What would happen if an effective dieting medication was discovered?

Blobbenstein

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Sort of a pill, or something, that everyone could take that allowed them to consume as many calories as they liked and lose weight, or maintain a healthy weight.

I think one thing would happen, that a lot of people would start eating more. This would put great pressure on the food production systems of the world, and raise the price of foods(grains etc).

The rich countries would suck the world's food out of the system....There would be a lot less food for the poor of the world. The demand for food would put a lot more pressure on the environment(like water supplies).

A lot of people wouldn't eat any more if they had this pill, but a lot of people would....

What would happen?
 
Prices would go up even more, more people would be pushed into poverty, eco systems would collapse, the species extinction rate would increase even more, there would be water shortages, failing crops, and starving Africa children staring at us through the telly with big, brown eyes. But no, we wouldn't listen! After all, we live in a free society and a free economy. It's the right of the pill producers to continue pushing their product without regard to such sentimental complaints. We can't ban a product that after all has helped so many become slim and healthy. To hell with the environment and poor people as long as we can look like the happy, slim and successful people in the ads ...
 
Nothing would change.
do you think that a significant proportion of the western population wouldn't increase their food intake?
At the present there are quite a lot of overweight people(including me), who knew quite well that eating too much would lead to obesity, and it still didn't stop them(us).
There are lots of people who are always fighting the bulge, who wouldn't need to any more. Would those people really not just start eating what they wanted, and so increase their food intake?
 
I would eat a bowl of pasta the size of my house and then probably spend a lot of time on the toilet.
 
I think there would be less veg*ns. So many people convert to veg*nism for the sole purpose of weight loss. Without that incentive they would have no desire to make the switch .
 
I think there would be less veg*ns. So many people convert to veg*nism for the sole purpose of weight loss. Without that incentive they would have no desire to make the switch .

I wasn't aware of this. I thought it was mainly because of animal welfare. I have unfortunately gained weight since becoming a veg *n. I will now have to do something about it.
 
Such a pill would ultimately be detrimental to peoples health because, while they wouldn't gain weight, they would likely increase their intake of high fat/cholesterol foods, and would clog their arteries a lot faster and more thoroughly than without the pill.

As a result, healthcare cost would significantly increase.
 
I was thinking more of a really good pill or something that would allow you to eat what you wanted, and your body would absorb what it needed, and no more. There are pills that reduce the absorption of fats, but I'm not sure how good they really are, plus there are fat soluble vitamin absorbtion issues.

So really I'm thinking of a treatment that allows weight stability, or weight loss, without any detrimental effects on that person's physical health.

Because of food security for the world I think the drug would have to be limited. Maybe it would become a black market commodity.
 
I was thinking more of a really good pill or something that would allow you to eat what you wanted, and your body would absorb what it needed, and no more. There are pills that reduce the absorption of fats, but I'm not sure how good they really are, plus there are fat soluble vitamin absorbtion issues.

So really I'm thinking of a treatment that allows weight stability, or weight loss, without any detrimental effects on that person's physical health.

Because of food security for the world I think the drug would have to be limited. Maybe it would become a black market commodity.


How about effects on internal organs, like fen-fen?

Or for this discussion, are we assuming no side effects whatsoever?
 
I wasn't aware of this. I thought it was mainly because of animal welfare. I have unfortunately gained weight since becoming a veg *n. I will now have to do something about it.

The going veg*n for weightloss thing is really popular here. Unfortunately it's also why some people give up veg*nism since they don't lose weight.
 
The going veg*n for weightloss thing is really popular here. Unfortunately it's also why some people give up veg*nism since they don't lose weight.

I didn't know that. I wonder why people think that they are going to lose weight if they follow a veg*n diet ?
 
Well, I was trying to point out that the quality of the food matters.

For example vegan junk food is still junk food. and if a persons diet consist mostly of low nutrion high carb foods, whether its vegan or not won't matter.
 
Well, I was trying to point out that the quality of the food matters.

For example vegan junk food is still junk food. and if a persons diet consist mostly of low nutrion high carb foods, whether its vegan or not won't matter.

That makes sense, however not everyone is a junk food addict because they aren't a vegan.
 
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I didn't know that. I wonder why people think that they are going to lose weight if they follow a veg*n diet ?
I think they read one of those diet health books that they are always prattling on about. There is big money in weight loss and heart health, so there are books that purport to fix both problems, often with plant- based diets as a cornerstone.

My adult son was just telling me that he looked at a raw foods meetup group online, and one of the first questions was "Do you want to lose or maintain your weight," which annoyed the crap out of him. I said "it is health vegans" and he said "Huh?" Lol.
 
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I would like this magic pill, but it would make me feel guilty. At the moment I know that if I eat too much, I will put on weight, so that is a kind of monitor of my food intake. If I didn't have that I would have less idea about my food intake, and assume it was high, and that I was wasting the world's food.