Newsday, 9th May

Obesity is said to be epidemic of our times. It prevents us from doing things we’d like to do and fails to control our bodies.

Cindy Scheiner, 49, was so obese she couldn’t go back up the stairs to her office. A friend had to help her to find a refuge in the garage. Also Fern Fladell, 45, weighting 260 pounds worried one day her knees fail to carry her excessed body.

Both ladies took part in the fifth annual ‘Dream Walk’ last Saturday. About a dozen of people who underwent weight-loss surgery walked three miles on the Long Beach boardwalk.

WSHM-TV, 4th May

At least one person diet after using a popular weight-loss drug – Hydroxycut. The drug has been removed from the pharmacies after the FDA received 23 reports of health problems including a death of a 19 year old man.

The drug was sold without prescription and was relatively inexpensive so many people, who wanted to lose weight, tried it. About 1 million doses of the drug were sold in the USA which means 1 in 300 people are still taking it.

The main component of Hydroxycut is hydroxy citric acid which is said to suppress the appetite. The component comes from Indonesia and it was used there just for that.