Last week it was reported by the BBC and the Telegraph that a three-year study would soon be launched to investigate whether giving obese mums-to-be the diabetes drug Metformin would reduce incidence of oversized babies.
Patients of hospitals in Liverpool, Coventry and Edinburgh will be given the drug to control the food supply to their unborn babies. A total of 400 women will be involved in the study. Leading the trial, senior lecturer in obstetrics, Dr Andrew Weeks, said: "It is about trying to improve outcomes in pregnancy for women who are overweight."
Does This Sound Right?
It's hard to know where to start. First of all, the pharmaceutical approach assumes that the body does not have the capability to be healthy. As though somehow the body is, in this case, suffering from a deficiency of Metformin. Secondly, no matter how confidently any party linked with the sale or distribution of these drugs might reassure that there are no (or few) side effects or risks, there are side effects and risks - both known, unknown... and known but not shared (studies often have links to manufacturers of drugs and even then the results are reported selectively[i]).
Anybody suggesting the use of drugs in pregnancy should, in our opinion, be particularly careful. Thalidomide was once considered safe. The question of risk is even more difficult to address with certainty when it comes to long-term effects of new drugs (or new uses of old drugs). The companies that make the drugs are protected from liability so it's down to you to do your research and to listen to your instincts - whatever the result of any course of action, the onus will always fall on you.
Aside from the pharmaceuticals debate, this study is yet another disturbing display of wrong-headed "healthcare". Jane Norman, Professor of Maternal and Foetal Health at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and the University of Edinburgh, and a representative of the pregnancy charity Tommy's, said: "Research has shown that babies born to obese mothers are at increased risk of complications in later life." People who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of heart disease, liver disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. But in her statement, Norman seems to imply a causal relationship between the girth of a mother and complications for the child later in life. This is a fallacy. While the non-distinction of causal from correlative facts may win headlines, one might expect a professor to appreciate the difference. Even if a causal relationship were to exist, Metformin has not been found to be effective in adult weight loss[ii].
So What Is The Issue?
In our experience, people who are obese tend to also be malnourished. Simple calorie restriction isn't the answer here. There is so much confusing and daunting information about what constitutes a good diet that it can be difficult to know what to eat. Food marketers misinform consumers and persuade toward convenient food alternatives, usually laden with cheap, low quality ingredients and additives. By eating these foods, we end up wrecking our digestion (developing absorption problems and food sensitivities) and our insulin sensitivity. As the body becomes less capable of dealing with the nutrients that the diet does not provide anyway, it craves more food. The kinds of foods craved are processed, sugary, starchy foods - instant energy - which cause more health troubles. Many people who find themselves in this position end up on medication, which can further impede the body's natural ability to function (given the right conditions).
This is a vicious cycle and is, in our opinion, the cause of "the increased risk of complications later in life". At its root is a lack of any meaningful support. Without this support, the bad information, the malnutrition and the digestive problems are passed from parents to children. This is a key cause of the high rates of childhood obesity, diabetes, digestive disorders, ADHD and behavioural and learning difficulties that plague our society. Of course, children suffering from these kinds of challenges are offered more drugs as a solution. This cycle generates huge profits at the cost of us as individuals and as a society.
The Bottom Line
It's not easy for a person who has become obese and malnourished - and truly addicted to low quality food - to repair their system. It is perfectly possible though, providing that there is proper support. The cycle is then broken and good information and habits can be passed on.
It's unfortunate that the level of care, attention and patient support that this kind of treatment takes seemingly cannot be provided by the National Health Service. While the proverb tells us that prevention is the best cure, the rocketing cost of NHS prescriptions of over £8.5bn per year suggests that there may be headed in the wrong direction.
[i] Opening up data at the European Medicines Agency, Professor Peter C Gøtzsche, May 2011
[ii] Insulin Resistance and the use of Metformin: Effects on Body Weight, Ruchi Mathur, MD, FRCPC, January 2011
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