Weight loss drugs could be counter-productive

Weight loss drugs and related weight loss remedies could be counter-productive as researchers, including an Indian-origin person, have found that those who believe in such remedies end up gaining more weight.

"Weight management remedies that promise to reduce the risks of being overweight may undermine consumer motivation to engage in health supportive behaviour," said one of the study authors Amit Bhattacharjee from the Dartmouth College in the US.

Study participants were each given free access to a bowl of chocolate cookies, with one group advised ahead of time about a new, powerful, fat-fighting pill.

The group that believed in the existence of the new pill ate more cookies per person - some participants consuming as many as 30.

An additional test showed that the more fattening the cookie, the more the participants would overeat, as long as they expected to be able to take the weight loss pill.

The study warned that the very people who need to reduce weight the most and are desperately reaching for weight loss pills are unfortunately the ones most likely to dangerously increase their consumption of unhealthy foods.

The study appeared in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.