I am not really surprised that more effort and money is spent developing new weight-loss drugs rather than on efforts to simply get people to eat better and exercise more. Not sure I agree that a "junk-food tax" is the way to fix it, though if that is working in other countries, it may work here as well.
So apparently this is real. Weird. Just remember, unexplained is not the same as inexplicable.
Dieting drugs have been known to fail because the average American wants a society accepted body quickly and effortlessly. Refering to the point that the FDA is pushing these dieting drugs because they are popular and in demand should make people be even more cautious of what people are puting in their bodies. Guyent makes the point that these drugs sometimes have more negative side effects than positive side effects to the anatomy. As with many drugs have been recalled this blogger predicts that the dieting drugs will in the near future reveal their true potential in an unfortunate way. According to the article, these drugs are supposed to be taken with food in a regular lifestyle. As these drugs are available it may also facilitate eating disorders. Although thin and lean bodies are considered healthy the road to the the "perfect beach body" may not be so healthy.
what ever happened to eating healthy and excersing? It is dissapointing and very morose to know that we are spending our money and time developing these weight loss drugs that barley work. It is one thing to be a supplement, but to be the solution to weight loss is completely ridiculous. This a new phase of being lazy and hopeless. People need to face the fact that weight loss is not something that's easy, it takes dedication,effort and self awareness. There is only on clear answer to shedding off the pounds and that is to hit the gym and to eat right. It is not using the most expensive drug or those televised food products. With support and dedication no will ever need a drug to be healthy, it all start with yourself.
Reading about the esoteric sound detected in the ocean fascinated me. I'm intrigued about the still unknown creature, if it is a creature. It was amusing to read about the The Bloop; I wonder who named it? I wonder who named all of the different sounds: The Bloop, Julia, Train, Slow Down, Whistle, and Upsweep. When scientists do find out what is lurking on the depths of our oceans, what do we do? Sure it'll be a new discovery that will evoke the peoples attentions, but what do we do with them once we understand it's nature. For as long as the world's been formed, no creature has made an appearance, so do we leave them alone? Is it the lockness monster? A giant turtle? All of the mythical creature are now coming to mind. Is it the monsters that were locked under the ocean in hercules? What are they? Can we benefit from them?
I would never advocate the use of dieting pills or any similar artificially based supplement. As Stephen Guyenet stated, these pills prove more detrimental than successful to one's health, for they can produce "serious cardiovascular side effects." In addition, weight-loss pills more often than not have a low success rate in lowering obesity (Belviq only having a 3.3% rate) and are usually expensive; however, it is because we live in a society that only seeks the fastest, easiest methods to lose weight that these drug companies succeed and profit. Ultimately, those who wish to lose weight or reduce obesity should not turn to a 'quick fix' like dieting pills, but rather must maintain a strong mindset to regulate what they eat, maintain a consistent exercise regime, and establish an all-round healthier, natural lifestyle.
I completely agree with the previous comments made in regards to the “Dieting Drugs vs. Healthy Lifestyle” article. Society has become so obsessed with its vision of the ideal body that it has taken dangerous measures to get to that perfect shape. I am a strong supporter of eating right and exercising in order to lose weight properly, but at the same time I sympathize with those who require more extensive procedures to get their bodies back on track. It is clear that government is trying to get involved and help Americans curb obesity. But is government really fixing the problem? Diet pills are not miracle workers. As neurobiologist Stephan Guyenet said, “these drugs are not intended to replace a healthy diet and lifestyle– they are intended to supplement it.” He is absolutely correct; dieting pills should never be used to solve the problem of being overweight or obese, instead they should be used in addition to making healthy lifestyle choices. However in this society, eating healthy is not exactly an easy feat. Americans everywhere are constantly bombarded with cheap, affordable fast food restaurants but are not able to access or afford healthy food items. In the article, it was mentioned that other countries have issued special taxes on junk foods, but I believe, in America, the best solution is to make healthy food affordable and accessible to all Americans. Restaurants such as McDonalds and IHOP have already made efforts to list nutritional facts such as calories and fat amount on menus. Now, I think government’s next step should be to offer inexpensive, healthy food options and provide those who are struggling with safe, completely harmless weight loss products such as diet pills.
In response to "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth," I am amazed to see how human speed is faster than some animals such as horses. In 2008, Usain Bolt's speed of 36 km/hr made humans so speechless that he was titled "the world's fastest man." But, an elite subset of animals can outrun humans by a long stretch. For example, some fast animals such as the sailfish and pronghorn are categorized as being faster than humans. As many people know, the cheetah is the fastest animal of all, but I was shocked to see other animals listed as well. The Olympic Games show the strength of humans and their atheletic achievements. Humans are capable of many inventions and possess high intelligence, but many animals can outrace us, which is difficult to comprehend. Humans can be outraced, however we possess a unique ability for endurance.
I really enjoyed the article and the short video about the rat heart that acted like a jelly fish. I agree with the man in the video that said that someday, humans will not have to rely on batteries or metal parts to keep their hearts going. Instead they will be able to run on living tissue from another organism. Just from this, I think that this kind of technology has a wide scope of applications and this will be the future or transplants and other types of life support system. It also coincide will the natural order of living things. One living thing is sustained by another in the case of animals eating plants and other animals. This technology will take that a step further and it will actually be that one animal could be sustained by another vitally.
In response to the article about the speeds of animals, I thought the article was subtly funny. We humans have so much pride in ourselves and consider ourselves a several steps ahead of all species on this earth. Many of us do not show any appreciation towards the many forms of life that inhabit the earth. We consider many species useless to this world and hunt them for our own materialistic benefits. A message that can be taken from this article is that many animals have there own special features that differentiate them from the others and that we as humans should not besmirch the name of biodiversity by believing that the human race is all that matters on this earth. We may have the brains, but some species may have other exceptional qualities that surpass what we human can ever accomplish in those areas, in this case it is speed and agility that we can not achieve when compared to other animals.
After reading “Diet drugs vs. Healthier lifestyle”, I was surprised to find out the FDA succumbed to pressure from lobbyists. The FDA is supposed to be so strict that often times drug producers have to test there products in foreign countries due to strict guidelines. People now are also trying to get the best weight loss results with the least amount of effort. Usual that involves cutting corners but people do not realize the risk involved with these drugs. Many times the side affects outnumber the results from these pills and sadly almost over 17 million people are on these pills. The reason why I think there is a lack of promotion of healthy foods is because processed foods are cheaper, faster, last longer and to a majority, tastes better. People are afraid to promote healthy lifestyles because of the economic repercussions. If you walk into a grocery store, you can easily see that organic food is twice the price of regular food items. Most Americans can not afford that. It is all good and well to campaign for eating healthy and exercising but obesity will not go down until the means of living a healthy lifestyle is affordable to an average American.
I thought that the article about the synthetic jellyfish made of heart cells from a rat was very interesting. If this kind of technology continues to advance, scientists will be able to make much more than just a jellyfish-like organism. Instead of just being able to replicate certain parts of the human heart, whole hearts may be able to be created. This would apply to other organs as well. It would be a great advancement in the medical world and it would save many lives. Waiting lists for organs would be unnecessary and people would be able to quickly receive what they need. Other organisms that are more complex could be created in the future with the help of this as well. It could lead to a better understanding of many other organisms that we currently know little about. As the article states, this could lead to models for testing the anatomies of animals and cardiac drugs on the heart which would not be easy to do otherwise. Overall, this technology could possibly lead to many other great advancements.
I found the article "Dieting Drugs vs. Healthy Lifestyle" very interesting. Weight loss has been a huge component of society today. Today the pressure to the the picture perfect body seems to be number one on most people's lists. Although I personally would never take a diet pill, I do understand why some people may need it. There are some people who just need that supplement to help motivate them to lose the weight. Since obesity is such a big deal, not just let them use the pill to lose weight. As said in the article “They are primarily for people who are at risk of health complications from obesity, have difficulty losing fat by diet and lifestyle changes alone, and need a bit of extra help…" These pills aren't supposed to be the only thing they use to lose the weight, it should be used to aid a healthy lifestyle. However just because the FDA is approving these drugs doesn't mean that these drugs should be taken advantage of. I think the government as well as the FDA should come up with guidelines and make sure someone should be a certain weight or have a certain BMI to take this dieting pill.
After Reading "Diet Drugs or Healthier Lifestyle," I am dumbfounded by the numbers that were thrown at me in the article, as well as the irresponsibility many Americans show to their own bodies. Yes, some Americans with eating disorders and specific situations may need to take dietary drugs to help improve their condition or as a way to get started. However, of the 70 percent of adults who are overweight, only a tiny percentile have an excuse to use these drugs. These 78 million obese adults must learn to live a healthy life. It is a must. At some point in their lives these people started to gain weight. At a certain point it is time to tell oneself, "No I will not buy the bigger jeans just because I can't fit in my old ones." Just because these numbers have increased, the FDA has panicked and approved of drugs they previously denied with no new information! Instead, they should focus more on a healthy lifestyle. It is not just about eating right or exercising, but rather it is a way of life. We must rely on ourselves and our will power instead of scientifically created pills. Individuals need to take this problem and fix it themselves.
After reading the article, "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth", I found out that there are some very fast animals that would make Usain Bolt look slow. As Usain Bolt wins gold in the 2012 London Olympics, his 100m meter sprint in 9.63 beat his own Olympic record and is "The World's Fastest Man", but he is nothing compared to the top speeds of some animals on land, in the air, or in the water. Usain Bolt runs at a top speed of 37.6 kph or 23.4 mph, but a cheetah at top speed can run at 104 kph or 64 mph which is almost triple the speed of Usain Bolt. It would be a very interesting race if someone where to put all the fastest creatures on the track.
The Bloop is such an interesting topic to read about. The Ocean is already so mysterious with its vast emptiness.The creatures in it just add to the mystery of these waters. I wonder what the Bloop is! Is it living or is it just some sound coming from man made things like submarines mentioned in the Wikipedia article? If it is a living thing, what if its dangerous and we don't even know what it has for store? Or, what if this whole hype we make of this "Bloop" is something not so interesting like a man made sound? The ocean contains so many mysteries from its' emptiness to the lurking creatures. I guess time will tell what this "Bloop" is!
After reading the article, "Dieting Drugs vs. Healthy Lifestyle," I had some ambivalent feelings about the new obesity drugs. A part of me felt sorrowful that the number of overweight Americans has gotten so large that we now need in incorporate these dieting drugs into our lifestyle. To me, losing weight should be about healthy dieting, exercising, and being determined to acheive the goal of being in good shape. I worry that as more of these weight loss drugs are approved, more Americans will see these as an "easy way out" and become lazy in their efforts to lose weight the realistic way. However, I also feel that innovations in dieting drugs can be extremely useful to those who will take them as only a supplement when eating right and working out are not enough. I believe that there is a great lesson to be learned here from this article for us, teenagers and young adults. It is important that we start building good eating habits from a young age because these are the habits that will effect us for the rest of our lives.
I feel that diet pills are bringing society down. As the advances in science and medicine are coming a long, new medicines and things are bound to come out, which is a good thing, but I feel that with this advancements, the human race is becoming more dependent on medicine and drugs in life. I feel that by making more diet pills, people are becoming less cautious about what they eat. It sends a message in my opinion that isn't good. I feel that people think, "so what if I gain weight by eating junk and not exercising. I can take diet pills later and loose all of the weight that I have gain." This is not good for Americans, not only will it make us lazy, but you don't know the long term effects on the pills. The article says that diet pills are a supplement only, not a permanent thing to use. It also says that past diet pills have been recalled because of the harmful effects it was having on people after they took it. I feel that by making more of the diet pills you are sending the wrong message to people. I mean, yes you can make them for serious cases of obesity, where they can help, but for other no. After reading this article, I have more respect for the show The Biggest Loser. At least those people in the show who are over weight work hard to loose there weight by exercising and eating healthy. I feel that instead of putting in so much money into making this diet pills, the US should put more money into exercising programs and focus on teaching people about the importance and good healthy diet and lifestyle.
It is sad to see that world continues to become more and more lazy, and that instead of turning to exercise and a healthier diet, we rely on drugs to cure obesity. So much pressure is put on having the perfect, skinny body, but though a person may look healthy the food they put in their body determines true health. The article puts a focus on how the rate of obesity continues to rise every year. These pills are a useful aid to becoming healthier since they help a person to lose fat they can't lose through diet and lifestyle changes alone. It takes a person's own decision to create a healthier diet and this pill should not be the only thing a person does to become healthy. People may take advantage of this drug so doctors should test for certain weight or BMI before prescribing these pills to somebody.
