subject: How To Treat Anti-obesity [print this page] Anti-obesity medication or weight loss drugs refer to all pharmacological agents that reduce or control weight. These drugs alter one of the fundamental processes of the human body, weight regulation, by either altering appetite, metabolism, or absorption of calories. It is common for them to be tried and if there is little or no benefit from them to discontinue treatment. The main treatment modalities for overweight and obesity remain dieting and physical exercise.
Only one anti-obesity medications orlistat (Xenical) is currently approved by the FDA for long term use. It reduces intestinal fat absorption by inhibiting pancreatic lipase. Rimonabant (Acomplia), a second drug, works via a specific blockade of the endocannabinoid system. It has been developed from the knowledge that cannabis smokers often experience hunger, which is often referred to as "the munchies". It had been approved in Europe for the treatment of obesity but has not received approval in the United States or Canada due to safety concerns. European Medicines Agency in October 2008 recommended the suspension of the sale of rimonabant as the risk seem to be greater than the benefits. Sibutramine (Meridia), which acts in the brain to inhibit deactivation of the neurotransmitters, thereby decreasing appetite was withdrawn from the United States and Canadian markets in October of 2010 due to cardiovascular concerns.
Burden of The Bulge
A recent study led by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), published in the Lancet, has ranked India in the forefront of an obesity epidemic. Statistics point to an increase in overweight or obese citizens by 20% between 1998 and 2005. Presently, one in 6 women and one in 5 men are overweight in India. Indeed, there is a dire need to trim, as obesity figures are bulging dangerously at a staggering 70 million in India.
Explaining the results of the study, OECD lead author Michele Cecchini said, "The results varied across countries surveyed. Seven in 10 Mexican adults are overweight or obese, while nearly half of all Brazilians, Russians and South Africans are also in this category. China and India are also rapidly moving in the wrong direction. Low- and middle-income countries have far fewer health care resources to deal with the consequences of obesity, which include higher rates of cardiac disease, cancer and diabetes."
Today, it is no longer a lean childhood, as most children are having trouble carrying their own weight. There is immense trouble brewing, for 17 % of the youngsters in the age group of 14-18 in India are overweight or obese.
1. Imperative to adopt a balanced diet containing vegetables, proteins, and fruits. Experts advice that the trick lies in sprucing up your diet with more fiber, and giving a cold shoulder to junk food, snacks and bakery products.
2. Exercise regularly, ideally 4-5 times a week.
3. Keep a check on your weight by monitoring it.
A study by the Diabetes foundation of India found that in a Delhi private school, one in three children are obese. It appears that children are consuming much more than what is recommended for them. Childhood obesity is most certainly a fallout of the present lifestyle, as children are spoilt for choice - fat laden food, plethora of sedentary pursuits, which has made the common child a comfortable couch potato. Gone are the days when children preferred to walk to schools or go cycling. Today, families eat out much more than our previous generations. Junk food is easy buy for the affluent but not so for the poor, which also explains why obesity knocks on the rich door.
