Suzy’s Blog

The FDA is considering making fat blockers an over the counter drug.  There are two major reasons for not considering fat blockers as additions to the dieter’s arsenal: essential fatty acids and oil-soluble vitamins.

Fat blockers, like low fat diets, are thought to be helpful in lessening the number of calories that the overweight ingest.  But there are a few fats that are essential for long-term health.  I don’t mean that these fats are “somewhat” helpful for long-term health; they are absolutely required for long-term health. 

Essential fats (that we must get from our foods) are: Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids.  Your cells are made from the fats and oils you eat.  This is particularly important when it comes to brain cells.  67% of the brain is fat that must be replaced on a daily basis.  Blocking fats affects the dieter’s propensity for severe depression.  It also impacts the dieter’s level of energy. 

Fat-soluble vitamins are also essential for long-term health.  They include beta-carotene and Vitamin A (the vitamins that are important to good vision), Vitamin D (considered so essential that it was added to milk so that children in particular would get their daily dosage), Vitamin E a potent antioxidant, which because antioxidents work as a team, makes other antioxidants work and an important addition to the diabetes regimen, Vitamin K required for blood clotting and bone formation and Co-Enzyme Q 10 which is another vital antioxidant.  Antioxidants remove free radicals from the blood preventing cell damage throughout the body.)

It’s bad enough that doctors are offering fat blockers to their clients.  To allow the overweight public - desperate for a quick weight loss fix that doesn’t include eating properly and exercising regularly - to self-medicate with these health-compromising medications is nothing short of a crime.