Insidermedicine In Depth - November 23, 2011

A multipronged treatment regimen appears to be the most effective means of helping obese people lose weight, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Some possible health effects of being overweight or obese include:
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Breathing problems

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania randomly assigned nearly 400 obese adults to be treated with one of three weight loss intervention programs. The first group received usual care from their primary care physician, which included quarterly visits in which the physician educated them about weight management. The second group had similar visits with their physician but also met monthly with a lifestyle coach who provided instruction on behavioral weight control. The third group had the same visits with their physician and lifestyle coach but in addition received meal replacements or weight loss medication, if appropriate.

Overall, 86% of participants remained on their assigned program for two years. At this time, the most weight was lost by the third group of participants, who visited their physician and lifestyle coach and received meal replacements or weight loss medication, than the other two groups. In fact, about one-third of participants in this third group managed to lose at least 5% of their body weight, compared with only about one-fifth to one-fourth of those in the other groups. The benefits seen with this third group were maintained even when those who took one of the two weight loss medications used in the study were not included in the analysis.

Today's research highlights the need for a multipronged approach to weight loss that includes physician follow-up, education about weight management and lifestyle, and possibly even meal replacements and weight loss medication.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• weight loss management
• obesity
• overweight