The myth about birth control pills causing weight gain may be entirely false

Long believed to cause weight gain, a new study may show that birth control pills are not a factor in a woman gaining weight from taking a contraceptive.

In fact, researchers may have found a link to oral contraceptives and weight loss in women.

In a test involving monkeys, researchers may have uncovered a long-standing myth about gaining weight due to birth control pills.

For the study, researchers achieved complete control over the subjects (monkeys). As reproductive systems are drastically similar between primates and humans, researchers believed this study may suffice to debunk this myth.

Researchers gave the monkeys a comparable dose-per-pound that a human would take.

Before the study, the weight difference was split between the monkeys — half obese, half normal. Researchers then tracked physical activity, body fat, and lean mass levels over an eight month period while the monkeys were given oral contraceptives.

The findings intrigued researchers as they noticed the obese monkeys actually lost weight during the study. This showed researchers that healthy diet and physical activity levels seem to be instrumental for weight loss whether or not a birth control pill is being taken.