Obesity Treatment

  • Obesity
    Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980. In 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 600 million were obese. 39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2014, and 13% were obese. Most of the world's population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight. 42 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2013. Obesity is preventable.
Submitted by PatientsEngage on 22 February 2016

While Obesity should be managed by making lifestyle changes as described in Obesity Management section, in some cases you may need medications or surgery as prescribed by your doctor. 

Medications
If your BMI is 28 or more medications like

  • Sibutramine (Meridia®)
  • Orlistat (Xenical® and Alli®): This drug reduces the absorption of fats, fat calories, and vitamins A, D, E, and K thereby promote weight loss. Causes most of the weight loss within the first 6 months of taking the medicine. These medicines can cause mild side effects, such as oily and loose stools.
  • Lorcaserin Hydrochloride (Belviq®) and Qsymia™: Recommended for chronic (ongoing) weight management. These drugs should be combined with low-fat diet and weight loss strategies.
  • Medicines to treat depression, seizures (topiramate and zonisamide), diabetes (Metformin) causes small amounts of weight loss. It's not known how this medicine causes weight loss, but it has been shown to reduce hunger and food intake.

Others:

  • Ephedra a plant product causes short-term weight loss, but it also has serious side effects. It causes high blood pressure and stresses the heart. In 2004, the FDA banned the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedra in the United States.
  • Chromium reduces body fat. While studies haven't found any weight-loss benefit from chromium, there are few serious side effects from taking it.
  • Diuretics and herbal laxatives makes lose water weight, not fat. They also can lower your body's potassium levels, which may cause heart and muscle problems.
  • Hoodia is a cactus that acts as an appetite suppressant. 

All these products have side effects.

Surgery

  • Banded gastroplasty and 
  • Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. 
  • Gastroplasty: At top of the stomach a small pouch is created by using a band or staples. This advantage of the surgery is that it limits the amount of food and liquids, the stomach can hold.
  • Gastric bypass: A small stomach pouch is created by a bypass around a part of the small intestine where most of the calories you eat are absorbed. This causes reduced food intake and also reduces the calories the body can absorb.
  • Multivitamins and minerals should be supplemented to prevent nutrient deficiencies and life-long follow-up is recommended along with balanced diet and appropriate physical activity.
  • Bariatric surgery is recommended for severely obese patients if no other measures have responded and also for people with BMI >50

 

Community
Diabetes
Heart and Cardio-vascular
Condition
Obesity

Stories

  • Image: A person with a measuring tape around an expanded waist signifying obesity
    Types of Obesity and its Complications
    Types of Obesity There are multiple classifications of Obesity. I. Depending on the area of fat deposition, there are three forms of obesity Peripheral: Accumulation of excess fat in the hips, buttocks and thighs. Central: Accumulation of excess fat in the abdominal area. Combination of both peripheral and central obesity.  Abdominal area is considered the most dangerous area for the accumulation of fat because it is closely located to the vital organs and their blood supply.  II.…
  • Obesity Signs and Symptms
    What are the signs and symptoms of obesity? Weight gain is the most common sign of obesity. Weight gain happens over time. Some ways that people know they have put on weight are: The early and simple sign is the clothing get tight and people go for larger sizes of clothes. Presence of extra fat around the waist. A higher than normal body mass index (BMI)  Waist circumference and a higher reading on the weighing scale. It is important to keep an eye on these signs and symptoms and address…
  • Obesity Causes and Risk factors
    What are the causes of obesity?   Consuming too many calories, particularly of fatty and sugary kind of foods. Some food habits like fructose – containing beverages interfere with lipid metabolism causing lipid accumulation (hypertriglyceridemia) and fatty liver which further leads to diabetes and obesity. Leading a sedentary lifestyle which does not promote to burn off the fats. Not sleeping enough; sleep deprivation leads to increase in appetite through elevating appetite…
  • Obesity
    The word "obesity" literally means too much body fat which might eventually have adverse effects on their health. Whether a person is obese or not is generally based on the body mass index (BMI) and the waist circumference. Body mass is divided by the square of the body height, and is universally expressed in units of kg/m2.  The WHO definition is BMI greater than or equal to 25 is overweight BMI greater than or equal to 30 is obesity. The waist circumference >102 cm (male) and >88…
  • Image: How to lose weight without hunger. Image of a nice healthy sandwich
    How to lose weight without staying hungry
    Have you tried to lose weight many times, tried multiple diets and given up because you don't feel good while dieting? Have you tripped off your weight loss diet because you felt hungry all the time? If you don't believe in crash diets and fad diets but want to lose weight the healthy way, we have just the right starter e-book for you with recipes designed by nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju Want to find out if you are overweight:https://www.patientsengage.com/healthy-living/do-i-look-fat Why…
  • Are Snacks Sabotaging Your Diet?
    What to do when the munchies strike and you feel like snacking? Hear it from Registered Dietitian and Diabetes Educator Ujjwala Baxi. One of the questions I ask my clients is: How often do you snack and what do you choose to snack on? A client, Mrs. Juneja (name changed) complained of weight gain of 5 kg in 2 months since starting her job. On interviewing her, it became clear that more than her main meals, her snacks, along with her sedentary desk job, were contributing to her weight problem.…
  • , ,
    Is your child destined for obesity?
    Signs to watch for and how to prevent it. By family practitioner and paediatrician Dr Gita Mathai  What is childhood obesity? Children older than two years and less than 19 years need to have their BMI (Body Mass Index) calculated when they visit their physician either for immunisation or during annual check-ups. BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by the height in meter squared. You can also measure BMI at home. The values for height can be entered in the website below. It…
  • Foods To Avoid If I Have Hypothyroidism
    Can I eat cabbage or broccoli? Can I eat miller? Nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju brings you up to speed on ‘goitrogenic foods’ and answers diet questions for persons with hypothyroidism.   What is hypothyroidism: This is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. The thyroid gland is a small butterfly-shaped gland situated at the base of the front of your neck. Its major function is to produce thyroid hormones, which play many roles…
  • Lack of exercise 'twice as deadly' as obesity
    Just 20 minutes of brisk walking a day may be all it takes to lessen a sedentary person's risk of early death, says a new study. The researchers also found the risk of early death due to lack of exercise is double that posed by obesity and does not necessarily depend on being obese or overweight. Prof. Ekelund says the study delivers a simple message: "just a small amount of physical activity each day could have substantial health benefits for people who are physically inactive." However,…
  • Gong Xi Gong Xi...
    Enjoy the Lunar New Year festivities without compromising your health. By Nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju. It’s that time of the year again, the most significant few days in the Chinese calendar – the Lunar New Year. It’s a time to get together with friends and family and eat, drink and be merry... in a health-conscious way.  First up, the Reunion Dinner on New Year’s Eve, when families gather around a sumptuous meal. A part of the meal is Lo Hei, when everyone gathers…

Latest Stories

Booklet