and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. 5,145 people with type 2 diabetes were randomized…
Cuban History Offers Important Lessons For Global Health Today
April 10, 2013 by 1 Comment
A large new study from Cuba shows the impressive benefits that can be achieved with weight loss and increased exercise. Much more ominously, the same study shows the dangers associated with weight gain and less exercise. In the study, published in BMJ, researchers took advantage of a “natural” experiment that occurred in Cuba as a result of a…
NIH Trial Of Lifestyle Intervention For Type 2 Diabetes Stopped For Futility After 11 Years
October 19, 2012 by 2 Comments
The NIH today announced the early termination of a large randomized trial testing a lifestyle intervention approach to weight loss in type 2 diabetics. More than 5,000 patients with type 2 diabetes were randomized to participate in an intensive lifestyle intervention program or a traditional program of diabetes support and education in Look AHEAD (Action…
FDA Approves Another New Weight Loss Drug
July 17, 2012 by 1 Comment
The US FDA today approved a new weight loss drug that will be called Qsymia,the brand name for the combination of two previously approved drugs, phentermine and extended-release topiramate. The drug is manufactured by Vivus, Inc. In a press release, the FDA said Qsymia had been approved for use in obese adults (BMI of 30 or…
AHA And ADA Cautiously Endorse Non-Nutritive Sweeteners
July 9, 2012 by 1 Comment
In a newly released scientific statement the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association offer a cautious endorsement of the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in the diet. But the statement notes that the products are not “magic bullets” and that there is no strong evidence demonstrating beneficial effects of the products. Sugar in the…
FDA Approves A New Weight Loss Drug, Breaking a 13 Year Drought
June 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The FDA announced today that it had approved its first new weight loss drug in 13 years. Lorcaserin, which will be sold under the brand name of Belviq, is manufactured by Arena Pharmaceuticals and will be distributed in the US by Eisai. Lorcaserin is indicated for use in obese adults (BMI 30 or above) or…
FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Approval For Weight Loss Drug Lorcaserin
May 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee voted to recommend approval of lorcaserin (Lorqess, Arena). The result signals a remarkable turnaround for the drug, which the same panel had rejected in September 2010. The vote was 18 in favor of approval, 4 against, and 1 abstention. Committee members seemed less disturbed this time around…
Persistent Concerns About Lorcaserin (Lorqess) From FDA Reviewers
May 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The FDA has posted briefing documents for Thursday’s meeting of the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee to reconsider the new drug application for lorcaserin (Lorqess, Arena). The same panel recommended against approval of the drug in September 2010, citing weak efficacy and safety concerns. The FDA reviewers do not appear to have substantially altered…
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