Abstract
Obesity is considered one of the most contemporary threats to non-communicable disease such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders and even some types of cancers. Its worldwide prevalence has nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016. In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults aged 18 years and older were categorized as overweight, and of these over 650 million adults were obese. However, Weight management medications (WMM) are currently underutilized as an adjunct to behavioral and lifestyle interventions. By way of example, only 2% of eligible veterans received prescriptions for pharmacologic weight loss in the 2014-2015 fiscal years, and up to 1% of obese U.S. individuals filled a prescription for a WMM between 2009-2013. There are currently five FDA-approved medications for long-term weight loss medications. We analyzed 24 randomized clinical trials of the five drugs and interpreted findings. Of those 24, lorcaserin (Belviq®), naltrexone and bupropion (Contrave®), and phentermine and topiramate (Qsymia®) had four studies each, while liraglutide (Saxenda®), and orlistat (Xenical®) had six studies each. Underutilization of pharmacologic weight corrective therapies that have been statistically and clinically proven to be valuable tools in reducing obesity and its related risk factors. Studies of the five FDA-approved drugs have demonstrated clinically significant positive effects on weight loss with differing effects on both cardiovascular and glycemic markers/risk factors.
Highlights
Obesity epidemicObesity is considered one of the most serious contemporary threats to non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders and even some types of cancers
While lifestyle modification has long been considered a mainstay of therapy for obesity, it has only produced modest weight loss and no reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) [2]
For systolic and diastolic blood pressure, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides, improvement began at 5% weight loss
Summary
Obesity epidemicObesity is considered one of the most serious contemporary threats to non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders and even some types of cancers. The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided recommendations at both a societal and individual level: in order to reduce the obesity epidemic. WHO recommends supportive environments and communities that encourage healthy diet and exercise, whereas at the individual level, recommendations include limiting energy intake from total fats and sugars, increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables, as well as legumes, whole grains and nuts, and engaging in regular physical activity [1]. While lifestyle modification has long been considered a mainstay of therapy for obesity, it has only produced modest weight loss and no reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) [2]. More than 400 different genes have been implicated in the causes of overweight or Intervention in Obesity & Diabetes
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