CNN.com - Scientists take step toward obesity vaccine - Aug 2, 2006

“The researchers found that when they gave rats a vaccine against a “hunger hormone” called ghrelin, the animals were able to live the dream of eating what they wanted without packing on body fat.”

Oh boy… here we go again.

“One of the next steps will be to see whether ghrelin vaccination helps already obese rodents shed pounds, Janda told Reuters Health. If a vaccine were to become a reality for humans, it would be aimed at those obese individuals who continually “yo-yo” through diet and exercise, he noted.”

Let’s focus on this, shall we? This in no way means that it’s going to work, or that it will ever be released for humans. And can I just ask this one question… Why is everyone so obsessed with finding a magic wand (in this case, a needle and syringe) for controlling weight?

In all my years battling with my weight, the only thing that has ever worked is managing my food intake and getting enough exercise. I’ve taken pills, I’ve tried fad diets, I’ve even gone so far as to eat nothing but fruit and chicken breasts for weeks on end. The only thing that works is a balanced, but low-fat diet and getting a minimum of 20 minutes of exercise every day. The last time I did that, I dropped 35 lbs in three months. As soon as I stopped, it all came back, and then some.

“Secreted primarily by the stomach, ghrelin is one of the hormones that help regulate appetite, metabolism and weight. Ghrelin levels rise before a meal, putting the brakes on calorie burning and fat breakdown, then decline after a person eats.”

“The hormone promotes weight gain and fat storage.”

So you mean to tell me that every single time I go to put food in my mouth, somehow, magically, my stomach knows to secrete this hormone - that supposedly STOPS my body from burning calories and fat until after I’m finished eating? Well now, wouldn’t this just contradict the whole “eat 6 small meals a day” or even the “eat 3 balanced meals a day” and point people toward eating just ONE time a day, so that the hormone only appears once, rather than multiple times? Wouldn’t that mean that if the hormone weren’t present, that our bodies would lose weight by burning calories and breaking down fat? Hell then… this makes a great case for anorexia now, doesn’t it? *grrr*

Why do scientists and the media do this to us?

“Eggs are bad…”

“No! Eggs are good for you!”

“Coffee’s bad…”

“Oh wait! It’s good! Yes, drink coffee!”

“Don’t eat salt…”

“Oh a little won’t hurt if you drink a lot of water.”

“Don’t take drugs for weight loss…”

“Wait! We think we’ve got the perfect weight loss drug!”

I can’t take it. People are so sensitive to this, and so damn desperate to lose weight, yet are constantly getting conflicting information, or no information at all. This country’s battling the biggest bulge in history, and people are still seeking the easy way out as opposed to doing it the way our ancestors did: Nutritious meals and menial labor.

Dammit… I need to go get some more coffee. And maybe a hard boiled egg with some salt on it.

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