Controversial New Diet Pill Hits Market -- Hailed as a Miracle Fat Burner

Since the FDA authorized it as a flavor additive in food back in 1965, alarm bells should ring about the "new" claims in the headline reproduced above.  No references are given for the "research" quoted below and the research that is available suggests that it has no effect.  It's a scam and its promotion by "Dr Oz" shows him for what he is: as big in credulity as his jaw

A new dietary supplement containing an extract from red raspberries is currently the hottest diet product in the U.S. — but not without controversy.

Critics say the compound — called raspberry ketone — causes such a significant amount of weight loss that it runs the risk of being abused by non-dieters. Proponents argue that research shows the nutrient to be both safe and effective and that banning the natural compound would be akin to banning vitamins.

One thing people on both sides can agree on is the controversial new supplement works.

Several recent studies from Japan show that raspberry ketones — which are chemically similar to capsaicin, the heat compound from chile peppers — significantly increases fat oxidation (burning), especially the fat that builds up in the liver.

In 2010, Korean researchers reported that raspberry ketone increased fat cells' secretion of a hormone called adiponectin that regulates the processing of sugars and fats in the blood. The reported benefits are impressive: Increased total weight loss, including a significant reduction of abdominal fat — with zero side effects.

In fact, not only were there not any side effects, but a 2012 study from China found that raspberry ketones had several health benefits — including improved cholesterol levels, insulin sensitivity, and reduced fat in the liver.

And if all that weren't reason enough to have desperate slimmers stocking up, one of America's leading medical doctors is a fan, recently calling raspberry ketones a "miracle weight loss supplement" on his Emmy-winning daytime TV show. Click here to watch the episode.

According to Lisa Lynn, a leading weight-loss expert and television health contributor, many of her clients have been supplementing with raspberry ketones and experiencing stunning fat-loss results in as few as five days.

Lynn described the compounds as "very healthy" with "no side effects" and says the pills enable the body to "burn fat easier" by stimulating the production of adiponectin, a hormone found in fatty tissue that improves our ability to metabolize fat.

Studies show that thin people have higher levels of adiponectin than overweight individuals. What's more, researchers agree that the hormone improves insulin sensitivity and helps regulate weight.

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Fat people really ARE more jolly - because their genes mean they're less likely to get depressed

The connection found was absurdly slight -- far to small to be the basis of any generalization

The word 'jolly' has long been a byword word for 'plump' - hijacked by experts in the back handed compliment.  But scientists believe there could be genetic evidence which explains why fat people are often happier than their skinny friends.

It comes after Strictly favourite Lisa Riley has been flying the flag for larger women insisting she is a 'big, happy girl', more than comfortable with her size.

The breakthrough could be an explanation for why obese characters, such as The Laughing Policeman and Father Christmas, are often portrayed as jovial and kindly

Scientists from McMaster University in Canada found the so called 'fat gene' FTO is also a 'happy gene' too.  FTO is the major genetic contributor to obesity  but it is also associated with an eight per cent reduction in the risk of depression.

Researchers at McMaster University in Canada had been investigating whether there was a link between obesity and depression.

But when they investigated the genetic and psychiatric status of patients enrolled in the EpiDREAM study, led by the Population Health Research Institute, they found the opposite was true.

The study analysed 17,200 DNA samples from participants in 21 countries.  Results showed those with the the previously identified FTO gene - the fat gene -showed significantly less signs of depression.

The study finding was confirmed by analysing the genetic status of patients in three additional international studies.

Professor David Meyre, of McMaster University in Canada, said: 'We set out to follow a different path, starting from the hypothesis that both depression and obesity deal with brain activity.  'We hypothesised that obesity genes may be linked to depression.

'The difference of eight per cent is modest and it won't make a big difference in the day-to-day care of patients.

'But, we have discovered a novel molecular basis for depression.  'It is the first evidence that an FTO obesity gene is associated with protection against major depression, independent of its effect on body mass index.'

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