obesity Archives - usatoday24

Experts want to redefine obesity to improve the health of millions of people in the world

January 27, 2025 by usatoday24

A report prepared by experts from all over the world warns that the risk of diagnosing too many people is running, and that a “more precise” and “nuanced” definition is needed on this term. Doctors should take into account the general health of patients with excess fat, instead of limiting their body mass index (BMI), says the report. Those who suffer from chronic diseases caused by their weight should be diagnosed with “clinical obesity”, but those who do not have health problems should be diagnosed “preclinical obesity.” It is estimated that more than one billion people suffer from obesity worldwide, so there is a great demand for thinning medications. The report, published in the magazine The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinologyhas the support of more than 50 medical experts from around the world. New look “Obesity is a spectrum,” says Francesco Rubino, professor at King’s College in London and president of the group that carried out the investigation. “Some suffer from it and manage to lead a normal life, function normally.” “Others cannot walk or breathe well, or go in a wheelchair and have serious health problems.” Getty Images: There is a difference between people with excess weight who can do physical activity and lead a healthy life and those that do not, the report says. The report urges to “reformulate” the concept of obesity to distinguish between patients with a disease and those who remain healthy, but run the risk of diseases in the future. Currently, in many countries, obesity is defined as having an BMI greater than 30, a measure that estimates body fat based on height and weight. Access to medicines to lose weight as Wegovy and Mounjaro is usually restricted to patients in this category. However, according to the report, the BMI does not reveal anything about the patient’s general health, and does not distinguish between muscle and body fat or take into account the most dangerous fat around the waist and organs. The experts advocate a new model that takes into account the signs of obesity that affect the organs of the body – such as heart disease, dyspnea, type 2 diabetes or joint pain – and its detrimental impact on everyday life. This indicates that obesity has become a clinical disease and needs pharmacological treatment. Getty Images: access to medicines to lose weight like Wegovy and Mounjaro is usually restricted to patients with a high BMI. However, people with “preclinical obesity”, instead of drugs and surgery, should be offered tips to lose weight, advice and monitoring to reduce the possibilities of health problems. A treatment may also be necessary. “Unnecessary treatment” “Obesity is a health risk; The difference is that for some it is also a disease, ”said Professor Rubino. The expert added that it was sensible to redefine it to know the level of risk in a wide population, instead of the current “blurred image of obesity.” According to the report, the quotation-sturars or direct measurement of fat, together with a detailed medical history, can offer a much clearer image than the BMI. Getty images: BMI is not an index that gives us information about the person’s health, says the report. Louise Bour, an expert in child obesity of the University of Sydney who collaborated in the preparation of the report, affirms that the new approach will allow obese adults and children to “receive more appropriate attention”, while reducing the number of overdiagnostics and unnecessary treatments. At a time when drugs are prescribed on a large scale that reduce body weight by up to 20%, the report states that this “rethinking” of obesity “is so much more relevant” since “improves the accuracy of the diagnosis.” “LIMITED FINANCING” The Royal College of Physicians of London states that the report feels solid bases “to treat obesity with the same medical rigor and compassion as other chronic diseases.” Distinguish between preclinical and clinical obesity would be “a vital step” and “empower Many fear that the pressure on health budgets will translate into less money for “preobesos” patients. Jim Mann, co -director of the Edgar Center for Research on Diabetes and Obesity, in Otago, New Zealand, said that it was likely to emphasize “in the needs of those who are defined as clinically obese” and that the limited financing “most likely” is allocate to them. BBC: Click here To read more BBC News World Stories. Subscribe here To our new newsletter to receive every Friday a selection of our best content of the week. You can also follow us in YouTube, Instagram, Tiktok, X, Facebook And in our new WhatsApp channelwhere you will find last minute news and our best content. And remember that you can receive notifications in our app. Download the latest version and act. (tagstotranslate) Causes of obesity

The atlas of side effects (positive and negative) of Ozempic discovered | Health and well-being