In response to the article "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth," I was interested to see how humans compare with some of the world's fastest animals, air, sea, or land regarding top speed. I was shocked when I found out that the fastest recorded speed for a human was only 23.4 mph and even more so when I learned humans are slightly faster than a camel. This 23.4 mph may seem astonishing to humans around the world, but the real world records deserve to go to the cheetah for fastest land animal, peregrine falcon for air, and sailfish for sea. Compared to the impressive 106 mph the spine-tailed swift can reach just by flapping its wings, we humans don't even stand a chance in a race, if it were possible. We humans believe that we are the most advanced species on Earth, yet our bodies are incapable of beating animals at something so primitive as running.
In response to "Diet drugs vs. Healthier lifestyle." Obesity in America and even obesity all around the globe is a very serious problem. I am not surprised by how much money the United States alone spends on diet pills for the society in relation to the amount the United States spends on promoting a healthier lifestyle for its citizens. However, I don't blame the US government for not trying. The health administration has tried to promote healthier life styles. However, with these constant rising prices at the grocery store, an average lower middle class American cannot afford to buy the healthier food. People who are on tighter budgets look for high quantity for a cheap price. Places that provide high quantity of food at a cheap price are fast food restaurants, such as McDonalds and Burger King. This food is cheap, but at a cost to ones health. So, the FDA has no choice but to approve these diet drugs. America is getting fatter by calorie and there is not way to completly stop the obesity epidemic; the FDA can only hope for a healthier America.
In response to "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth", it was interesting to read how the running time of Olympic runner Usain Bolt compared to that of other animals. To me, the thought of running at 23.4 miles per hour is unimaginable. With this impressive speed, he highlighted his extraordinary athletic achievement. However, it is interesting to note that while attaining this speed may seem intangible to most humans, other animals such as the cheetah consider this as merely a jog-they have the ability to sprint at 64 miles per hour. When it came to endurance, I learned that although it is not true for most people, runners Samuel Wanjiru and Patrick Musyoki proved to have more endurance than a horse.
After reading "Diet drugs vs. Healthier lifestyle I believe its absolutely disgusting to see the fact that so much effort is put into making Diet drugs. I believe that in the future as well as now no drug will be so powerful that it will wipe out side effects. I agree with some of the others that it is more appropriate to focus on other ways of helping fight obesity. For example, in the beginning of the summer I took a trip to Brazil and noticed that every few blocks on the side of the roads as well as mostly all the beaches contained a workout station which included push up bars or leg exercises. At first I believed it was a waste of money but watching everyday I realized many people were making use of these tools and were getting in shape. Instead of making an easy way out for obese individuals that include serious side effects, we should consider methods like those of the brazilians that can potentially shape the upcoming generations. Another point that is made in the article is a "junk food tax". I don't think this would help the United States at all for the same outcome of there being a tax of cigarettes. Junk food is addicting and without the will power to stop or more lenient methods to exercise without paying for the gym there is no way out.
In response to the article about the unidentified sound, I found all of the content very intriguing. After reading that article, I am ver curious on what type of animal is making the sound, if it is even an animal. I also found it funn that scientists decided to name it the "the bloop." I especially enjoyed the part of the article where the author stated that it was nice to give a cute name to the seamonster that will rise up and devour us all. It most certainly will make future headlines cute and terrifing simultaneously. I also found it interesting to know that "the bloop" is just one of the many unidentified sounds scientist have decided to name. All of the names being equally ridiculous.
In response to "Diet Drugs vs. Healthier Lifestyle" I think the development of diet pills is bringing society down. With advancements in science and medicine, I feel people become too dependent on these new advancements. With new diet pills out on the market, I feel that people will use those as an outlet to lose weight. Instead of changing their lifestyles and creating a new eating habbit, society will just use these diet pills. This will cause people to possibly become more lazy and not put in the effort to change their life.
After reading "Scientific American's" article, "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth," I am not surprised that many animals are faster than the human species. As the article states; a cheetah (64 mph), peregrine falcon (115+ mph), spine tailed swift (106 mph), sailfish (67 mph), pronghorn antelope (58 mph), and lion (50 mph) all surpass the fastest ever speed of any human (Usain Bolt- 23.4 mph). These "faster-than-human" animals are also accompanied by Thomson's Gazelle (50 mph) and Reindeer (32 mph). I am not surprised that these animals are faster than humans because these animals rely on their speed for the necessities of their lives, while humans do not. For example, cheetahs need their speed and quick acceleration, acceleration that is faster than a ferrari, to catch their quick antelope/gazelle prey. This prey is their food, a necessity to life. This is the same concept with a lion, a lioness in particular, which uses its speed to catch its prey. On the other hand of a cheetah and a lion; species such as gazelles (Thomson's), antelope (Pronghorn), and even deer and reindeer really on their speed for survival. These animals use their speed to try to outrace their predators, which can be a cheetah or a lion. In the case of sailfish, their 109 km/h speed allows them to prey on some of the faster fish in the ocean, allowing us to infer that these fish (tuna and mackerel) are their main diet. Therefore, they too, need speed. Peregrine falcons also use their "high-speed dives" to hunt for food. Next, we can show how humans don't rely on natural speed to fulfill their necessities. Because of the intelligence of the human species, humans have been able to create artificial speed in the modes of trains, cars, planes, etc... Therefore, humans need to rely less on their physical speed thus showing why many creatures are faster than humans!
The article discussing diet drugs really astounded me. The statistics are very scary; over 78 million adults are obese and about 70% of US adults have weight issues, resulting in 300,000 deaths per year. That is truly terrifying. However, I am against diet drugs. I believe everyone should be healthy and lose weight naturally, without the assistance of diet drugs. Drugs can cause a number of side effects, as noted in the article. They can cause more harm then good. Also, once the drug has been approved, companies don't follow up with their studies which is not good. People should be educated enough to know how to live a healthy lifestyle and to know what to eat and how much to eat. Relying on drugs is a very good option to be healthy.
I really enjoyed reading about the Bloop, this is just one example of the many mysteries hidden in our oceans. The Bloop could be almost anything, is it a giant animal? Maybe even a monster of some sort? Or it could just be a harmless animal that lives in an underwater cave system that acts as a microphone thus projecting the sound. One probable theory is that it could be a giant eel, this is because eels can live a very long time and they will continue to grow if they are provided with an ideal environment. If we are to find out what the Bloop really is then what would happen? Would we leave it alone? Or would we see it as a threat to our civilization? What if it is a monster? Would it harm us, and if it did why did it wait all these years to attack? There are so many questions to ask and too little answers to be given regarding the Bloop. This includes its name, why was it named the Bloop? Also why were the Train, Slow Down, Whistle, Upsweep and Julia given those names? We may never find out.
The job of scientists ranges from studying facts to observing life compared to those facts. But another significant duty of a scientist is to prove the unknown using the known. And this is exactly how the ‘Bloop’ came along. As stated in this article – Lesson #171 – Aquatic Discoveries - although the source of this noise is unknown, it is amusing to notice that such’ technical’ labels are placed on the sound, and others such as ‘ Train,’ ‘Whistle,’ and ‘Slow Down.’ Before reading this article, I had read about the ‘Bloop’ in a different news article. It stated that the sound was first detected by sensors in 1997that were over 4800 kilometers apart. Essentially, this means that this creature (if it is a creature) has the potential to be more powerful than any other animal whose noise was heard in the ocean’s depths. Therefore, if its power is proportional to its size, this animal may be even bigger than a whale! I guess only time will tell what creature can create this powerful noise. In the meantime, ‘Bloop’ fanatics have created ‘Bloop Watch’ to determine the source of this sound – www.bloopwatch.org And if you’d like to hear what the ‘Bloop’ sounds like, take a look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bloop_real.ogg.
The Bloop is an interesting event that I am interested to know the source. Upon listening to it, it is kind of apparent where the name comes from. It sounds like a big bubble coming up, making a bloop sound. The fact that it is still unknown kind of shows how little we know about the world. However, it is the unknown and the unidentified things we pick up that gives us an inspiration to keep wanting to find out more about the world.
It came to my attention after reading "Diet Drugs vs. Healthier Lifestyle" that most people, if not all, usually try to find the easy way out of their goals. But the fact is, there never is an easy way out. If there is, then in my opinion, people will never reach their goals feeling accomplished. Just because the FDA approves of a new drug, it doesn't mean that it's the best way or the healthiest way to lose weight. I believe that in the long-term run, it will definitely do more harm than good. The obese might as well just take a longer time to lose weight rather than taking some artificial pills that most likely always have side effects probably caused by the lorcserin and/or Qnexa, which are both not very safe substances. Year after year, the obesity rate rises, but that's because people aren't doing anything or much about it. My friend once said "I guess it depends how badly you want it [losing weight]". My view is that people don't view obesity as a big issue even though it's such a high cause of death. Also, if diet drugs were such a huge help, I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be as many obese people as there are surfacing. In fact, the drugs might even be sold out at this point; maybe not. But if people need/want to lose weight, they have to change their life styles and commit to them, just as the author, Judy Stone, says. [*Posted by Bethany Chan*]
"Diet Drugs Vs. Healthier Lifestyle". This article dissapoints me in so many ways. First off, I was shocked while reading the statistics regarding obesity. I know people of all ages struggle with weight, but I didnt realize just how many people are struggling. What also dissapoints me, is how the FDA is trying to handle things. It truly is a shame that people are trying to take short cuts, instead of gaining results through hard work. Even though the article states that the weight loss drugs are not a replacement to a healthy lifestyle, my guess is that most people will not understand that, and figure all they have to do to lose weight is consume the pills. These drugs will probably just have harmful effects on the body, and instead of creating drugs to help people lose weight, we must promote exercise and healthy eating.
After reading "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth" I came to realization about facts that I already knew. I knew that as humans, we aren't that fast in the world of animals but after watching the Olympics everyday I thought higher of us humans. It amused me that after all the training and hardships athletes go through they still can't compete against other animals like the cheetah. What I found interesting though was that over distance, humans are better then horses. I was kind of shocked to see that because I think of horses able to go long ways especially after seeing them as transportation. Currently, while I am in Pakistan I see lots of horses and donkeys taking people miles and miles to places like Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi and after seeing that humans can be better then horses is distance made me think.
In response to "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth,"i wasn't surprised that many animals were able to reach higher speeds than Usain Bolt did. Animals such as the Peregrine Falcon, and the Cheetah need their speed to survive in the wild. For example. Cheetah's eat Impala's, and Impala's can run at speeds at up to 56 miles per hour. The Peregrine Falcon and other birds of prey need their speed to catch their prey which includes other birds and fish. The reason these animals became this fast is through is through evolution. For example, the cheetah has extended claws that dig into the ground like cleats. In conclusion i am not surprised that humans aren't even close to being one of the fastest species on the planet. Humans have become the dominant species because of our large brains. Unlike animals like the impala humans don't have to run away from a predator. Instead humans make traps or weapons to fight of a predator. However with advances in genetic engineering, maybe humans will become the fastest species on earth.
The amount of overweight people in America is astonishing to me. I had some recollection that they were many, many people who were obese, but not to the extent of which the article states. It is a shame to see that the FDA approved of these diet pills to help obese Americans. I believe that is an alternative way out for people to lose weight. It's mortifying to see people give up so easily on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and choose these drugs. I think that these pills should not be sold to the general public for anyone to go pick up. I think that doctors or other medical physicians should prescribe these diet pills to those who really need them. I agree with neurobiologist Stephan Guyenet that these pills should only be given to those who have trouble reducing weight with a healthy lifestyle. These diet pills should only be taken as a supplement. As for those who would like to lose weight, maybe they should follow Jamie Oliver's footsteps by making school lunches healthier and trying to change what fast food restaurants are serving. It may be beneficial to all of us in the end.
After reading, "Diet Drugs vs. Healthier lifestyle," I understand what the scientists are going for. In the article, it is evident that the weight loss drug is intended to help overweight people who are at risk of health problems. However, a weight loss drug can't help someone if they don't change their lifestyle. A drug that is used to get overweight people to start being healthier won't work unless people live a healthier life. Additionally, the article states that the weight loss drugs have known side-effects like heightened blood pressure, heart valve abnormalities, and rapid heart beat. Drugs such as these have also been known to not work one hundred percent of the time. People's bodies are different, which means their medical needs are different. This is why their bodies may react differently to the drug than intended. On the other hand, a healthy lifestyle has no negative side effects as long as people stay within their limits. Essentially, the goal of both the the drugs and a healthier lifestyle is to get people back to a healthier state, and the way I see it, the latter is a far less risky option.
