David Stipp

Every year, many people fail in their attempts to lose weight by means of diets and exercise. In the following viewpoint, David Stipp, a senior writer for Fortune magazine, argues that the obesity with which these people are burdened is a disease that can be treated with long-term drug therapy. He writes that one specific combination of drugs, fenfluramine and phentermine (fenphen), has produced dramatic results by suppressing appetite and speeding the burning of calories. Stipp argues that other similarly effective drugs, currently being developed and/or used in the United States and abroad, should be approved for domestic use.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What proportion of the U.S. population-is overweight, according to Stipp?
2. According to the author, what is the ob gene? What theory does he say has received increased...