January 23, 2025 by usatoday24

All medications have side effects, just take a look at any leaflet to see this. But there are not many cases in which these amount to the main effect. This is what happened a few years ago with GLP-1 agonists, medications used for decades to treat type 2 diabetes that began to demonstrate weight-loss effects. After several reformulations, new commercial brands, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, became an effective way to end obesity. But science is proving that there are many other side effects that could become major ones. GLP-1 is a molecular Swiss army knife, a kind of all-purpose drug. They affect our bodies in ways we still don’t fully understand. But today we are closer to listing. A team of scientists from the University of Washington School of Medicine has published the first detailed atlas of the side effects of these drugs. They have found benefits for cognitive and behavioral health, while revealing an increased risk of developing pancreatitis and kidney conditions. “Until now we had seen anecdotes and reports here and there. “Some people saying that it can affect this or that,” explained its main author, the clinical epidemiologist, in the presentation of the study. Ziyad Al-Aly, from the John J. Cochran Veterans Hospital. “But no one, no one had thoroughly investigated the effectiveness and risks of GLP-1 and all the ways it can affect health.” The study was published this Monday in the journal Nature Medicineshowcase of the best world science. More information “We did an analysis that comprehensively mapped the associations between GLP-1 and 175 potential health effects,” Al-Aly notes. The benefits, beyond weight loss, included a lower risk of substance use disorders and a reduction in suicidal ideation, schizophrenia, and other psychotic disorders. They also observed a reduction in cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. And finally, a reduction in the risk of clotting disorders, including stroke. “We found that these drugs have a wide range of beneficial effects, but all this does not come without risks,” warns the expert. The study confirms that, in some cases, they can cause gastrointestinal problems, such as nausea and vomiting. This is quite common and has already been documented in some patients. An increased risk of gastroparesis or stomach paralysis in rare cases and an increased risk of low blood pressure have also been seen. The analysis also notes that the drug may increase the risk of sleep problems and headaches, kidney stones, and drug-induced kidney inflammation. For these reasons, the authors recommend that, when evaluating this treatment, it should always be done under medical supervision and after an individualized analysis. “It is an observational study, although it has a large database and has been carried out for a long time,” he explains. Christopher Moralesan endocrinologist at the Virgen Macarena University Hospital in Seville, who was not involved in the study. The study does not demonstrate, therefore, that the medication is the cause of the listed effects. But these are consistent enough (risk reduction between 10 and 20%) and the database large enough (almost two million patients over three years) to think there is a direct relationship. “With Big Data you can scrape these results in very large databases and this is positive. But we must remember that here we can only verify association, not causality.” The objective of this research, in the words of its own authors, was not to analyze a specific effect and demonstrate causality, but to build an atlas of the association of risks and benefits of this relatively new medicine. “It’s like when Christopher Columbus arrived in America, and he thought about mapping it to get his bearings,” explains Al-Aly. “This is what we are doing, drawing a landscape of benefits and risks.” This opens the door to the possibility that in the future, after many reformulations and research, we can talk about an Ozempic for dementia, alcoholism or Alzheimer’s. There is still a long way to go, but this study has drawn a first map to locate the path. And there are many companies willing to embark on this adventure. There is currently a scientific and commercial race to find the next revolutionary use of GLP-1 agonists. Everyone has in mind the case of Novo Nordisk, the Danish laboratory that presented Ozempic in 2018, and which today has a stock market capitalization of 382,000 million dollars, which makes it the largest company in Europe. This has enormous business and economic implications, but from the scientific world, the question is different. How does an anti-diabetes drug have so many and varied effects? “Medicines don’t work surgically. They are designed to do one thing, but the reality is that this is almost never the case,” reflects Al-Aly. “Biology is complex and multiple, and if you touch one thing you will create a network of various effects.” GLP-1 acts on the intestine, but also on the brain, affecting areas that are involved in impulse control and reward signaling. This would explain why they help mitigate addiction problems. These medications would also affect the blood vessels, and in doing so have a potential effect on the heart. There is research that suggests that they also reduce inflammation, including that of the brain, which could explain their protective effect against neurodegenerative diseases. “But there is also another simpler theory that can explain all these positive health effects,” explains Al-Aly. Obesity is considered a disease in itself, but also the gateway to many others. It is the fifth risk factor for death in the world and every year 2.8 million adults die as a result of this condition. “When we treat obesity, it is normal that this affects other diseases, since it is the mother of them all,” summarizes Al-Aly. The expert has not yet decided, with the available scientific evidence, on which of these two theories has more force. The first would mean that we are talking about a miracle drug with multiple uses. The second would be less profitable for companies, would fill … Read more