It came to my attention after reading "Diet Drugs vs. Healthier Lifestyle" that most people, if not all, usually try to find the easy way out of their goals. But the fact is, there never is an easy way out. If there is, then in my opinion, people will never reach their goals feeling accomplished. Just because the FDA approves of a new drug, it doesn't mean that it's the best way or the healthiest way to lose weight. I believe that in the long-term run, it will definitely do more harm than good. The obese might as well just take a longer time to lose weight rather than taking some artificial pills that most likely always have side effects probably caused by the lorcserin and/or Qnexa, which are both not very safe substances. Year after year, the obesity rate rises, but that's because people aren't doing anything or much about it. My friend once said "I guess it depends how badly you want it [losing weight]". My view is that people don't view obesity as a big issue even though it's such a high cause of death. Also, if diet drugs were such a huge help, I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be as many obese people as there are surfacing. In fact, the drugs might even be sold out at this point; maybe not. But if people need/want to lose weight, they have to change their life styles and commit to them, just as the author, Judy Stone, says. [*Posted by Bethany Chan*]
In response to “Diet drugs vs. Healthier lifestyle,” I believe a healthier lifestyle is the way to go. All drugs come with side effects, and even if they aren’t commonly occurring side effects, they can still happen. As it states in the article, these diet drugs are not meant to replace a healthy lifestyle, they are meant to support one and accelerate the weight-loss process. However, people tend to assume that they can work on their own, so they continue with their unhealthy lifestyle and hope they see results. 78 million people are obese in the US alone and many fail to change their eating habits and how much they exercise. In many cases, the FDA approves a drug and then a couple months later, serious side effects are discovered. In my opinion, rather than risking their lives to lose weight with drugs, people should just switch to a healthier lifestyle.
I have read about the bloop before. The NOAA has had underwater sound equipment in the ocean to detect sounds like this for the past twenty years. Since the Bloop has only been detected once I find it hard to believe that i would be a “sea monster” or any sort of animal if its only been heard once. Especially that it was heard from over 3,000 miles a way and was louder than the loudest know animal, rules out the plausibility that is was produced by an animal. Just because there is no known explanation doesn't mean it didn't happen. The name though not technical accurately describes the sound produced. The sound reminds me of the sound of bubbles reaching the surface of water.
In response to: "New Weight-Loss Drugs" The FDA accepting or approving these weight loss drugs means one thing, "Society is becoming desperate." In 2010, the FDA did not approve of these drugs, Belviq and Qsymia because of the all the negative side effects that follow such as possible heart valve abnormalities, elevated blood pressure, rapid heart beat, "excitability," possible birth defects, confusion, memory loss, and depression. Qysmia and Belviq both aid the patients in weight loss, minimally, resulting in an approximate 10% and 3.3% weight loss, respectively. However, in this case, the negatives far outweigh the positives. According to neurobiologist Stepan Gyenet, " These drugs are not intended to replace a healthy diet and lifestyle—they are intended to supplement it. They are primarily for people who are at risk of health complications from obesity, and need a bit of extra health..." But like every drug on the market, when people get desperate, they tend not to follow the suggestions of experts. Obesity has reached an all-time high in the United States—78 million US adults are obese, 300,000 deaths/yr. due to obesity, and 70% of US adults have a problem with weight. More than likely, people will try and take advantage of the drugs, and raise our average of other health problems. The better solution would just be to lose the weight through hard work (i.e. healthy diet and regular exercise); however, in a society that glorifies the "six-pack abs" or the "slender bikini figure" and rewards the "get it done fast" motto, the now, seemingly desperate people will refrain from the diet and exercise (which promises healthy results with next to no side effects—what's the worst that cold happen? Sprained ankle?—but over a longer period of time) and move toward the "easy way out," which doesn't really produce that much of a result (only 10%, but more quickly than diet and exercise, and with a whole bunch of side effects). Personally, I feel that these weight loss drugs are bogus and completely ridiculous. The FDA shouldn't encourage the use of these. If people wanted to stop having problems with weight, they should go to the gym, not the drugstore.
I found the article "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth" extremely interesting. The article disparages Human achievements on the track, but it was interesting to see the actual miles per hour Usain Bolt ran during the 100 meter dash. Also the fact that some animals such as the Pronghorn can run at a steady rate of 40 mph for 30 minutes is insane. A lot of the animals on the slideshow where animals I had never heard of and it was interesting to see that certain creatures in nature can naturally run as fast as they can. Most of us know that the Cheetah is the fastest on ground sprinter, but another fact that interested me was that Lions tire out a lot faster and cannot hold their maximum speed for very long due to their heart size. Personally I think that we can not really compare a Human such as Usain Bolt to an Animal who lives in the wild and has evolved in a way to help better their chances of survival by running. Animals in this slideshow have a totally different body structure in comparison to humans. All in all this article shows that no matter what Humans accomplish on the track, the human body has a limit as to how fast one is able to run.
I agree that people should eat healthier and exercise more instead of utilizing drugs like the one mentioned, which, according to the article, can result in side effects such as memory loss and possible heart complications. A healthy diet and exercise is extremely beneficial to the body, and it certainly is a better solution for the seventy percent of Americans that, according to the article, are overweight.
Personally, I think the ‘Bloop’ sounds like a bubble being blown. Perhaps, since the sound is faint, it is just an air pocket, that is relatively far away, in the water being released creating the sound. Whether or not that is the origin, I hope scientists discover its source. Perhaps it will further prove a theory and/or better our understanding similar to how the detected cosmic background radiation supported the Big Bang Theory.
Of course, we humans, even some of our best performing athletes, couldn’t beat some other species of life in terms of certain activities, such as running. Environmental factors induce natural selection which in tern can cause a species to evolve over an extensive period of time. Some animals have developed tremendous physical feats, and we, as humans, have intellectual superiority. All in all, certain animals out-performing humans in physical challenges is to be expected, but it doesn’t change the fact that we are at the top of the food chain.
Speaking of the intelligence of mankind, I thought that it was real interesting how scientists could engineer a jelly-fish like collection of rodent cells. To me, the pulsations resemble a heart, where the cells were taken from, than a jellyfish. However, I can definitely see the similarity between the two. Hopefully this will be used in conjunction with stem cell research in order to help humans with heart issues. These experiments can all help us better our understanding on how our bodies work, and then, intern, help us create effective solutions that can save a substantial amount of lives.
Obesity is a large issue in our society, and as time goes on, more and more are becoming overweight. There are many drugs out there promising weight loss, but I believe that there is no magic pill out there that can save those that are overweight. Weight loss should be done with a healthy diet and a consistent exercise routine. Though most weight loss pills on the market promise amazing results with little effort, they should not be depended on for many reasons. Relying on medication to lose weight is a lazy way to go, and some pills out there have negative side effects. Many people taking diet pills are probably expecting results in a very small amount of time; however losing weight requires patience and determination.
The article "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth" was very interesting. It amazes me how fast the fastest human can actually go, at 23.4 miles per hour. It seemed very fast to me at first, but it paled in comparison to what other animals can do. A bird going over 100 miles per hour? Just, wow.
The article "Diet drugs vs. Healthier lifestyle" really opened my eyes. Over a third of American adults are obese? We have a serious problem going on here. I understand that these types of drugs can make losing weight much easier and faster, but how hard is it to just eat right and exercise frequently before getting obese? Hopefully these astonishing numbers will go down soon when Americans realize how much of a problem obesity really is and they actually do something about it.
After reading the article, "Diet Drugs vs Healthier Lifestyle" I personally believe that proper dieting and exercise are the way to go. These weight-loss pills contain chemicals like phentermine hydrocloride which pose risks by consuming them. Some contraindications(severe side effects which are a sign to stop using the drug) are increased hypertension, and arteriosclerosis(plaque build up). Why take these chances to get these disorders if weight loss can be achieved by diet/exercise. A healthier lifestyle pose no risks and will help you live longer/build good habits. Why risk it if you do not have to?! If you cut down on things like fast food and soda (main sources of obesity) along with doing exercises like running and "burpees." You would be surprised on how much weight you can be losing. In my opinion, these new diet pills that were approved by the FDA will not significantly or at all lower the obesity rate in this country.
"Diet Drugs vs. Healthy Lifestyle": Obesity is a major issue in the United States of America with 70% of the adult population having weight problems. The majority of the population relies on fast food restaurants and junk food to fill their stomachs. However, there is nothing being done to help people make healthy choices and actually get fit by dieting and exercising. Other countries are taxing the unhealthy food yet in the United States the unhealthy stuff is the cheapest food available. Furthermore, the government is approving drugs to lose weight which can be harmful. I understand some people may need the medicine if they are in a critical condition but they should not be relying on these drugs to lose the weight and become fit again. The government is trying to help those who need the weight-loss drugs but they should also be putting the same amount of effort and time on getting people to lose weight by making healthy choices and exercising.
After reading the article "Diet Drugs vs. Healthy Lifestyle" I was upset. I also realized that the only solutions for obesity are having a good nutrition and exercising. Although the new drug, Qsymia, may produce tremendous results in solving the problem of obesity it will only have a bad effect on someone's body and mind. I believe this drug will psychologically hurt someone by making them lazy because the drug gives faster results for weight loss rather than diet and exercise so a person taking the drug will exercise less and will more likely rely on the drug. This in turn will promote more people to use the drug, which I think is wrong. I personally feel that the drug should not have been approved by the FDA because of it is made up of harmful components which are know to cause side effects like elevated blood pressure, rapid heart beat, memory loss and etc. All in all, i think the government should not be promoting such drugs.
In response to the article "Diet Drugs vs. Healthier Lifestyle", I think that the diet drugs are going to have a lasting ill-effect on the US people, and thereby the future of the country itself. These diet drugs are likely to have side effects, which are usually worse than the diseases that would afflict people should they remain obese. For example, Xenical, the only weight loss drug approved for longer-term use in significantly obese people, does not have its safety and effectiveness established for use beyond two years. On the other hand the drug being spoken about in the above-mentioned article, Qnexa, was approved by the FDA, said that it increases heart rate, heart attacks and arrhythmias. Instead of having diet drugs, Americans should avoid junk foods, which are empty calories loaded and are a principal cause for American obesity. As a nation, in my opinion, taxing unhealthy junk foods is much better than approving the use of diet drugs. The extra taxes thus collected can be used for research and treatment of more important modern day diseases like neurological, cardio-pulmonary and oncological diseases. Instead, healthier lifestyle and food habits can do wonders in maintaining American weight within healthy limits. The USA is the number one country in the world, so what it does is watched and emulated by the rest of the world. By changing the way US lives we actually can impact the way today’s mankind lives and progresses to the next stage in the future. I think that Americans should change their lifestyle to a healthy one, and later prove to the world that it is possible to have a healthy lifestyle. If people have more gyms on the streets, than McDonald’s and Burger Kings, I am sure people will be influenced to exercise more, instead of eating more. Overweight/obese people just need to be conscious about their diet, and have regular exercise. Personally, I do not think the diet drugs will work; I just think that it will hurt US. Having lived in Brazil myself, where people have very healthy lifestyles, all one needs is the will power to stop eating junk and hit the gym. A person lives only one life and I think they should make as much as possible out of it by living healthily in a natural way.
After reading the "Animal Olympics" article, I am not surprised to hear that humans can beat out specific animals such as racehorses. Racehorses are designed for racing after all, but this is because they are on even terrain. Everyone knows the cheetah is the fastest land animal, and the cheetah can beat out humans easily. There is no way to test the theory on all species, because sea creatures cannot race the humans or animals such as the cheetah.
It’s unfortunate that we live in a society that shuns those who are overweight, and adores those that have the perfect “beach body”. I tend to agree with people who say that these overweight pills are a cheap marketing trick, feeding off people’s “easy way out” mindset. When it comes to one’s health the only way to maintain a healthy lifestyle is to maintain a continuous regimen of exercise mixed with a balanced diet. How many times do you see on TV on those weight loss shows where contestants are put in a camp to lose as much weight as possible only to go back to their regular lives and regain the weight. Diet pills such as Belviq and Qnexa, are only intended for people who are overweight and need that extra push accompanied with a changed healthy lifestyle. Although these are prescription drugs, people who do not need them are getting their hands on them and are suffering from the harmful effects such as elevated blood pressure, rapid heartbeat and “excitability”. To be honest, a tax will do little in a society that has grown accustomed to a diet high in fats and sweets. People will be continue to buy them even at a higher rate and will continue to ignore healthy eating habits. If they are truly serious about losing the weight and keeping it off, it’s all about not taking shortcuts and having a little will power.
