Clinical treatment of obesity: are drugs and surgery the answer?

Proceedings of the Nutrition Society

Peter G. Kopelman¹ 

关键词: Obesity;    Anti-obesity drugs;    Obesity surgery;   

DOI  :  10.1079/PNS2004410

学科分类：卫生学

来源: Cambridge University Press

【 摘 要 】

Obesity treatment remains a ‘Cinderella’ of all clinical management programmes, but generally without a happy ending. The great expectation for new therapeutic agents has not been fulfilled in clinical practice, whilst the restriction of eating through surgical division of the upper bowel seems strange in an age of advanced and sophisticated technology. The better understanding of the neuro-regulation of appetite, and its application as part of evidence-based clinical interventions, could lead to a more coherent approach to obesity treatment. Nevertheless, investigation of potential neuroendocrine targets for appetite suppression suggests redundancy in the systems, which make development of effective agents against single receptors impractical. Importantly, the progressive rise in the prevalence of obesity will inevitably mean that only a small proportion of afflicted patients will actually be treated by long-term drugs and surgery. Drugs and surgery are not currently the answer for the majority of obese individuals. What is required is a better way of identifying patients who may particularly benefit from such approaches. However, the major emphasis must be the development of effective population-wide interventions that halt the increase in fatness and ensure that future generations maintain and enjoy a healthy body weight.

【 授权许可】

Unknown