Johann Hari, journalist: “The idea that obesity is a sin is deeply rooted in our culture” | Health and well-being

January 23, 2025 by usatoday24

A couple of days after starting to take Ozempicsays the journalist and writer Johann Hari (Glasgow, 46 years old), he woke up with a strange sensation, unknown to him: he was not hungry. He got out of bed and went out to have breakfast at the bar, the usual breakfast, a chicken sandwich with mayonnaise. He took a couple of bites and couldn’t finish it. It was full. The medicine, belonging to that generation of drugs that have revolutionized The fight against obesity by imitating the effect of a hormone (GLP-1) that tells us when we are full, was restoring a lost perception: that of satiety. Hari tells this and other anecdotes about his experience with these medications in his new book Lose weight at any price. How Ozempic and other drugs are going to revolutionize our diet and our physical and mental health (Península), which reaches bookstores today. In these pages, the journalist, who has been overweight since he was young, embarks on a journey, accompanied by obesity experts and scientists who have participated in the development of the new drugs, for the benefits and risks of these treatments, the uncertainties that surround them and the uncertain scenarios that open in the field of health and beyond it. The journalist attends EL PAÍS by videoconference from London. More information Ask. He has spoken to many scientists. What has impressed you the most about what they have told you? Answer. Which obesity it really does you. Since I was seven years old I knew that being overweight is not good for your health, but I was surprised by the evidence of how serious it is. If you are obese, you are much more likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke, dementia and cancer. If you are obese by the time you are 18, you are 70% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. And diabetes is the leading preventable cause of blindness in the UK and limb amputation in the US. Q. He assures that these anti-obesity drugs are destined to be the defining medicine of our time, like birth control pills or Prozac at other times in the last century, for example. Why do you say it? R. Because obesity is the biggest cause of death in the Western world. And now we have a medicine that, if you take it, reverses it and puts an end to it. It’s amazing. So all of us who are overweight or obese have a choice, but we have to compare the risks of remaining obese with the risks of these medications and think about it a lot. (These drugs) They are going to have enormous effects. Q. How can they change our lives and our culture? R. The change is enormous. Jefferies Financial, which is a financial consulting firm, made a report for American airlines saying that they may have to spend much less money on jet fuel, because it costs more money to fly with heavier people and that is going to be a much smaller population. Also in Los Angeles there has been an increase in demand for jewelers to change and adjust wedding rings because people have lost so much weight that the rings no longer fit on their fingers. Approximately 20% of Americans have already tried these medications. This is huge. This is an astonishing scientific advance that will profoundly change society for better and worse. “The foods we eat are undermining our ability to feel full” Q. Regarding this negative part, he exposes some issues that the consumption of these medications entails, such as the risk of losing the culture of body positive or what would happen if people with eating disorders access these drugs that help them lose weight. Have you found answers to these questions? R. The invention of these drugs is like the discovery of fire. Fire is a great tool if I use it to heat my house, but it is terrible if I use it to burn my house down. And in the same way, when something as powerful as this is discovered, it will have great positive effects and great negative effects. If you are overweight or obese and start taking these medications, for example, you are 20% less likely to have a heart attack or stroke in the next 18 months. But you also mentioned something that worries me a lot: when you take these medications, you eat much less; and that’s good if you’re obese like me, but people with an eating disorderanorexia for example, if you are thin and start taking these medications, you can kill yourself with them. Therefore, one of the things we must do is regulate these medications very strictly. Q. The book also delves into what makes ultra-processed foods so addictive. Do they cause a kind of short circuit in our brain systems? R. If you look at a photograph of a beach in Spain in 1979, the year I was born, everyone is very thin and you wonder: where are the obese people? So, obesity was very low. Modern humans have been around for 300,000 years, but obesity was extremely rare. And basically, during my lifetime, it exploded. What happened? We know the answer: Obesity skyrockets everywhere people make a change, when they go from eating mostly fresh foods they prepared that day to eating primarily processed and ultra-processed foodsThat is, food is made up of chemicals in factories in a process that is not even called cooking, it is called making food. This new type of food affects us in very different ways. The foods we eat are undermining our ability to feel full and what these new medications do is restore the feeling of satiety. Q. And what about the industry’s responsibility in this context? R. Need regulate the food industry to prevent children from being exposed to these foods that make them sick and undermine their ability to feel full. I’m talking about a long-term solution and we … Read more