The article about the synthetic jellyfish-like organism poses an interesting way of hybridizing two animals. Scientists were able to cross the pump system in rat hearts and jellyfish. The “medusoid” that was made is fairly simple, but it is very important because it helps better understand movement in organisms as mentioned in the video and also shows how similar organism are. Many organisms, such as humans and rats, use a propulsion system in order to move or live and this connects them in their evolutionary history. Propulsion systems that were described in the article support evolution. There’s also another interesting example of evolution in the article. The new jellyfish-like rat and jellyfish can be related by convergent evolution. Convergent evolution shows how organisms with similar characteristics but no common ancestor can still demonstrate evolution. The jellyfish-like rat and jellyfish are definitely not closely genetically related because one is technically a rat and the other is a jellyfish. However, both organisms still exemplify evolution because they both use propulsion systems in order to move.
After reading the mind boggling article about the synthetic jellyfish, I was blown out of my mind. A rat’s heart cells were used to mimic the pumping movement of a jelly fish. The group of Harvard students and professors put together a jellyfish cell by cell to understand more about the human heart. If studies continue, I can predict we will be able to make rat hearts from scratch, and soon make human hearts too. This would be a major accomplishment since about every 30 seconds; someone in USA dies of a heart related disease. The possibility of making synthetic hearts (not the plastic artificial one) can save millions of people a day. Instead of getting an artificial plastic heart, one could get a synthetic heart. In conclusion, studying cardiac cells and how they pump can help us mimic the human heart with other things more natural than plastic and metal, and still be saving millions of lives. I Agree that the Olympics are species centric and only allow humans, but it humans did want to host an all species Olympics; it would be a plain disaster. One of the main reasons only humans are in the Olympics is because we have a very high mind capacity. We do not have to be trained as rigorously as animals. So the solution to the Species-Centric Olympics is having more than one Olympics. Have the Animal Olympics. Animals could be trained to perform activities by a human mentor. All types of animals could enter the Animal Olympics. These animals could represent their species and compete against others. Although it may be a pain to set it up, I can bet it would be worth it. I also read “Surviving the World Lesson, #1471 - Aquatic Discoveries.” It was an interesting article about this unknown sound. I was surprised that we did not know what it was. Maybe it is a Sea monster, but that is highly unlikely because humans have scanned the Earth from top to bottom with our satellites. Still, if you listen to the audio (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Bloop_real.ogg) of the “Bloop,” which is 16 times faster than real time, you can kind of hear a swishing sound near the half way mark. Whatever it is, I hope this ultralow frequency sound is not a threat to our species.
"Diet Drugs vs. Healthy Lifestyle" Right off the bat, I agree with the author of this article that the public is too concerned with combatting the problem of obesity rather than simply preventing it. The media and other sources of outward outlets have placed an unmistakable emphasis on powerful drugs that help people shed pounds at an unhealthy rate. When first reading about Qsymia and the other narcotics at its level, I was shocked to find that these drugs work at both a cardiac and neurological level. Not only do they directly affect one's heart rate but they also tamper with the mind. I personally find that this is a dangerous combo, whether the FDA approves of it or not. As a society, we must make it a priority to emphasize the important at maintaining a healthy lifestyle and weight. The faster we become less dependent on powerful weight loss drugs, the healthier the American people will be.
Reading about "The Bloop" captured my attention very quickly. It is amazing that the noise was recorded to have an "extra-low frequency...extremely powerful underwater sound...and is several times louder than the loudest recorded animal, the blue whale," yet remains a mystery. The ocean makes up about 70% of the Earth and much of it remains a mystery. We may not have the advanced technology needed to explore the deepest parts of the ocean, however, there are developments being made. After hearing the Bloop, I do not believe that it could be an animal. It sounds similar to a hydrothermal vent releases oxygen.
After reading “Diet drugs vs. Healthier lifestyle,” I feel the article really demonstrates how our country is rapidly growing on the obesity scale and straying from a healthy lifestyle. The need for the latest diet drugs and supplements that’ll supposedly allow you to lose 10 pounds in one week show how the popular media is really influencing people to conform their bodies to that of celebrities and models. Society is quickly becoming obsessed with morphing themselves into the perfect and ideal body displayed across magazines and television, but this negative stimulus causes people to resort to unhealthy and unsafe measures. I agree with neurobiologist Stephan Guyenet that these diet pills shouldn’t be a way of life, but I strongly advise against consuming these supplements at all, as they can have negative long-term effects and are an unnatural method to lose weight and get healthy. I believe that the cause of our country’s dangerous number of those with obesity is due to the overwhelming amount of fast food restaurants located at every street, and the convenience of their affordability. Therefore, in order to promote healthier eating, I think healthier food options should be available in more locations and also be reduced in price so it will be as convenient for people as fast food is. The article mentions that countries have placed a tax on junk food, and although I praise the intent of this action, I don’t think it helps the situation as a whole and is unfortunately only working backwards. The government should not have to power to determine what we can and can’t eat, and placing taxes on unhealthy items is just another way for the country to control its people. Instead, offering a wider range of cheap and affordable alternatives is the best way to suppress the rise of obesity by giving society an equal option to choose what they want to put in their bodies, and giving them the personal freedom to choose whether to opt for the unhealthy or healthy is the most reasonable way to go.
It's quite amazing that humans can reach 37km/h, yet we are slow compared to other animals. The cheetah can go about 3x as fast at 104km/h, which is pretty darn fast. It is likely that this is because these animals depend on speed for survival, unlike humans. Without the advantage of speed, cheetahs could never catch any prey and would starve. Humans rely on farming and tools, which work regardless o how fast you run. Without these, the slow and weak will die out
I was fascinated upon hearing about "The Bloop"! I continue to believe that scientists should further explore the deep depths of the oceans, especially because it covers about 75% of the Earth's surface AND there is so much yet to discover. The possibilities of new species and aquatic life are endless. My first thought when hearing about the noise, and reading about the others, was the Loch Ness monster. Nessie has been subject to myth for a long time and there has always been speculation about the truth. If there were such a creature, how would we handle it? Even if we did discover it, how would scientists study it and get close enough to it to analyze its behavior? If it is bigger than a blue whale, scientists would have a huge problem on their hands as well as an elephantine discovery.
After reading "Diet drugs vs Healthier lifestyle", I was very pleased and disappointed at the medical approaches towards obesity. Obesity is growing problem in the USA that could lead to numerous health issues. While I applaud the scientists for their work on making a supplement for obesity, I believe obesity is an issue that can only be solved through diet and exercise. The pills that were described in the article have a large amount of side effects. The risks of using the pills make it not worth the trouble. I believe the best way to approach the obesity crisis is to raise the amount of cost for unhealthy food. While many Americans hate the idea of spending more money, this might influence enough people to purchase cheaper, healthier food rather than expensive, fattening food. Many people buy fattening food because it is the cheapest thing available. As much as I love the idea of science making people skinny, I feel it has too many risks.
I found the video and article of the jellyfish very attention catching. Scientists were able to “shock” the heart cells of a rat into a pulsing movement. I saw this process very similar to the way doctors use defibrillation to revive a human heart that has stopped beating. As many people have stated, surely further research into this could provide a multitude of information of cardiac drugs and replacements. On a different note however, I immediately wondered if the scientists have tried to use jellyfish cells for the medusoid. Jellyfish do not have hearts (or brains) and they can absorb things through their skins, such as oxygen and nutrients. If scientists explore the possibilities and research using these special cells that do not even have nerves connecting to a brain, I believe that they can be used for even more experiments and maybe create synthetic organs from them.
The article mentioned the difficulty of finding a liquid environment that would support the propulsion of mammal cells on a synthetic polymer. It states that humans are mostly unaware of the viscosity of water because of our size, whereas small jellyfish can find the water as sticky as honey is for us. That is a huge factor for scientists to consider and have to work around when dealing with animals and insects and is just one example of the many issues that researchers must face, specifically when specializing with animals.
I listened to the sounds of The Bloop, Julia, Train, Whistle, Upsweep, and Slow Down. Some of the articles for the sounds provided possible theories about the origins; they may be from the ice moving in Antarctica, or from seismic activity. One feasible theory in my opinion is just the earth moving. There are plates over plates that move all the time at random and do not necessarily create earthquakes, but the earth does vibrate/move way past the crust so it could be possible that it makes noise.
It was disappointing to read the article about diet drugs. The article mentioned the HBO project "The Weight of the Nation" which gave one the the bleakest insights into America's future I've seen and inspired my mom to lose 25 pounds. The diet pills that the FDA are approving are no doubt the wrong way to go about staying healthy. Exercise and dieting are the only two ways to stay in shape without creating more problems. Also, the drugs first got denied by the FDA and than only got accepted the second time because of lobbyists. It's painful to know that the branch of government dedicated to overseeing our health values money more than it's people.
“Building a Rat that Swims like a Jellyfish” It can’t get more ridiculous than that. By taking the cardiac cells of a rat and converting it to function as a different “organism” is just, to me strange yet so interesting. By running an electrical pulse through the geometry of a synthetic polymer and into the tissue of a rat is a strange idea that I think could really work out in the world. This idea encounters many interpretations to biomedical studies as stated in the short video. I don’t think these ideas will be accepted soon and applied to the world till a later time due to the amount of specific conditions this “medusoid” needs. The perfect viscos fluid, the inability to contract and compress, and geometry really plays a toll on the functioning of a heart valve since we know a vein or a valve doesn’t have the same geometry as a jellyfish and we know it has to compress and contract to move blood which might not even be a good environment for the synthetic fiber to use energy. This article to me was a great proof of concept and I believe it will go far with enough research and experiments.
I found the article Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth a very fascinating article. However, it is not surprising that a lot of animals are faster than humans. Animals have speed to survive. This speed helps them catch prey and run away from predators. This speed has helped them survive and not go extinct by natural selection. Cheetahs with their incredible speeds at 65 miles an hour are amazing. They hunt down their prey and catch them fast by chasing them down. Humans have brains to help them hunt their prey. We have developed tools to help us hunt for food and to survive. We humans invented bows and arrows, guns, and more.
We humans also have reached those speeds by inventing trains, planes, cars, and rockets. Rockets go about 17,500 miles per hour to remain in orbit which surpasses any speed of any animal. Animals are faster because of their necessity to survive. Humans are smarter and can beat any animal with inventing gadgets and new weapons.
After reading the animal olympics article i was intrigued. I knew that humans were not even close to being the fastest species but i did not know all of the interesting information about the other faster species. For example the cheetah and peregrine falcon are famous for being extremely fast but i did not how close some other animals are. After thinking about it it is hard not to believe that there are so many fast animals because of how many know animal species there are in the world.Also at the rate we are finding new species there is always a possibility that we may find another species of speed.
But how does this all connect to Biology. It is connected by evolution. It is all about survival of the fittest. I mean over thousands of years these majestic animals have grow to be this fast to survive. Some like the Pronghorn have gotten their speed because they need to run away from their predators. Their ancestors may not have been as fast but slowly over time they got faster. While with others it is vice versa, in the cheetah's scenario the cheetah has to be very fast in order to catch it's prey such as zebra. Maybe the cheetah's ancestors were more similar to lions which were fast but not as fast as the modern day cheetah. i think that this shows promise for human beings. Who knows maybe millions of years from now we will grow in not only speed but maybe even in strength. During the recent olympics we see that we can grow because we have men and women slightly faster. I mean Ussain Bolt and Yohan Blake are fast because they work hard but there might be a little bit of evolution in there somewhere.
I don't understand why people would pay money to lose weight when it's as easy as eating right and exercising daily. The laziness of people is really exposed, when yes they do want a thin body, they don't want to work to get it. We pay way too much money nowadays to companies for weight loss medicines that most likely don't work or even worse, ruin your health. So many companies have come out with supposedly effective drugs to help you change yourself into a thinner, more desirable you. Even more than weight loss drugs there are diet plans, such as Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers, claiming to help you lose more than seven pounds a week. Although some weight loss drugs might work, it's very rare to see one, and most of the drugs on the market probably show no results at all. Also, there are serious side effects to a lot of these drugs which need to be taken seriously. If you just maintained a healthy diet with a good exercise schedule you would have the results without the negative effects. Yes a large amount of Americans are obese, and yes this is a problem, but the solution is already there. The government doesn't have the right to ban junk food, so we have to take it to ourselves to take care of ourselves.
The article about developing weight loss drugs really concerned me. I dont understand why people would rather spend money on these and risk health problems than on healthy food and excerise. I feel like people are becoming lazier and want the easier way to lose weight. But would you really be that lazy to spend money on a supplement that may not even work? They seem to be more harmful than beneficial. Pressure from society to be a certain size does make people want to take these pills though. We need to start promoting healthy lifestyle and excersise not diet pills.
