Authors: Taylor Viggiano, MD – Lori Roust, MD – Holly Geyer, MD
Why its important to take care of Obesity
Treating obesity is crucial to preventing its complications, like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. For this reason, obesity should be viewed as an important health disorder to address and manage.
The Role of Diet and Exercise
Diet
A balanced diet is essential for weight management. It typically includes:
- Caloric Control: Reducing calorie intake helps create a calorie deficit, which is necessary for weight loss.
- Nutrient-Dense Foods: Emphasizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats provides essential nutrients while keeping calories lower. Limit processed foods.
- Portion Control: Managing portion sizes can prevent overeating, even when consuming healthier foods.
Movement
Regular physical activity enhances the effectiveness of dietary changes by:
- Burning Calories: Exercise helps increase energy expenditure, making it easier to achieve a calorie deficit.
- Building Muscle: Strength training can help build muscle, which can boost metabolism, helping with weight loss.
- Improving Mood and Mental Health: Physical activity releases endorphins, which can improve mood and reduce stress, making it easier to stick to diet and exercise plans.
The Role of medications and procedures
Medications are helpful in treating obesity, particularly for patients who do not achieve enough weight loss with lifestyle changes alone. Medications significantly improve weight loss and reduce the risk of complications such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several medications for the treatment of obesity, including:
- Tirzepatide (Zepbound)
- Semaglutide (Wegovy)
- Liraglutide (Saxenda)
- Orlistat (Alli, Xenical)
- Bupropion-naltrexone (Contrave)
- Phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia)
Medications are always paired with other interventions including lifestyle changes and in some cases, mental health support and counseling. Many individuls who take weight-loss medications and then stop them gain back the weight because of lifestyle-related factors that were not properly addressed. If medications and lifestyle changes are not effective, bariatric surgery can be an effective option. Bariatric surgery (i.e. gastric sleeve, Roux en Y gastric bypass or biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch) often leads to significant weight loss and can improve or resolve conditions like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. These procedures can be associated with complications and long-term symptoms so it is typically restricted to individuals meeting specific obesity criteria. Healthy eating and exercise are important in keeping off weight longterm after bariatric surgery.
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