The Medical clinics of North America
-
Obesity is a complex disease with many causal factors, associated with multiple comorbidities that contribute to significant morbidity and mortality. It is a highly prevalent disease that poses an enormous health and economic burden to society. This article reviews the mechanisms of obesity and its related comorbidities.
-
Med. Clin. North Am. · Jan 2018
ReviewDietary Management of Obesity: Cornerstones of Healthy Eating Patterns.
Several dietary patterns, both macronutrient and food based, can lead to weight loss. A key strategy for weight management that can be applied across dietary patterns is to reduce energy density. ⋯ A variety of practical strategies and tools can help facilitate successful weight management by reducing energy density, providing portion control, and improving diet quality. The flexibility of energy density gives patients options to tailor and personalize their dietary pattern to reduce energy intake for sustainable weight loss.
-
Obesity in older adults affects not only morbidity and mortality but, importantly, quality of life and the risk of institutionalization. Weight loss interventions can effectively lead to improved physical function. ⋯ Understanding social and nutritional issues facing older adults is of utmost importance to primary care providers. This article will also discuss the insufficient evidence related to pharmacotherapy as well as providing an overview of using physiologic rather than chronologic age for identifying suitable candidates for bariatric surgery.
-
Med. Clin. North Am. · Jan 2018
ReviewMaintenance of Lost Weight and Long-Term Management of Obesity.
Weight loss can be achieved through a variety of modalities, but long-term maintenance of lost weight is much more challenging. Obesity interventions typically result in early weight loss followed by a weight plateau and progressive regain. This review describes current understanding of the biological, behavioral, and environmental factors driving this near-ubiquitous body weight trajectory and the implications for long-term weight management. Treatment of obesity requires ongoing clinical attention and weight maintenance-specific counseling to support sustainable healthful behaviors and positive weight regulation.