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Show THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Wednesday, January 8, 2003 Whitticisms 4Ok v , J J Jcu i I Diet Pills Don't Always Make Miracles vviuucy Chronic p Fpaturp Columnist Human Cloning Supports the e Issue p n !j Pro-Lif- This s) id i (s m ff fiv ri ( & ($ might sound unusual -; from a religious a but...cloning is good it anti-abor- thing. Let me preface this column by saying I'm not being sarcastic or trying to "demonstrate absurdity by being absurd." Cloning technology could inestimably improve quality of life. In December, the company Clon-ai- d announced one of its patients had given birth to a daughter created from her cloned DNA. They said the woman's husband was unable to sire a child naturally, but this procedure allowed them to have a baby. There are many who accuse those n involved in this of "playing God." And they are. But so are every man and woman who conceive a child together. The greatest gift God bestowed to humanity is its brainpower. Humans use their intellect to overcome biological shortcomings all the time. Any of you reading this with glasses or contact lenses are the beneficiaries of some of humanity's medical knowledge. If this knowledge helps someone overcome a different kind of biological shortcoming (infertility), why is that suddenly so wrong? Advances in cloning could also help tens of thousands of Americans needing organ transplants. Transplant patients must wait years for someone to die, so doctors can harvest his or her organs and implant them into you. Then you ravage your body with an overwhelming battery of pills to suppress your immune system so your body doesn't reject what it sees as an invader (the implanted organ). If science could simply clone you a new organ, you wouldn't need to wait and you wouldn't need to kill your immune system with pills: It would be your organ, not someone else's. These advances are, however, contingent upon feeding a burgeoning field of medicine, one that's uniformly vilified, from so religious they fail to see cloning technology can be a gift from God to abortion activists trying to convince voters they're capable of human feeling. g sentiment is symptomatic of misunderstood science fiction paranoia gone awry. Two science fiction movies of 2002 illustrated how inestimably "evil" cloning is: "Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones" and "Star Trek: Nemesis." Frankly, the only thing "evil" about both of these movies was the hacks masquerading as writers who wrote the screenplays and the producers who rubber-stampe- d them. Human cloning will never be used for breeding vast armies. Any civilization with the technology to creclones ate flawless, would never need to do that to win a war it would possess corresponding advances in biotech weaponry and" not waste its resources on cloning fighters. The worst thing cloning could do is help people suffering and dying on organ waiting lists, or help someone have a child who otherwise couldn't. Which makes cloning the most "pro-life- " technology on Earth. cloned-fertilizatio- ready-to-fig- iflpll lt!.!H!f1(rMllH., iYrfZ - fcMiBminH-rW- -! Many JS- 111! - students look to diet pills rather than exercise as a "quick fix" to their holiday splurges. Photos by Lonny Danler Story by Theresa Wong W ith the end of the holiday season, many students are regretting the desserts and alcohol. feasts, holiday Now, many people are thinking about dieting with quick fixes like diet pills. According to the Food and Drug Administration, 120 million Americans are overweight, and 54 million are obese meaning 30 pounds or more over weight. To lose all the extra pounds, the FDA says about 17 million people buy diet pills every year. While many experts say there are safe and effective diet drugs that could save lives by curbing weight-relate- d diseases (like diabetes and heart disease), using too many pills or the wrong pills can prove deadly. An article released by Palomar n T7 College said many students in college depend on diet pills to lose weight. Some students yearn for a "quick fix," but are unwilling to However, Ephedra has been known to cause headaches, dizziness, strokes, seizures and in extreme cases when mixed with alcohol, least one false claim. Fifty-fiv- e percent of the advertisements made a claim that was very likely false or lacked adequate evidence for its change their diets and exercise death. claim. habits. "Ninety percent of diet pills don't work. Students don't realize that by taking pills and depriving their body of essential nutrients, they will be more likely to gain weight," said Jakie Cotten, a nurse practitioner. Many popular diet drugs, like which was recalled six for years ago contributing to fatal heart valve damage, have dangerous side effects. Another popular diet pill is derived from crustacean shells. The makers claim Chitosan binds to ingested fat and substances. Because the body cannot break down Chitosan, the fat is carried out with the Chitosan undigested. But there have been no studies done to back up these weight Some phrases consumers should be wary of include: "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days." Losing weight too quickly is dangerous and often occurs because of severe dehydration. "Lose weight while you sleep." "Lose weight and keep it off for loss claims, natural." Statements like this can mislead consumers to thinking that because a product is natural, it isn't harmful. "Doctor recommended!" Any diet pill or potion cannot create miracles. They can cause excessive weight gain, insomnia, dehydration and shaking. Nothing can replace good old exercise and healthy eating habits. t wongchronicle.utah. edu Fen-Phe- Chi-tosa- n, le n, The most popular type of diet . pills are appetite suppressants, such as Metabolife, HydroxyCut and ThermoSlim, some of which contain ephredine or caffeine. The makers of Ephedra, a Chinese herb that comes from the ma huang plant, claims it helps people eat less because it increases energy. 1 - i 7 ' I 1 s i , r- ; ; f IIIfix' 11$; If good." "All Chitosan has been known to interfere with oral contraceptives and reduce vitamins and calcium the human body needs. It also can lead to gastrointestinal distress. In September 2002, the Federal Trade Commission reviewed 300 weight-los- s for advertisements more than 218 dietary supplements. According to the study, 40 percent of the advertisements had at v; 1 1 y : fmm Anti-clonin- lobot-omy-patie- (I'li'i (r v ' . - ' , -' ' V 1- - S.. ' nt ht jwhitleychronicle.utah.edu J Many .... W'VZtf",,,,, , ' u,. experts say a good diet and exercise are still the foolproof solutions to long term weight loss, even though millions of Americans buy diet pills every year. 3 |
