Dedicated to the individual. On Fridays, continuation of the story.
For those who are tired of controlling their diet, calories consumed, and physical activity. For those who have lost faith in diets and the help of various specialists. However, he...
What we are researching: What medical methods and means are there to treat obesity?
What's new: What is the effectiveness of methods and means of treating obesity?
What we will learn: What example will help us understand the essence of obesity treatment?
1. Intensive lifestyle interventions for obesity focus primarily on the individual, who is encouraged to adhere to exemplary behavior [self-control, ed., author] regarding nutrition and physical activity. Such changes are difficult to implement and especially to maintain in conditions of daily interaction with the environment, which often encourages the exact opposite behavior" (Wadden T.A. et al. 2020) [1].
2. What is considered obesity? Obesity is a chronically complex disease defined by excessive amounts of fat that can impair health. According to ICD-11*, obesity is classified as an eating disorder. Eating disorders include both nutrient undernutrition and nutrient overnutrition. Malnutrition is not our topic, so we will look at eating disorders associated with excess fat. A tool for determining excess fat is BMI, calculated as weight (kg) / height ² (m ²). For infants, children, and adolescents, indicators are used depending on their gender and age. For adults, the indicator is a BMI equal to or greater than 30.00 kg/m². Having determined the parameters of obesity, medicine treats obesity. What is the effectiveness of modern medicine in treating obesity?
* International Classification of Diseases for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics, 11th edition, v2024-01. Code 5B81. Obesity, description. https://www.findacode.com/icd-11/code-149403041.html#:~:text=5B81%20Obesity%20%2D%20ICD%2D11%20MMS
3. What is the effectiveness of treatment? In the treatment of eating disorders, traditional methods and means of treating obesity are mainly used: lifestyle changes, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery [2]. Let's look at the sequentially recommended or used medical treatments for obesity. We will also take into account two reasons for the limitations of the methodological principle of reductionism, which hinder the effective treatment of obesity (fr. 29.8).
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4. Lifestyle changes. An unprecedented amount of preparatory work was done before it was proposed as a recommendation for treating obesity through lifestyle changes. This applies to medical recommendations and specific program designs from numerous expert groups, including the USPSTF* (2018), CMS** (2011), and the 2013 Guidelines for the Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults (hereinafter – Guide to Obesity) [1, 3]. The developed programs are aimed at achieving a healthy weight through lifestyle changes. The Obesity Guide recommends two high-intensity programs.
* USPSTF – United States Preventive Services Taskforce USA. It is an independent volunteer group of national experts in disease prevention and evidence-based medicine. The task force works to improve the health of people across the country by developing evidence-based recommendations for clinical preventive services. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/