63 comments:
@http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/molecules-to-medicine/2012/08/03/diet-drugs-vs-healthier-lifestyle/
Dieting drugs have been known to fail because the average American wants a society accepted body quickly and effortlessly. Refering to the point that the FDA is pushing these dieting drugs because they are popular and in demand should make people be even more cautious of what people are puting in their bodies. Guyent makes the point that these drugs sometimes have more negative side effects than positive side effects to the anatomy. As with many drugs have been recalled this blogger predicts that the dieting drugs will in the near future reveal their true potential in an unfortunate way. According to the article, these drugs are supposed to be taken with food in a regular lifestyle. As these drugs are available it may also facilitate eating disorders. Although thin and lean bodies are considered healthy the road to the the "perfect beach body" may not be so healthy.
what ever happened to eating healthy and excersing? It is dissapointing and very morose to know that we are spending our money and time developing these weight loss drugs that barley work. It is one thing to be a supplement, but to be the solution to weight loss is completely ridiculous. This a new phase of being lazy and hopeless. People need to face the fact that weight loss is not something that's easy, it takes dedication,effort and self awareness. There is only on clear answer to shedding off the pounds and that is to hit the gym and to eat right. It is not using the most expensive drug or those televised food products. With support and dedication no will ever need a drug to be healthy, it all start with yourself.
Reading about the esoteric sound detected in the ocean fascinated me. I'm intrigued about the still unknown creature, if it is a creature. It was amusing to read about the The Bloop; I wonder who named it? I wonder who named all of the different sounds: The Bloop, Julia, Train, Slow Down, Whistle, and Upsweep. When scientists do find out what is lurking on the depths of our oceans, what do we do? Sure it'll be a new discovery that will evoke the peoples attentions, but what do we do with them once we understand it's nature. For as long as the world's been formed, no creature has made an appearance, so do we leave them alone? Is it the lockness monster? A giant turtle? All of the mythical creature are now coming to mind. Is it the monsters that were locked under the ocean in hercules? What are they? Can we benefit from them?
I would never advocate the use of dieting pills or any similar artificially based supplement. As Stephen Guyenet stated, these pills prove more detrimental than successful to one's health, for they can produce "serious cardiovascular side effects." In addition, weight-loss pills more often than not have a low success rate in lowering obesity (Belviq only having a 3.3% rate) and are usually expensive; however, it is because we live in a society that only seeks the fastest, easiest methods to lose weight that these drug companies succeed and profit. Ultimately, those who wish to lose weight or reduce obesity should not turn to a 'quick fix' like dieting pills, but rather must maintain a strong mindset to regulate what they eat, maintain a consistent exercise regime, and establish an all-round healthier, natural lifestyle.
I completely agree with the previous comments made in regards to the “Dieting Drugs vs. Healthy Lifestyle” article. Society has become so obsessed with its vision of the ideal body that it has taken dangerous measures to get to that perfect shape. I am a strong supporter of eating right and exercising in order to lose weight properly, but at the same time I sympathize with those who require more extensive procedures to get their bodies back on track. It is clear that government is trying to get involved and help Americans curb obesity. But is government really fixing the problem? Diet pills are not miracle workers. As neurobiologist Stephan Guyenet said, “these drugs are not intended to replace a healthy diet and lifestyle– they are intended to supplement it.” He is absolutely correct; dieting pills should never be used to solve the problem of being overweight or obese, instead they should be used in addition to making healthy lifestyle choices. However in this society, eating healthy is not exactly an easy feat. Americans everywhere are constantly bombarded with cheap, affordable fast food restaurants but are not able to access or afford healthy food items. In the article, it was mentioned that other countries have issued special taxes on junk foods, but I believe, in America, the best solution is to make healthy food affordable and accessible to all Americans. Restaurants such as McDonalds and IHOP have already made efforts to list nutritional facts such as calories and fat amount on menus. Now, I think government’s next step should be to offer inexpensive, healthy food options and provide those who are struggling with safe, completely harmless weight loss products such as diet pills.
In response to "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth," I am amazed to see how human speed is faster than some animals such as horses. In 2008, Usain Bolt's speed of 36 km/hr made humans so speechless that he was titled "the world's fastest man." But, an elite subset of animals can outrun humans by a long stretch. For example, some fast animals such as the sailfish and pronghorn are categorized as being faster than humans. As many people know, the cheetah is the fastest animal of all, but I was shocked to see other animals listed as well. The Olympic Games show the strength of humans and their atheletic achievements. Humans are capable of many inventions and possess high intelligence, but many animals can outrace us, which is difficult to comprehend. Humans can be outraced, however we possess a unique ability for endurance.
I really enjoyed the article and the short video about the rat heart that acted like a jelly fish. I agree with the man in the video that said that someday, humans will not have to rely on batteries or metal parts to keep their hearts going. Instead they will be able to run on living tissue from another organism. Just from this, I think that this kind of technology has a wide scope of applications and this will be the future or transplants and other types of life support system. It also coincide will the natural order of living things. One living thing is sustained by another in the case of animals eating plants and other animals. This technology will take that a step further and it will actually be that one animal could be sustained by another vitally.
In response to the article about the speeds of animals, I thought the article was subtly funny. We humans have so much pride in ourselves and consider ourselves a several steps ahead of all species on this earth. Many of us do not show any appreciation towards the many forms of life that inhabit the earth. We consider many species useless to this world and hunt them for our own materialistic benefits. A message that can be taken from this article is that many animals have there own special features that differentiate them from the others and that we as humans should not besmirch the name of biodiversity by believing that the human race is all that matters on this earth. We may have the brains, but some species may have other exceptional qualities that surpass what we human can ever accomplish in those areas, in this case it is speed and agility that we can not achieve when compared to other animals.
After reading “Diet drugs vs. Healthier lifestyle”, I was surprised to find out the FDA succumbed to pressure from lobbyists. The FDA is supposed to be so strict that often times drug producers have to test there products in foreign countries due to strict guidelines. People now are also trying to get the best weight loss results with the least amount of effort. Usual that involves cutting corners but people do not realize the risk involved with these drugs. Many times the side affects outnumber the results from these pills and sadly almost over 17 million people are on these pills. The reason why I think there is a lack of promotion of healthy foods is because processed foods are cheaper, faster, last longer and to a majority, tastes better. People are afraid to promote healthy lifestyles because of the economic repercussions. If you walk into a grocery store, you can easily see that organic food is twice the price of regular food items. Most Americans can not afford that. It is all good and well to campaign for eating healthy and exercising but obesity will not go down until the means of living a healthy lifestyle is affordable to an average American.
I thought that the article about the synthetic jellyfish made of heart cells from a rat was very interesting. If this kind of technology continues to advance, scientists will be able to make much more than just a jellyfish-like organism. Instead of just being able to replicate certain parts of the human heart, whole hearts may be able to be created. This would apply to other organs as well. It would be a great advancement in the medical world and it would save many lives. Waiting lists for organs would be unnecessary and people would be able to quickly receive what they need. Other organisms that are more complex could be created in the future with the help of this as well. It could lead to a better understanding of many other organisms that we currently know little about. As the article states, this could lead to models for testing the anatomies of animals and cardiac drugs on the heart which would not be easy to do otherwise. Overall, this technology could possibly lead to many other great advancements.
I found the article "Dieting Drugs vs. Healthy Lifestyle" very interesting. Weight loss has been a huge component of society today. Today the pressure to the the picture perfect body seems to be number one on most people's lists. Although I personally would never take a diet pill, I do understand why some people may need it. There are some people who just need that supplement to help motivate them to lose the weight. Since obesity is such a big deal, not just let them use the pill to lose weight. As said in the article “They are primarily for people who are at risk of health complications from obesity, have difficulty losing fat by diet and lifestyle changes alone, and need a bit of extra help…" These pills aren't supposed to be the only thing they use to lose the weight, it should be used to aid a healthy lifestyle. However just because the FDA is approving these drugs doesn't mean that these drugs should be taken advantage of. I think the government as well as the FDA should come up with guidelines and make sure someone should be a certain weight or have a certain BMI to take this dieting pill.
After Reading "Diet Drugs or Healthier Lifestyle," I am dumbfounded by the numbers that were thrown at me in the article, as well as the irresponsibility many Americans show to their own bodies. Yes, some Americans with eating disorders and specific situations may need to take dietary drugs to help improve their condition or as a way to get started. However, of the 70 percent of adults who are overweight, only a tiny percentile have an excuse to use these drugs. These 78 million obese adults must learn to live a healthy life. It is a must. At some point in their lives these people started to gain weight. At a certain point it is time to tell oneself, "No I will not buy the bigger jeans just because I can't fit in my old ones." Just because these numbers have increased, the FDA has panicked and approved of drugs they previously denied with no new information! Instead, they should focus more on a healthy lifestyle. It is not just about eating right or exercising, but rather it is a way of life. We must rely on ourselves and our will power instead of scientifically created pills. Individuals need to take this problem and fix it themselves.
After reading the article, "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth", I found out that there are some very fast animals that would make Usain Bolt look slow. As Usain Bolt wins gold in the 2012 London Olympics, his 100m meter sprint in 9.63 beat his own Olympic record and is "The World's Fastest Man", but he is nothing compared to the top speeds of some animals on land, in the air, or in the water. Usain Bolt runs at a top speed of 37.6 kph or 23.4 mph, but a cheetah at top speed can run at 104 kph or 64 mph which is almost triple the speed of Usain Bolt. It would be a very interesting race if someone where to put all the fastest creatures on the track.
The Bloop is such an interesting topic to read about. The Ocean is already so mysterious with its vast emptiness.The creatures in it just add to the mystery of these waters. I wonder what the Bloop is! Is it living or is it just some sound coming from man made things like submarines mentioned in the Wikipedia article? If it is a living thing, what if its dangerous and we don't even know what it has for store? Or, what if this whole hype we make of this "Bloop" is something not so interesting like a man made sound? The ocean contains so many mysteries from its' emptiness to the lurking creatures. I guess time will tell what this "Bloop" is!
After reading the article, "Dieting Drugs vs. Healthy Lifestyle," I had some ambivalent feelings about the new obesity drugs. A part of me felt sorrowful that the number of overweight Americans has gotten so large that we now need in incorporate these dieting drugs into our lifestyle. To me, losing weight should be about healthy dieting, exercising, and being determined to acheive the goal of being in good shape. I worry that as more of these weight loss drugs are approved, more Americans will see these as an "easy way out" and become lazy in their efforts to lose weight the realistic way. However, I also feel that innovations in dieting drugs can be extremely useful to those who will take them as only a supplement when eating right and working out are not enough. I believe that there is a great lesson to be learned here from this article for us, teenagers and young adults. It is important that we start building good eating habits from a young age because these are the habits that will effect us for the rest of our lives.
I feel that diet pills are bringing society down. As the advances in science and medicine are coming a long, new medicines and things are bound to come out, which is a good thing, but I feel that with this advancements, the human race is becoming more dependent on medicine and drugs in life. I feel that by making more diet pills, people are becoming less cautious about what they eat. It sends a message in my opinion that isn't good. I feel that people think, "so what if I gain weight by eating junk and not exercising. I can take diet pills later and loose all of the weight that I have gain." This is not good for Americans, not only will it make us lazy, but you don't know the long term effects on the pills. The article says that diet pills are a supplement only, not a permanent thing to use. It also says that past diet pills have been recalled because of the harmful effects it was having on people after they took it. I feel that by making more of the diet pills you are sending the wrong message to people. I mean, yes you can make them for serious cases of obesity, where they can help, but for other no. After reading this article, I have more respect for the show The Biggest Loser. At least those people in the show who are over weight work hard to loose there weight by exercising and eating healthy. I feel that instead of putting in so much money into making this diet pills, the US should put more money into exercising programs and focus on teaching people about the importance and good healthy diet and lifestyle.
It is sad to see that world continues to become more and more lazy, and that instead of turning to exercise and a healthier diet, we rely on drugs to cure obesity. So much pressure is put on having the perfect, skinny body, but though a person may look healthy the food they put in their body determines true health. The article puts a focus on how the rate of obesity continues to rise every year. These pills are a useful aid to becoming healthier since they help a person to lose fat they can't lose through diet and lifestyle changes alone. It takes a person's own decision to create a healthier diet and this pill should not be the only thing a person does to become healthy. People may take advantage of this drug so doctors should test for certain weight or BMI before prescribing these pills to somebody.
