Throughout day-to-day life, obesity has a significant impact especially in the US and more and more in the UK. Obesity is affecting individuals of all ages and is causing strain on health care. The combination of Naltrexone and Buropion are suggested to facilitate the process of weight loss.
This hard-news story provides the reader with hard facts. The author builds on the current and past research, creating a reliable base from which the reader can gain an understanding. The link to the Lancet report is provided at the bottom of the page enabling further investigation. However, there is no link to the UK study of which greater detail is provided in the article. The details give the reader the feeling of having a thorough review of the research and reducing the need to read around the subject. As a rule, this holds true as the BBC is a credible website. Nevertheless, when reading less credible websites it is important for the reader be more cautious of trusting information given.
Furthermore, by using quotes provided by Professor Nick Finer, an obesity expert from University College London (UCL), the author increases the article’s credibility. Also by explaining the placebo effect, it allows individuals with non-science backgrounds to follow the effects of the study. In giving the reader access to the results stated in the findings, (which included specific data and side effects), the author has made it easy to follow through what was been accomplished up to this point, thus engaging the reader’s trust.
But she does not stop there. To increase the reader’s line of thought a further idea of drug regulation and health risk is brought forth. Again backing such ideas using expert Professor Frank Greenway’s quotes. Individuals are made aware that the drug (which affects appetite and reward centres in the brain) might be a quick fix to weight loss.
The article concludes with a quote that could make readers a little sceptic of the research. They say they work in the best interest of the patient, but do they? When thinking of the money that is made from such drugs, there seem to be other intentions.
To leave a key question to the end seems kind of problematic to me. Considering we know diet and exercise to be the essential solution to the weight loss dilemma, what's so newsworthy about these two commercially available drugs that the author feels the need to advertise them? This is a case of peddling a product as opposed to news, if you ask me!!
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis! I can't seem to access the article though? Did they remove it?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I haven't read the article, I completely agree with the last point you made. Can we really trust medical practitioners or any specialists etc out there today?
A lot of them don't give a damn because even though they don't like what they're doing, they remain in the profession because they are motivated by monetary reasons only. Such conduct is really appalling because they are essentially gambling with a person's health.
True you never really know whose side they are actually on. But we still need research to be published by new papers, they just have to be monitored. I guess. If you click on the hard news story that should bring you to the article.
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