Calling Medics or human biologists

[ahar]

Currently sitting in my hotel room in the US and the usual rubbish adverts are on the TV, but one caught my eye and my curiosity.  It's a weight loss drug (called cortislim) that claims to control metabolism and hunger by controling a hormone called Coritsol which 'has extra produced in times of stress and causes you to retain weight'.  Is this true or a load of balls?  

I would have thought that if researchers had found the 'magic hormone' then it would have been all over the news and there would be no fat people over here.  

Just bored sitting in a hotel room, any thoughts welcome
As it is, the pavements (sorry, sidewalks) need to be re-enforced.

[JAG]

<font color='#000080'>Not sure about the use of drugs to control weight. Like yourself, I would have thought that if a drug was available to control metabolism, there wouldn't be any fat people over there. I can only think it's a ploy to part people with their money and play on peoples guilt about being overweight. I've known people that have used various forms of speed to alter their metabolism to achieve weight loss but don't alter their eating habits, so when the cost of the drugs becomes too much, they simply come off them and end up putting on more weight

There is a simple formula apparantely that is quite successful:

If calories in is less than calories burned = weight loss.

I think people look for pills due to a lack of self discipline. As far as I'm aware sensible diet and exercise can alter your metabolism, exercise is also a good stress reliever too.

Well, that's woken me up this morning!

All the best,

Ian

[Helen F H]

<font color='#000080'>As far as i know, the only slimming pills that work contain caffiene, asprin and pseudoephidrene. &nbsp;(and yes they do work cos a girl at the vets lost 2 stone by using them - she still ate like a pig)

[Dr Stevil]

The quick-ish answer is that Cortisol is a steroid hormone that is released in the body in response to physical or psychological stress by increasing metabolism and so releasing energy (hence could lead to weight loss).

Cortisol plays key roles in almost every physiological system in the body:  blood pressure regulation , cardiovascular function, carbohydrate metabolism, and immune function are among the best known.

Long term elevated cortisol levels will depress your immune system and leave you prone to illness.

Cortisol levels are controlled by a complex feedback mechanism between your brain (specifically the pituitary gland) and your adrenal glands. Normally, cortisol levels will fluctuate throughout the day, this is part of what controls your appetite

Personally I wouldn't mess with my immune system and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else, Ian has summed it up very well already: eat less, excercise more, don't pop pills, I totally agree.

[Conor]

have to agree with Ian and Steve. Don't mess with hormones.

But if you are interested on the relationship between cortisol and weight then ..........

Influence of short-term dietary weight loss on cortisol secretion and metabolism in obese men.

Johnstone AM, Faber P, Andrew R, Gibney ER, Elia M, Lobley G, Stubbs RJ, Walker BR.

Rowett Research Institute, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9SB, UK.

OBJECTIVES: Obesity is associated with increased inactivation of cortisol by hepatic A-ring 5alpha- and 5beta-reductases, impaired hepatic regeneration of cortisol from cortisone by 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11HSD1), but increased subcutaneous adipose 11HSD1 activity enhancing local cortisol levels in fat. Cause and effect between obesity and abnormal cortisol metabolism is untested. DESIGN: Acute weight loss was induced by very low calorie diet (VLCD) or starvation in obese men. METHODS: Otherwise healthy males (aged 20-55 years; body mass index (BMI) 30-40 kg/m2) were studied after 6 days on a weight maintenance diet; then after either 6 days of starvation (n=6) or 3 weeks of VLCD (2.55 MJ; n=6); then after 1 week of weight maintenance; and finally after 2 weeks of being allowed to feed ad libitum. Plasma samples were obtained from indwelling cannulae at 0930 h and 1815 h and a 24 h urine collection was completed for analysis of cortisol metabolites by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Data are mean+/-S.E.M. BMI fell (kg/m3) from 34.8+/-0.8 at baseline to 31.8+/-1.4 on VLCD and 32.7+/-1.1 on starvation. Starvation caused a rise in plasma cortisol (at 0930 h from 143+/-17 to 216+/-11 nM, P&lt;0.001) but no change in total urinary cortisol metabolites. VLCD did not alter plasma cortisol and markedly reduced cortisol metabolite excretion (from 15.8+/-1.1 mg/day at baseline to 7.0+/-1.1 mg/day, P&lt;0.001). Relative excretion of 5alpha-reduced cortisol metabolites fell on both diets, but there were no changes in cortisol/cortisone metabolite ratios reflecting 11HSD activities. CONCLUSIONS: Weight loss with VLCD in obesity reverses up-regulation of hepatic A-ring reductases and normalises cortisol production rate; in contrast, starvation produces acute stress and further activation of cortisol secretion. We suggest that activation of cortisol secretion is not an irreversible intrinsic abnormality in obese patients, and speculate that dietary content has an important influence on the neuroendocrine response to weight loss.

[Dominic]

If a safe and effective pill were available that genuinely made people loose weight, they wouldn't have to spend any money on adverts, as it'd be all over the news.

So if you see an advert for such a thing, ignore it

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]&quot;The cynics are right&quot;
&quot;We usually are&quot;

[CotoChris]

<font color='#0000FF'>Saw a program (horizon I rhink) while back regarding some comapnies in the States selling pills that claim weight loss. Apparently it work by increasing your metabolism but also your blood pressure I think. At the end of the day the pills were ineffective and could be dangerous. If I remember correctly the pills were basically cafeine pillsor whatever, in the end of the day it was totally useless.

What the prgram showed that was interesting was a by-product from a certain Catus in South africa where it quenced your hunger, hence you have no desire to eat for many hours. This didn't have side effects but still going through trials in the UK.

[ahar]

Very interesting. &nbsp;Cheers guys.