In response to the article "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth," I was interested to see how humans compare with some of the world's fastest animals, air, sea, or land regarding top speed. I was shocked when I found out that the fastest recorded speed for a human was only 23.4 mph and even more so when I learned humans are slightly faster than a camel. This 23.4 mph may seem astonishing to humans around the world, but the real world records deserve to go to the cheetah for fastest land animal, peregrine falcon for air, and sailfish for sea. Compared to the impressive 106 mph the spine-tailed swift can reach just by flapping its wings, we humans don't even stand a chance in a race, if it were possible. We humans believe that we are the most advanced species on Earth, yet our bodies are incapable of beating animals at something so primitive as running.
In response to "Diet drugs vs. Healthier lifestyle." Obesity in America and even obesity all around the globe is a very serious problem. I am not surprised by how much money the United States alone spends on diet pills for the society in relation to the amount the United States spends on promoting a healthier lifestyle for its citizens. However, I don't blame the US government for not trying. The health administration has tried to promote healthier life styles. However, with these constant rising prices at the grocery store, an average lower middle class American cannot afford to buy the healthier food. People who are on tighter budgets look for high quantity for a cheap price. Places that provide high quantity of food at a cheap price are fast food restaurants, such as McDonalds and Burger King. This food is cheap, but at a cost to ones health. So, the FDA has no choice but to approve these diet drugs. America is getting fatter by calorie and there is not way to completly stop the obesity epidemic; the FDA can only hope for a healthier America.
In response to "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth", it was interesting to read how the running time of Olympic runner Usain Bolt compared to that of other animals. To me, the thought of running at 23.4 miles per hour is unimaginable. With this impressive speed, he highlighted his extraordinary athletic achievement. However, it is interesting to note that while attaining this speed may seem intangible to most humans, other animals such as the cheetah consider this as merely a jog-they have the ability to sprint at 64 miles per hour. When it came to endurance, I learned that although it is not true for most people, runners Samuel Wanjiru and Patrick Musyoki proved to have more endurance than a horse.
After reading "Diet drugs vs. Healthier lifestyle I believe its absolutely disgusting to see the fact that so much effort is put into making Diet drugs. I believe that in the future as well as now no drug will be so powerful that it will wipe out side effects. I agree with some of the others that it is more appropriate to focus on other ways of helping fight obesity. For example, in the beginning of the summer I took a trip to Brazil and noticed that every few blocks on the side of the roads as well as mostly all the beaches contained a workout station which included push up bars or leg exercises. At first I believed it was a waste of money but watching everyday I realized many people were making use of these tools and were getting in shape. Instead of making an easy way out for obese individuals that include serious side effects, we should consider methods like those of the brazilians that can potentially shape the upcoming generations. Another point that is made in the article is a "junk food tax". I don't think this would help the United States at all for the same outcome of there being a tax of cigarettes. Junk food is addicting and without the will power to stop or more lenient methods to exercise without paying for the gym there is no way out.
In response to the article about the unidentified sound, I found all of the content very intriguing. After reading that article, I am ver curious on what type of animal is making the sound, if it is even an animal. I also found it funn that scientists decided to name it the "the bloop." I especially enjoyed the part of the article where the author stated that it was nice to give a cute name to the seamonster that will rise up and devour us all. It most certainly will make future headlines cute and terrifing simultaneously. I also found it interesting to know that "the bloop" is just one of the many unidentified sounds scientist have decided to name. All of the names being equally ridiculous.
In response to "Diet Drugs vs. Healthier Lifestyle" I think the development of diet pills is bringing society down. With advancements in science and medicine, I feel people become too dependent on these new advancements. With new diet pills out on the market, I feel that people will use those as an outlet to lose weight. Instead of changing their lifestyles and creating a new eating habbit, society will just use these diet pills. This will cause people to possibly become more lazy and not put in the effort to change their life.
After reading "Scientific American's" article, "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth," I am not surprised that many animals are faster than the human species. As the article states; a cheetah (64 mph), peregrine falcon (115+ mph), spine tailed swift (106 mph), sailfish (67 mph), pronghorn antelope (58 mph), and lion (50 mph) all surpass the fastest ever speed of any human (Usain Bolt- 23.4 mph). These "faster-than-human" animals are also accompanied by Thomson's Gazelle (50 mph) and Reindeer (32 mph). I am not surprised that these animals are faster than humans because these animals rely on their speed for the necessities of their lives, while humans do not. For example, cheetahs need their speed and quick acceleration, acceleration that is faster than a ferrari, to catch their quick antelope/gazelle prey. This prey is their food, a necessity to life. This is the same concept with a lion, a lioness in particular, which uses its speed to catch its prey. On the other hand of a cheetah and a lion; species such as gazelles (Thomson's), antelope (Pronghorn), and even deer and reindeer really on their speed for survival. These animals use their speed to try to outrace their predators, which can be a cheetah or a lion. In the case of sailfish, their 109 km/h speed allows them to prey on some of the faster fish in the ocean, allowing us to infer that these fish (tuna and mackerel) are their main diet. Therefore, they too, need speed. Peregrine falcons also use their "high-speed dives" to hunt for food. Next, we can show how humans don't rely on natural speed to fulfill their necessities. Because of the intelligence of the human species, humans have been able to create artificial speed in the modes of trains, cars, planes, etc... Therefore, humans need to rely less on their physical speed thus showing why many creatures are faster than humans!
The article discussing diet drugs really astounded me. The statistics are very scary; over 78 million adults are obese and about 70% of US adults have weight issues, resulting in 300,000 deaths per year. That is truly terrifying. However, I am against diet drugs. I believe everyone should be healthy and lose weight naturally, without the assistance of diet drugs. Drugs can cause a number of side effects, as noted in the article. They can cause more harm then good. Also, once the drug has been approved, companies don't follow up with their studies which is not good. People should be educated enough to know how to live a healthy lifestyle and to know what to eat and how much to eat. Relying on drugs is a very good option to be healthy.
I really enjoyed reading about the Bloop, this is just one example of the many mysteries hidden in our oceans. The Bloop could be almost anything, is it a giant animal? Maybe even a monster of some sort? Or it could just be a harmless animal that lives in an underwater cave system that acts as a microphone thus projecting the sound. One probable theory is that it could be a giant eel, this is because eels can live a very long time and they will continue to grow if they are provided with an ideal environment. If we are to find out what the Bloop really is then what would happen? Would we leave it alone? Or would we see it as a threat to our civilization? What if it is a monster? Would it harm us, and if it did why did it wait all these years to attack? There are so many questions to ask and too little answers to be given regarding the Bloop. This includes its name, why was it named the Bloop? Also why were the Train, Slow Down, Whistle, Upsweep and Julia given those names? We may never find out.
The job of scientists ranges from studying facts to observing life compared to those facts. But another significant duty of a scientist is to prove the unknown using the known. And this is exactly how the ‘Bloop’ came along. As stated in this article – Lesson #171 – Aquatic Discoveries - although the source of this noise is unknown, it is amusing to notice that such’ technical’ labels are placed on the sound, and others such as ‘ Train,’ ‘Whistle,’ and ‘Slow Down.’ Before reading this article, I had read about the ‘Bloop’ in a different news article. It stated that the sound was first detected by sensors in 1997that were over 4800 kilometers apart. Essentially, this means that this creature (if it is a creature) has the potential to be more powerful than any other animal whose noise was heard in the ocean’s depths. Therefore, if its power is proportional to its size, this animal may be even bigger than a whale! I guess only time will tell what creature can create this powerful noise. In the meantime, ‘Bloop’ fanatics have created ‘Bloop Watch’ to determine the source of this sound – www.bloopwatch.org And if you’d like to hear what the ‘Bloop’ sounds like, take a look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bloop_real.ogg.
The Bloop is an interesting event that I am interested to know the source. Upon listening to it, it is kind of apparent where the name comes from. It sounds like a big bubble coming up, making a bloop sound. The fact that it is still unknown kind of shows how little we know about the world. However, it is the unknown and the unidentified things we pick up that gives us an inspiration to keep wanting to find out more about the world.
It came to my attention after reading "Diet Drugs vs. Healthier Lifestyle" that most people, if not all, usually try to find the easy way out of their goals. But the fact is, there never is an easy way out. If there is, then in my opinion, people will never reach their goals feeling accomplished.
Just because the FDA approves of a new drug, it doesn't mean that it's the best way or the healthiest way to lose weight. I believe that in the long-term run, it will definitely do more harm than good. The obese might as well just take a longer time to lose weight rather than taking some artificial pills that most likely always have side effects probably caused by the lorcserin and/or Qnexa, which are both not very safe substances. Year after year, the obesity rate rises, but that's because people aren't doing anything or much about it. My friend once said "I guess it depends how badly you want it [losing weight]". My view is that people don't view obesity as a big issue even though it's such a high cause of death. Also, if diet drugs were such a huge help, I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be as many obese people as there are surfacing. In fact, the drugs might even be sold out at this point; maybe not. But if people need/want to lose weight, they have to change their life styles and commit to them, just as the author, Judy Stone, says. [*Posted by Bethany Chan*]
"Diet Drugs Vs. Healthier Lifestyle". This article dissapoints me in so many ways. First off, I was shocked while reading the statistics regarding obesity. I know people of all ages struggle with weight, but I didnt realize just how many people are struggling. What also dissapoints me, is how the FDA is trying to handle things. It truly is a shame that people are trying to take short cuts, instead of gaining results through hard work. Even though the article states that the weight loss drugs are not a replacement to a healthy lifestyle, my guess is that most people will not understand that, and figure all they have to do to lose weight is consume the pills. These drugs will probably just have harmful effects on the body, and instead of creating drugs to help people lose weight, we must promote exercise and healthy eating.
After reading "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth" I came to realization about facts that I already knew. I knew that as humans, we aren't that fast in the world of animals but after watching the Olympics everyday I thought higher of us humans. It amused me that after all the training and hardships athletes go through they still can't compete against other animals like the cheetah. What I found interesting though was that over distance, humans are better then horses. I was kind of shocked to see that because I think of horses able to go long ways especially after seeing them as transportation. Currently, while I am in Pakistan I see lots of horses and donkeys taking people miles and miles to places like Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi and after seeing that humans can be better then horses is distance made me think.
In response to "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth,"i wasn't surprised that many animals were able to reach higher speeds than Usain Bolt did. Animals such as the Peregrine Falcon, and the Cheetah need their speed to survive in the wild. For example. Cheetah's eat Impala's, and Impala's can run at speeds at up to 56 miles per hour. The Peregrine Falcon and other birds of prey need their speed to catch their prey which includes other birds and fish. The reason these animals became this fast is through is through evolution. For example, the cheetah has extended claws that dig into the ground like cleats. In conclusion i am not surprised that humans aren't even close to being one of the fastest species on the planet. Humans have become the dominant species because of our large brains. Unlike animals like the impala humans don't have to run away from a predator. Instead humans make traps or weapons to fight of a predator. However with advances in genetic engineering, maybe humans will become the fastest species on earth.
The amount of overweight people in America is astonishing to me. I had some recollection that they were many, many people who were obese, but not to the extent of which the article states. It is a shame to see that the FDA approved of these diet pills to help obese Americans. I believe that is an alternative way out for people to lose weight. It's mortifying to see people give up so easily on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and choose these drugs. I think that these pills should not be sold to the general public for anyone to go pick up. I think that doctors or other medical physicians should prescribe these diet pills to those who really need them. I agree with neurobiologist Stephan Guyenet that these pills should only be given to those who have trouble reducing weight with a healthy lifestyle. These diet pills should only be taken as a supplement. As for those who would like to lose weight, maybe they should follow Jamie Oliver's footsteps by making school lunches healthier and trying to change what fast food restaurants are serving. It may be beneficial to all of us in the end.
After reading, "Diet Drugs vs. Healthier lifestyle," I understand what the scientists are going for. In the article, it is evident that the weight loss drug is intended to help overweight people who are at risk of health problems. However, a weight loss drug can't help someone if they don't change their lifestyle. A drug that is used to get overweight people to start being healthier won't work unless people live a healthier life. Additionally, the article states that the weight loss drugs have known side-effects like heightened blood pressure, heart valve abnormalities, and rapid heart beat. Drugs such as these have also been known to not work one hundred percent of the time. People's bodies are different, which means their medical needs are different. This is why their bodies may react differently to the drug than intended. On the other hand, a healthy lifestyle has no negative side effects as long as people stay within their limits. Essentially, the goal of both the the drugs and a healthier lifestyle is to get people back to a healthier state, and the way I see it, the latter is a far less risky option.
It came to my attention after reading "Diet Drugs vs. Healthier Lifestyle" that most people, if not all, usually try to find the easy way out of their goals. But the fact is, there never is an easy way out. If there is, then in my opinion, people will never reach their goals feeling accomplished.