The experts who want to redefine obesity to improve the health of millions of people around the world

January 17, 2025 by usatoday24

Image source, Getty Images photo caption, Experts say that people with excess body fat can still be active and healthy. Item information Author, Philippa Roxby Author’s title, BBC News, Health Correspondent January 16, 2025 A report prepared by experts from around the world warns that there is a risk of diagnosing too many people with obesity, and that a “more precise” and “nuanced” definition of this term is needed. Doctors should take into account the overall health of patients with excess fat, rather than simply measuring their body mass index (BMI), the report says. Those who suffer from chronic diseases caused by their weight should be diagnosed with “clinical obesity,” but those without health problems should be diagnosed with “preclinical obesity.” It is estimated that more than one billion people suffer from obesity worldwide, so there is a great demand for weight loss medications. The report, published in the magazine The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinologyis supported by more than 50 medical experts from around the world. New look “Obesity is a spectrum,” says Francesco Rubino, a professor at King’s College London and president of the group that carried out the research. “Some suffer from it and manage to lead a normal life, function normally.” “Others cannot walk or breathe well, or are in a wheelchair and have serious health problems.” Image source, Getty Images photo caption, There is a difference between overweight people who can be physically active and lead healthy lives and those who cannot, the report says. The report calls for “reframing” the concept of obesity to distinguish between patients with a disease and those who remain healthy but are at risk of disease in the future. Currently, in many countries, obesity is defined as having a BMI greater than 30, a measure that estimates body fat based on height and weight. Access to weight loss medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro is usually restricted to patients in this category. However, according to the report, BMI reveals nothing about a patient’s overall health, and does not distinguish between muscle and body fat or take into account the more dangerous fat around the waist and organs. Experts advocate a new model that takes into account the signs of obesity that affect the body’s organs – such as heart disease, dyspnea, type 2 diabetes or joint pain – and its detrimental impact on daily life. This indicates that obesity has become a clinical disease and needs pharmacological treatment. Image source, Getty Images photo caption, Access to weight loss medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro is often restricted to patients with a high BMI. However, people with “preclinical obesity”, instead of drugs and surgery, should be offered weight loss advice, counseling and follow-up to reduce the chances of health problems developing. Treatment may also be necessary. “Unnecessary treatment” “Obesity is a health risk; the difference is that for some it is also a disease,” Professor Rubino said. The expert added that it was sensible to redefine it to know the level of risk in a broad population, instead of the current “blurred image of obesity.” According to the report, waist-to-height ratio or direct measurement of fat, along with a detailed medical history, can provide a much clearer picture than BMI. Image source, Getty Images photo caption, BMI is not an index that gives us information about a person’s health status, the report says. Louise Baur, a childhood obesity expert at the University of Sydney who helped produce the report, says the new approach will allow obese adults and children to “receive more appropriate care”, while reducing the number of overdiagnoses and unnecessary treatments. At a time when drugs that reduce body weight by up to 20% are being prescribed on a large scale, the report states that this “rethinking” of obesity “is all the more relevant” as it “improves the accuracy of diagnosis.” “Limited funding” The Royal College of Physicians of London says the report lays a solid foundation “for treating obesity with the same medical rigor and compassion as other chronic diseases.” Distinguishing between preclinical and clinical obesity would be “a vital step” and would “highlight the need to identify and intervene early,” while providing appropriate care to patients whose health was already severely affected, the college said. Many fear that pressure on healthcare budgets will mean less money for “pre-obese” patients. Jim Mann, co-director of the Edgar Center for Diabetes and Obesity Research in Otago, New Zealand, said there was likely to be an emphasis “on the needs of those defined as clinically obese” and that limited funding was “very likely” to be intended for them. Subscribe here to our new newsletter to receive a selection of our best content of the week every Friday. And remember that you can receive notifications in our app. Download the latest version and activate them.

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