01/02/2025
Attending the 5th Annual Meeting of PASMBS: Enhancing Obesity Management
Here’s what’s new:
- Obesity prevalence is still on the rise with 890 million adults worldwide living with obesity.
- Obesity is classified as a chronic disease and needs to be managed as one.
- Obesity is more related to biology than simple willpower!
- Weight maintenance is very difficult as the body goes into adaptive biological responses that favor weight regain.
- A stepped approach to obesity management: Lifestyle (well-balanced eating pattern and physical activity) and behavior modification. At certain BMI cutoff points, the use of pharmacotherapy and further up the BMI ladder, weight loss surgeries.
- Pharmacologic treatments show significant weight loss results, mostly shown with GLP1 agonists +/- GIP. But again, these medications are tools for weight loss and not a permanent solution.
- Sarcopenia (gradual loss of muscle mass, strength and function) could result from long-term use of weight loss medications and should be addressed (muscle strengthening physical activity and appropriate protein intake).
- In morbid obesity cases, the use of bariatric surgery is warranted. However, post-operative challenges are: nutrient deficiencies, long-term adherence to lifestyle modification and the risk of weight regain after 2 years post-op (Meds could help here).
- Nutritional deficiencies resulting from weight loss surgeries include iron, zinc, vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin A, copper and selenium, and should be supplemented.
- The only way to maintain the weight lost after pharmacotherapy and weight loss surgery is through improving one’s eating and lifestyle habits.