Just because the FDA approves of a new drug, it doesn't mean that it's the best way or the healthiest way to lose weight. I believe that in the long-term run, it will definitely do more harm than good. The obese might as well just take a longer time to lose weight rather than taking some artificial pills that most likely always have side effects probably caused by the lorcserin and/or Qnexa, which are both not very safe substances. Year after year, the obesity rate rises, but that's because people aren't doing anything or much about it. My friend once said "I guess it depends how badly you want it [losing weight]". My view is that people don't view obesity as a big issue even though it's such a high cause of death. Also, if diet drugs were such a huge help, I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be as many obese people as there are surfacing. In fact, the drugs might even be sold out at this point; maybe not. But if people need/want to lose weight, they have to change their life styles and commit to them, just as the author, Judy Stone, says. [*Posted by Bethany Chan*]
In response to “Diet drugs vs. Healthier lifestyle,” I believe a healthier lifestyle is the way to go. All drugs come with side effects, and even if they aren’t commonly occurring side effects, they can still happen. As it states in the article, these diet drugs are not meant to replace a healthy lifestyle, they are meant to support one and accelerate the weight-loss process. However, people tend to assume that they can work on their own, so they continue with their unhealthy lifestyle and hope they see results. 78 million people are obese in the US alone and many fail to change their eating habits and how much they exercise. In many cases, the FDA approves a drug and then a couple months later, serious side effects are discovered. In my opinion, rather than risking their lives to lose weight with drugs, people should just switch to a healthier lifestyle.
I have read about the bloop before. The NOAA has had underwater sound equipment in the ocean to detect sounds like this for the past twenty years. Since the Bloop has only been detected once I find it hard to believe that i would be a “sea monster” or any sort of animal if its only been heard once. Especially that it was heard from over 3,000 miles a way and was louder than the loudest know animal, rules out the plausibility that is was produced by an animal. Just because there is no known explanation doesn't mean it didn't happen.
The name though not technical accurately describes the sound produced. The sound reminds me of the sound of bubbles reaching the surface of water.
In response to: "New Weight-Loss Drugs"
The FDA accepting or approving these weight loss drugs means one thing, "Society is becoming desperate." In 2010, the FDA did not approve of these drugs, Belviq and Qsymia because of the all the negative side effects that follow such as possible heart valve abnormalities, elevated blood pressure, rapid heart beat, "excitability," possible birth defects, confusion, memory loss, and depression. Qysmia and Belviq both aid the patients in weight loss, minimally, resulting in an approximate 10% and 3.3% weight loss, respectively. However, in this case, the negatives far outweigh the positives. According to neurobiologist Stepan Gyenet, " These drugs are not intended to replace a healthy diet and lifestyle—they are intended to supplement it. They are primarily for people who are at risk of health complications from obesity, and need a bit of extra health..." But like every drug on the market, when people get desperate, they tend not to follow the suggestions of experts. Obesity has reached an all-time high in the United States—78 million US adults are obese, 300,000 deaths/yr. due to obesity, and 70% of US adults have a problem with weight. More than likely, people will try and take advantage of the drugs, and raise our average of other health problems. The better solution would just be to lose the weight through hard work (i.e. healthy diet and regular exercise); however, in a society that glorifies the "six-pack abs" or the "slender bikini figure" and rewards the "get it done fast" motto, the now, seemingly desperate people will refrain from the diet and exercise (which promises healthy results with next to no side effects—what's the worst that cold happen? Sprained ankle?—but over a longer period of time) and move toward the "easy way out," which doesn't really produce that much of a result (only 10%, but more quickly than diet and exercise, and with a whole bunch of side effects). Personally, I feel that these weight loss drugs are bogus and completely ridiculous. The FDA shouldn't encourage the use of these. If people wanted to stop having problems with weight, they should go to the gym, not the drugstore.
I found the article "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth" extremely interesting. The article disparages Human achievements on the track, but it was interesting to see the actual miles per hour Usain Bolt ran during the 100 meter dash. Also the fact that some animals such as the Pronghorn can run at a steady rate of 40 mph for 30 minutes is insane. A lot of the animals on the slideshow where animals I had never heard of and it was interesting to see that certain creatures in nature can naturally run as fast as they can. Most of us know that the Cheetah is the fastest on ground sprinter, but another fact that interested me was that Lions tire out a lot faster and cannot hold their maximum speed for very long due to their heart size. Personally I think that we can not really compare a Human such as Usain Bolt to an Animal who lives in the wild and has evolved in a way to help better their chances of survival by running. Animals in this slideshow have a totally different body structure in comparison to humans. All in all this article shows that no matter what Humans accomplish on the track, the human body has a limit as to how fast one is able to run.
I agree that people should eat healthier and exercise more instead of utilizing drugs like the one mentioned, which, according to the article, can result in side effects such as memory loss and possible heart complications. A healthy diet and exercise is extremely beneficial to the body, and it certainly is a better solution for the seventy percent of Americans that, according to the article, are overweight.
Personally, I think the ‘Bloop’ sounds like a bubble being blown. Perhaps, since the sound is faint, it is just an air pocket, that is relatively far away, in the water being released creating the sound. Whether or not that is the origin, I hope scientists discover its source. Perhaps it will further prove a theory and/or better our understanding similar to how the detected cosmic background radiation supported the Big Bang Theory.
Of course, we humans, even some of our best performing athletes, couldn’t beat some other species of life in terms of certain activities, such as running. Environmental factors induce natural selection which in tern can cause a species to evolve over an extensive period of time. Some animals have developed tremendous physical feats, and we, as humans, have intellectual superiority. All in all, certain animals out-performing humans in physical challenges is to be expected, but it doesn’t change the fact that we are at the top of the food chain.
Speaking of the intelligence of mankind, I thought that it was real interesting how scientists could engineer a jelly-fish like collection of rodent cells. To me, the pulsations resemble a heart, where the cells were taken from, than a jellyfish. However, I can definitely see the similarity between the two. Hopefully this will be used in conjunction with stem cell research in order to help humans with heart issues. These experiments can all help us better our understanding on how our bodies work, and then, intern, help us create effective solutions that can save a substantial amount of lives.
Obesity is a large issue in our society, and as time goes on, more and more are becoming overweight. There are many drugs out there promising weight loss, but I believe that there is no magic pill out there that can save those that are overweight. Weight loss should be done with a healthy diet and a consistent exercise routine. Though most weight loss pills on the market promise amazing results with little effort, they should not be depended on for many reasons. Relying on medication to lose weight is a lazy way to go, and some pills out there have negative side effects. Many people taking diet pills are probably expecting results in a very small amount of time; however losing weight requires patience and determination.
The article "Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth" was very interesting. It amazes me how fast the fastest human can actually go, at 23.4 miles per hour. It seemed very fast to me at first, but it paled in comparison to what other animals can do. A bird going over 100 miles per hour? Just, wow.
The article "Diet drugs vs. Healthier lifestyle" really opened my eyes. Over a third of American adults are obese? We have a serious problem going on here. I understand that these types of drugs can make losing weight much easier and faster, but how hard is it to just eat right and exercise frequently before getting obese? Hopefully these astonishing numbers will go down soon when Americans realize how much of a problem obesity really is and they actually do something about it.
After reading the article, "Diet Drugs vs Healthier Lifestyle" I personally believe that proper dieting and exercise are the way to go.
These weight-loss pills contain chemicals like phentermine hydrocloride which pose risks by consuming them.
Some contraindications(severe side effects which are a sign to stop using the drug) are increased hypertension, and arteriosclerosis(plaque build up).
Why take these chances to get these disorders if weight loss can be achieved by diet/exercise.
A healthier lifestyle pose no risks and will help you live longer/build good habits.
Why risk it if you do not have to?! If you cut down on things like fast food and soda (main sources of obesity) along with doing exercises like running and "burpees."
You would be surprised on how much weight you can be losing.
In my opinion, these new diet pills that were approved by the FDA will not significantly or at all lower the obesity rate in this country.
"Diet Drugs vs. Healthy Lifestyle": Obesity is a major issue in the United States of America with 70% of the adult population having weight problems. The majority of the population relies on fast food restaurants and junk food to fill their stomachs. However, there is nothing being done to help people make healthy choices and actually get fit by dieting and exercising. Other countries are taxing the unhealthy food yet in the United States the unhealthy stuff is the cheapest food available. Furthermore, the government is approving drugs to lose weight which can be harmful. I understand some people may need the medicine if they are in a critical condition but they should not be relying on these drugs to lose the weight and become fit again. The government is trying to help those who need the weight-loss drugs but they should also be putting the same amount of effort and time on getting people to lose weight by making healthy choices and exercising.
After reading the article "Diet Drugs vs. Healthy Lifestyle" I was upset. I also realized that the only solutions for obesity are having a good nutrition and exercising. Although the new drug, Qsymia, may produce tremendous results in solving the problem of obesity it will only have a bad effect on someone's body and mind. I believe this drug will psychologically hurt someone by making them lazy because the drug gives faster results for weight loss rather than diet and exercise so a person taking the drug will exercise less and will more likely rely on the drug. This in turn will promote more people to use the drug, which I think is wrong. I personally feel that the drug should not have been approved by the FDA because of it is made up of harmful components which are know to cause side effects like elevated blood pressure, rapid heart beat, memory loss and etc. All in all, i think the government should not be promoting such drugs.
In response to the article "Diet Drugs vs. Healthier Lifestyle", I think that the diet drugs are going to have a lasting ill-effect on the US people, and thereby the future of the country itself. These diet drugs are likely to have side effects, which are usually worse than the diseases that would afflict people should they remain obese. For example, Xenical, the only weight loss drug approved for longer-term use in significantly obese people, does not have its safety and effectiveness established for use beyond two years. On the other hand the drug being spoken about in the above-mentioned article, Qnexa, was approved by the FDA, said that it increases heart rate, heart attacks and arrhythmias. Instead of having diet drugs, Americans should avoid junk foods, which are empty calories loaded and are a principal cause for American obesity. As a nation, in my opinion, taxing unhealthy junk foods is much better than approving the use of diet drugs. The extra taxes thus collected can be used for research and treatment of more important modern day diseases like neurological, cardio-pulmonary and oncological diseases. Instead, healthier lifestyle and food habits can do wonders in maintaining American weight within healthy limits. The USA is the number one country in the world, so what it does is watched and emulated by the rest of the world. By changing the way US lives we actually can impact the way today’s mankind lives and progresses to the next stage in the future. I think that Americans should change their lifestyle to a healthy one, and later prove to the world that it is possible to have a healthy lifestyle. If people have more gyms on the streets, than McDonald’s and Burger Kings, I am sure people will be influenced to exercise more, instead of eating more. Overweight/obese people just need to be conscious about their diet, and have regular exercise. Personally, I do not think the diet drugs will work; I just think that it will hurt US. Having lived in Brazil myself, where people have very healthy lifestyles, all one needs is the will power to stop eating junk and hit the gym. A person lives only one life and I think they should make as much as possible out of it by living healthily in a natural way.
After reading the "Animal Olympics" article, I am not surprised to hear that humans can beat out specific animals such as racehorses. Racehorses are designed for racing after all, but this is because they are on even terrain. Everyone knows the cheetah is the fastest land animal, and the cheetah can beat out humans easily. There is no way to test the theory on all species, because sea creatures cannot race the humans or animals such as the cheetah.
Diet Drugs vs. Healthier Lifestyles
It’s unfortunate that we live in a society that shuns those who are overweight, and adores those that have the perfect “beach body”. I tend to agree with people who say that these overweight pills are a cheap marketing trick, feeding off people’s “easy way out” mindset. When it comes to one’s health the only way to maintain a healthy lifestyle is to maintain a continuous regimen of exercise mixed with a balanced diet. How many times do you see on TV on those weight loss shows where contestants are put in a camp to lose as much weight as possible only to go back to their regular lives and regain the weight. Diet pills such as Belviq and Qnexa, are only intended for people who are overweight and need that extra push accompanied with a changed healthy lifestyle. Although these are prescription drugs, people who do not need them are getting their hands on them and are suffering from the harmful effects such as elevated blood pressure, rapid heartbeat and “excitability”. To be honest, a tax will do little in a society that has grown accustomed to a diet high in fats and sweets. People will be continue to buy them even at a higher rate and will continue to ignore healthy eating habits. If they are truly serious about losing the weight and keeping it off, it’s all about not taking shortcuts and having a little will power.
