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The "bloat" effect caused by the majority of psychiatric drugs is well-known.  Regardless of the latest admissions by the pharmaceutical producers and recent scientific evidence, some neurologists and psychiatrists continue to tell their patients that psychiatric medicine "cannot cause weight gain".

People who work in the clinical environment, instead, know how real the problem actually is. A group of Chinese researchers published a study in JAMA in which they demonstrated that the weight gain caused by anti-depressants and anti-psychotic drugs could be contrasted by a modest support geared towards the improvement of insulin sensitivity (Wu RR et al, JAMA 2008 Jan 9;299(2):185-93).

Insulin sensitivity is the indicator of the ease with which the cells can utilize the glucose in the blood and function. The insulin sensitivity of diabetics and persons with metabolism problems, for example, worsens and here we can speak of insulin resistance.  In this case, the body needs to produce a great deal of insulin in order to make its cells function and this causes unthinkable damage.

However, study results have confirmed that the regulation of insulin resistance levels (for example, that which can be obtained through the proper application of the GIFT diet) combined with exercise allows for the maximum weight loss in persons who have put on pounds because of drug use.

In short, it's clear that the regulation of insulin (obtained through the use of metformin, or stimulated by a diet geared in this direction) and exercise are adequate instruments for bringing one's weight back to the norm.   If used alone, insulin regulation or exercise doesn't give results that are as significant as when they are combined. The solution lies in eating well and getting out and moving. The realization that this is also one of the cures for combating depression could very well make the use of these controversial drugs unnecessary.

Doctor Attilio Speciani
Clinical Allergist and Immunologist

Italian version