Far be it from me to claim any expertise on this subject, but a recent study casts doubts on the long-held belief that the birth control pill causes weight gain.
There is a small catch, however as this was a primate study.
Half the rhesus monkeys were of normal weight at the start of the research and the other half were considered obese. The team administered doses to match the monkeys' weight so that it would mirror the amount women take to prevent pregnancy.
The study authors documented the animals' weight, body fat, food intake, activity levels, and lean muscle mass.
The monkeys in the "obese" group actually lost about 8.5 percent of their weight and 12 percent of their body fat while they were on the pill, apparently because of a spike in their metabolism.Those in the "normal" group stayed at a steady weight throughout the course of the trial.Lead author, Dr. Judy Cameron, said;
This study suggests that worries about weight gain with pill use appear to be based more on fiction than on fact.
Dr. Lisa Perriera, an assistant professor in obstetrics and gynecology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, agrees with Dr. Cameron;
Birth control pills usually only cause a temporary, maybe five-pound weight gain having to do with bloating. It's real, but it usually goes away for most women taking the pill. It's just their body adjusting to being on new medication.I have only vicarious experience in this matter, so I will yield to the fairer sex when it comes to opinions. I always just assumed that oral contraceptives caused some weight gain (albeit not much). But, it would appear that research is inconclusive as per the aforementioned study and this meta-analysis.
Image Credit: Lemon Eating Machine
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