The article about the synthetic jellyfish-like organism poses an interesting way of hybridizing two animals. Scientists were able to cross the pump system in rat hearts and jellyfish. The “medusoid” that was made is fairly simple, but it is very important because it helps better understand movement in organisms as mentioned in the video and also shows how similar organism are. Many organisms, such as humans and rats, use a propulsion system in order to move or live and this connects them in their evolutionary history. Propulsion systems that were described in the article support evolution.
There’s also another interesting example of evolution in the article. The new jellyfish-like rat and jellyfish can be related by convergent evolution. Convergent evolution shows how organisms with similar characteristics but no common ancestor can still demonstrate evolution. The jellyfish-like rat and jellyfish are definitely not closely genetically related because one is technically a rat and the other is a jellyfish. However, both organisms still exemplify evolution because they both use propulsion systems in order to move.
After reading the mind boggling article about the synthetic jellyfish, I was blown out of my mind. A rat’s heart cells were used to mimic the pumping movement of a jelly fish. The group of Harvard students and professors put together a jellyfish cell by cell to understand more about the human heart. If studies continue, I can predict we will be able to make rat hearts from scratch, and soon make human hearts too. This would be a major accomplishment since about every 30 seconds; someone in USA dies of a heart related disease. The possibility of making synthetic hearts (not the plastic artificial one) can save millions of people a day. Instead of getting an artificial plastic heart, one could get a synthetic heart. In conclusion, studying cardiac cells and how they pump can help us mimic the human heart with other things more natural than plastic and metal, and still be saving millions of lives.
I Agree that the Olympics are species centric and only allow humans, but it humans did want to host an all species Olympics; it would be a plain disaster. One of the main reasons only humans are in the Olympics is because we have a very high mind capacity. We do not have to be trained as rigorously as animals. So the solution to the Species-Centric Olympics is having more than one Olympics. Have the Animal Olympics. Animals could be trained to perform activities by a human mentor. All types of animals could enter the Animal Olympics. These animals could represent their species and compete against others. Although it may be a pain to set it up, I can bet it would be worth it.
I also read “Surviving the World Lesson, #1471 - Aquatic Discoveries.” It was an interesting article about this unknown sound. I was surprised that we did not know what it was. Maybe it is a Sea monster, but that is highly unlikely because humans have scanned the Earth from top to bottom with our satellites. Still, if you listen to the audio (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Bloop_real.ogg) of the “Bloop,” which is 16 times faster than real time, you can kind of hear a swishing sound near the half way mark. Whatever it is, I hope this ultralow frequency sound is not a threat to our species.
"Diet Drugs vs. Healthy Lifestyle"
Right off the bat, I agree with the author of this article that the public is too concerned with combatting the problem of obesity rather than simply preventing it. The media and other sources of outward outlets have placed an unmistakable emphasis on powerful drugs that help people shed pounds at an unhealthy rate. When first reading about Qsymia and the other narcotics at its level, I was shocked to find that these drugs work at both a cardiac and neurological level. Not only do they directly affect one's heart rate but they also tamper with the mind. I personally find that this is a dangerous combo, whether the FDA approves of it or not. As a society, we must make it a priority to emphasize the important at maintaining a healthy lifestyle and weight. The faster we become less dependent on powerful weight loss drugs, the healthier the American people will be.
Reading about "The Bloop" captured my attention very quickly. It is amazing that the noise was recorded to have an "extra-low frequency...extremely powerful underwater sound...and is several times louder than the loudest recorded animal, the blue whale," yet remains a mystery. The ocean makes up about 70% of the Earth and much of it remains a mystery. We may not have the advanced technology needed to explore the deepest parts of the ocean, however, there are developments being made. After hearing the Bloop, I do not believe that it could be an animal. It sounds similar to a hydrothermal vent releases oxygen.
After reading “Diet drugs vs. Healthier lifestyle,” I feel the article really demonstrates how our country is rapidly growing on the obesity scale and straying from a healthy lifestyle. The need for the latest diet drugs and supplements that’ll supposedly allow you to lose 10 pounds in one week show how the popular media is really influencing people to conform their bodies to that of celebrities and models. Society is quickly becoming obsessed with morphing themselves into the perfect and ideal body displayed across magazines and television, but this negative stimulus causes people to resort to unhealthy and unsafe measures. I agree with neurobiologist Stephan Guyenet that these diet pills shouldn’t be a way of life, but I strongly advise against consuming these supplements at all, as they can have negative long-term effects and are an unnatural method to lose weight and get healthy. I believe that the cause of our country’s dangerous number of those with obesity is due to the overwhelming amount of fast food restaurants located at every street, and the convenience of their affordability. Therefore, in order to promote healthier eating, I think healthier food options should be available in more locations and also be reduced in price so it will be as convenient for people as fast food is. The article mentions that countries have placed a tax on junk food, and although I praise the intent of this action, I don’t think it helps the situation as a whole and is unfortunately only working backwards. The government should not have to power to determine what we can and can’t eat, and placing taxes on unhealthy items is just another way for the country to control its people. Instead, offering a wider range of cheap and affordable alternatives is the best way to suppress the rise of obesity by giving society an equal option to choose what they want to put in their bodies, and giving them the personal freedom to choose whether to opt for the unhealthy or healthy is the most reasonable way to go.
It's quite amazing that humans can reach 37km/h, yet we are slow compared to other animals. The cheetah can go about 3x as fast at 104km/h, which is pretty darn fast. It is likely that this is because these animals depend on speed for survival, unlike humans. Without the advantage of speed, cheetahs could never catch any prey and would starve. Humans rely on farming and tools, which work regardless o how fast you run. Without these, the slow and weak will die out
I was fascinated upon hearing about "The Bloop"! I continue to believe that scientists should further explore the deep depths of the oceans, especially because it covers about 75% of the Earth's surface AND there is so much yet to discover. The possibilities of new species and aquatic life are endless. My first thought when hearing about the noise, and reading about the others, was the Loch Ness monster. Nessie has been subject to myth for a long time and there has always been speculation about the truth. If there were such a creature, how would we handle it? Even if we did discover it, how would scientists study it and get close enough to it to analyze its behavior? If it is bigger than a blue whale, scientists would have a huge problem on their hands as well as an elephantine discovery.
After reading "Diet drugs vs Healthier lifestyle", I was very pleased and disappointed at the medical approaches towards obesity. Obesity is growing problem in the USA that could lead to numerous health issues. While I applaud the scientists for their work on making a supplement for obesity, I believe obesity is an issue that can only be solved through diet and exercise. The pills that were described in the article have a large amount of side effects. The risks of using the pills make it not worth the trouble. I believe the best way to approach the obesity crisis is to raise the amount of cost for unhealthy food. While many Americans hate the idea of spending more money, this might influence enough people to purchase cheaper, healthier food rather than expensive, fattening food. Many people buy fattening food because it is the cheapest thing available. As much as I love the idea of science making people skinny, I feel it has too many risks.
I found the video and article of the jellyfish very attention catching. Scientists were able to “shock” the heart cells of a rat into a pulsing movement. I saw this process very similar to the way doctors use defibrillation to revive a human heart that has stopped beating. As many people have stated, surely further research into this could provide a multitude of information of cardiac drugs and replacements. On a different note however, I immediately wondered if the scientists have tried to use jellyfish cells for the medusoid. Jellyfish do not have hearts (or brains) and they can absorb things through their skins, such as oxygen and nutrients. If scientists explore the possibilities and research using these special cells that do not even have nerves connecting to a brain, I believe that they can be used for even more experiments and maybe create synthetic organs from them.
The article mentioned the difficulty of finding a liquid environment that would support the propulsion of mammal cells on a synthetic polymer. It states that humans are mostly unaware of the viscosity of water because of our size, whereas small jellyfish can find the water as sticky as honey is for us. That is a huge factor for scientists to consider and have to work around when dealing with animals and insects and is just one example of the many issues that researchers must face, specifically when specializing with animals.
I listened to the sounds of The Bloop, Julia, Train, Whistle, Upsweep, and Slow Down. Some of the articles for the sounds provided possible theories about the origins; they may be from the ice moving in Antarctica, or from seismic activity. One feasible theory in my opinion is just the earth moving. There are plates over plates that move all the time at random and do not necessarily create earthquakes, but the earth does vibrate/move way past the crust so it could be possible that it makes noise.
It was disappointing to read the article about diet drugs. The article mentioned the HBO project "The Weight of the Nation" which gave one the the bleakest insights into America's future I've seen and inspired my mom to lose 25 pounds. The diet pills that the FDA are approving are no doubt the wrong way to go about staying healthy. Exercise and dieting are the only two ways to stay in shape without creating more problems. Also, the drugs first got denied by the FDA and than only got accepted the second time because of lobbyists. It's painful to know that the branch of government dedicated to overseeing our health values money more than it's people.
“Building a Rat that Swims like a Jellyfish” It can’t get more ridiculous than that. By taking the cardiac cells of a rat and converting it to function as a different “organism” is just, to me strange yet so interesting. By running an electrical pulse through the geometry of a synthetic polymer and into the tissue of a rat is a strange idea that I think could really work out in the world. This idea encounters many interpretations to biomedical studies as stated in the short video. I don’t think these ideas will be accepted soon and applied to the world till a later time due to the amount of specific conditions this “medusoid” needs. The perfect viscos fluid, the inability to contract and compress, and geometry really plays a toll on the functioning of a heart valve since we know a vein or a valve doesn’t have the same geometry as a jellyfish and we know it has to compress and contract to move blood which might not even be a good environment for the synthetic fiber to use energy. This article to me was a great proof of concept and I believe it will go far with enough research and experiments.
I found the article Animal Olympics: The Fastest Critters on Earth a very fascinating article. However, it is not surprising that a lot of animals are faster than humans. Animals have speed to survive. This speed helps them catch prey and run away from predators. This speed has helped them survive and not go extinct by natural selection. Cheetahs with their incredible speeds at 65 miles an hour are amazing. They hunt down their prey and catch them fast by chasing them down. Humans have brains to help them hunt their prey. We have developed tools to help us hunt for food and to survive. We humans invented bows and arrows, guns, and more.
We humans also have reached those speeds by inventing trains, planes, cars, and rockets. Rockets go about 17,500 miles per hour to remain in orbit which surpasses any speed of any animal. Animals are faster because of their necessity to survive. Humans are smarter and can beat any animal with inventing gadgets and new weapons.
After reading the animal olympics article i was intrigued. I knew that humans were not even close to being the fastest species but i did not know all of the interesting information about the other faster species. For example the cheetah and peregrine falcon are famous for being extremely fast but i did not how close some other animals are. After thinking about it it is hard not to believe that there are so many fast animals because of how many know animal species there are in the world.Also at the rate we are finding new species there is always a possibility that we may find another species of speed.
But how does this all connect to Biology. It is connected by evolution. It is all about survival of the fittest. I mean over thousands of years these majestic animals have grow to be this fast to survive. Some like the Pronghorn have gotten their speed because they need to run away from their predators. Their ancestors may not have been as fast but slowly over time they got faster. While with others it is vice versa, in the cheetah's scenario the cheetah has to be very fast in order to catch it's prey such as zebra. Maybe the cheetah's ancestors were more similar to lions which were fast but not as fast as the modern day cheetah.
i think that this shows promise for human beings. Who knows maybe millions of years from now we will grow in not only speed but maybe even in strength. During the recent olympics we see that we can grow because we have men and women slightly faster. I mean Ussain Bolt and Yohan Blake are fast because they work hard but there might be a little bit of evolution in there somewhere.
I don't understand why people would pay money to lose weight when it's as easy as eating right and exercising daily. The laziness of people is really exposed, when yes they do want a thin body, they don't want to work to get it. We pay way too much money nowadays to companies for weight loss medicines that most likely don't work or even worse, ruin your health. So many companies have come out with supposedly effective drugs to help you change yourself into a thinner, more desirable you. Even more than weight loss drugs there are diet plans, such as Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers, claiming to help you lose more than seven pounds a week. Although some weight loss drugs might work, it's very rare to see one, and most of the drugs on the market probably show no results at all. Also, there are serious side effects to a lot of these drugs which need to be taken seriously. If you just maintained a healthy diet with a good exercise schedule you would have the results without the negative effects. Yes a large amount of Americans are obese, and yes this is a problem, but the solution is already there. The government doesn't have the right to ban junk food, so we have to take it to ourselves to take care of ourselves.
The article about developing weight loss drugs really concerned me. I dont understand why people would rather spend money on these and risk health problems than on healthy food and excerise. I feel like people are becoming lazier and want the easier way to lose weight. But would you really be that lazy to spend money on a supplement that may not even work? They seem to be more harmful than beneficial. Pressure from society to be a certain size does make people want to take these pills though. We need to start promoting healthy lifestyle and excersise not diet pills.
Post a Comment