alt Hacker News>Yes. Specifically, how basal metabolism is not a consciously-controlled rate that modifies itself against diet and exercise to the point that in some people with serious metabolic syndrome it may be impossible for them to lose weight through diet and exercise without suffering nutritional shortfalls.
The average person does not understand how weight loss works; many people do not know the concept of maintenance calories, and don't know how calorie surplus or deficit works.
Simply putting them on drugs for life isn't a solution. The average person does not have metabolic syndrome, yet the average person is increasingly becoming obese or perhaps already is obese in many countries.
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> Simply putting them on drugs for life isn't a solution.
Plenty of people are on drugs for life for a variety of things that have less health impact than being overweight.
> Simply putting them on drugs for life isn't a solution.
It literally is "a" solution.
The questions should be: is it the best solution that currently exists? And is it the best that can exist?
It may be that widespread availability of weight loss drugs that actually work ends the economic incentives to promote foods which themselves promote over-eating.
Or it may be that it triggers an arms race with food manufacturers seeking out things that override the weight loss drugs.
Or there may be negative side-effects we have yet to learn about, like there have been for so many other things that previously seemed amazing or miraculous.