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Almost 33 percent of the people living in the United States are obese, according to the statistics. This means that we are experiencing an epidemic. While it is not contagious, it is particularly dangerous because it can lead to many serious conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, strokes and many others that could prove fatal sooner or later.
Therefore, researchers and nutritionists are constantly trying to come up with new drugs or diets that could lead to weight loss and help out the millions of people who suffer from this condition.
One of these drugs is Saxenda or Liraglutide. This was designed initially for people suffering from diabetes, but also for people who wanted to lose weight. It is a drug that must be injected every day and can lead to spectacular effects.
The trial involved about 3,700 people who were either obese or overweight but they did not suffer from diabetes, even if about 50 percent of them showed signs of prediabetes. Some of them (2,500 people) were given Saxenda and others (1,200 people) a placebo drug. Both groups also benefited from counseling, where they were encouraged to have a healthier lifestyle and learned new methods of getting fitter and maintaining good results in weight-loss.
After about 12 months, it was reported that 63 percent of the people involved in the study had lost 5 percent or even more of their body mass and 33 percent of the participants lost more than 10 percent of the initial weight. Those who took a placebo did not have the same results. Only 27 percent of the group lost at least 5 percent of the initial mass and 10 percent of them lost at least 10 percent of their previous body mass.
On average, it was reported that those taking the drug lost 18.5 pounds, while those taking a placebo lost about 6 pounds.
Even if the drug will most likely have many enthusiasts, few will actually benefit from it, given the high costs involved. It was estimated that it costs about $ 1000 a month to take the treatment. Another inconvenience is the fact that it must be injected.
Moreover, the drug is effective as long as the treatment is uninterrupted, so the patients will probably have to take it every day for as long as they live.
Among its side effects, it was reported that some people felt nausea and had diarrhea or upset stomach symptoms. However, these effects vanished after a month.
The results of the trial were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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