Current diabetes reports
-
Current diabetes reports · Oct 2009
ReviewWhat are the risks and the benefits of current and emerging weight-loss medications?
Obesity is epidemic; new medications and therapeutic options are urgently needed to reduce the associated health care burden. The initial clinical strategy for weight loss is lifestyle modification involving a combination of diet, exercise, and behavior change. ⋯ Other medications with weight-loss effects have been approved by the FDA for short-term treatment of obesity or for disorders other than obesity, but these also have potential adverse effects. This article discusses the perceived benefits and risks of these approved medications along with emerging drugs that have shown weight-loss effects.