The Truth About the Weight Loss Industry

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(Newswire.net — May 22, 2019) — The weight loss industry is one of the most lucrative in the health sector. Every year in the United States alone billions of dollars worth of supplements, programs, books and medications are sold to millions of American citizens, all with a view to helping them lose weight. Check out the reviews on the weight loss product Resurge at resurge reviews.

The vast majority of these products are ineffective, and merely help to continue the perpetual cycle of weight gain, diet failure and profit that helps to ensure the weight loss industry remains profitable and that the companies selling these products remain some of the richest in the healthcare sector.

However, there are aspects of the weight loss industry that really are beneficial, and really do what they promise to do. In this guide, We will take a look at the truth and the misconceptions that surround the weight loss industry and shed some light on just what is happening underneath all of that profit and all of those promises. 

Effective Weight Loss Drugs are Prescription Only

There are thousands of weight loss drugs on the market, from those formulated with natural herbs and vitamins, to those claiming to have found a miraculous and previously unknown herbal remedy. If these products where as effective as claimed the weight loss industry would surely shrink every year, as the millions of people who purchase these products lose the weight they seek to lose and then stop purchasing the pills. 

In actual fact, the weight loss industry is ballooning every single year, with more money being spent, more products being listed, and more claims being made. That’s because very few of these medications actually do what they claim to do. The only proven effective weight loss drugs are available on a prescription-only basis and cannot be purchased freely from Amazon or a local health store.

Because of the rapid weight loss involved and the potential risks of such weight loss, they can only be described by a licensed physician. Some of the actual “effective” drugs on the market right now include Xenical, which works by stopping fat from being absorbed, and phentermine, which helps to decrease appetite (read phendimetrazine vs phentermine  to learn more about this drug and a similar compound).

Non-of these drugs is without side effects, but online doctors who prescribe phentermine and other prescription weight loss drugs are able to warn against these side effects and make sure the patient is both aware and prepared.

These drugs rely on mechanisms such as fat and appetite suppression, both of which have proven to be effective and safe methods of weight loss. Ineffective “supplements”, however, tend to make promises that sound more appealing to the average consumer, but are either not rooted in truth, such as the idea that a non-stimulant compound can somehow “rev-up” the metabolism, or are dangerous, such as products that aim to stop the absorption of essential nutrients or contain massive overdoses of stimulants.

Obesity is on the Rise; Weight Loss Products are Selling More

In 2018, the weight loss industry grew by 4% to a total valuation in excess of $72 billion. However, the company’s profiting the most from this industry are not those offering effective, long-term solutions to the obesity epidemic. In fact, there has been a notable shift away from companies preaching about healthy eating and exercise, towards those offering quick fixes based on pseudoscience and misconceptions. 

This means that companies like Weight Watchers are struggling, while companies selling weight loss teas filled with laxatives and diuretics are flourishing. As a result, the US obesity epidemic is worsening with every passing year. As recently as 2004 it was estimated that 44.5% of the US population qualified as obese, just six years later this number climbed by nearly 20% with many predicting that as many as 75% of all Americans will be obese by the year 2022.

Obesity requires careful, long-term solutions. The weight loss industry, however, succeeds based on ineffective short-term fixes.

Sales of Prescription Drugs are Flat

There have been notable profit rises throughout the weight loss industry. For instance, meal replacement milkshakes and nutrition bars are growing by between 3% and 5% per year and were worth close to $5 billion dollars in 2018, while weight loss surgery grows 5% per year and the healthy food market grows by even more.

However, despite all of this growth, the use of prescription weight loss drugs, one of the few methods that is actually effective and safe, has remained flat. There are a number of factors at play here. Firstly, prescription drugs are seen as expensive and the process to acquire them is considered time consuming, while supplements can be purchased quickly and easily. 

Secondly, as an experienced physician will ask a number of questions and perform a number of tests to ensure the safety of the patient, there is also a degree of embarrassment involved. Simply put, Americans prefer the convenience and impersonal nature of supplements, even tough they are not as effective or safe.