Obesity kills more than 4 million annually in America: Report

Nearly half of adults and 20 percent of children in the United States have obesity, yet doctors are prescribing effective weight-loss drugs and many patients are not, according to a new manuscript published in Endocrine Reviews, the journal of the Endocrine Society. They need treatment.

The manuscript states, “The weight stigma that exists in health care settings makes obese people reluctant to seek care until comorbidities have developed and reach a dangerous stage. Lack of insurance coverage and cost issues are another. There are factors that create barriers to obesity treatment.”

“Obesity is the epidemiological crisis of our times. The disease leads to serious diseases such as diabetes, fatty liver disease and heart disease and significantly reduces a person’s length and quality of life,” says Beth Israel MD, ScD. , said Christos S. Mantzoros, of Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

Until recently, it was not understood what the genetic and hormonal causes of obesity are and how obesity leads to these concomitant diseases, Mantzoros said. “We have recently begun to understand the causes of obesity in humans which is a major discovery that has led to the creation of effective treatments.”

In the article, researchers map the molecular and hormonal pathways that lead to obesity and its associated diseases. This data provides researchers with the necessary insights to design, test and implement new obesity treatments.

Researchers highlight the need for safer and more effective obesity treatments, including new drug delivery systems, vaccines, modulation of the gut microbiome and gene therapy.

Novel drugs, including a combination of gastrointestinal hormones and other molecules, are being tested and once available are expected to produce a significant percentage of weight loss with fewer side effects. According to the new findings, as the understanding of obesity improves, more effective drugs with fewer side effects will be developed.

Recently approved drugs such as semaglutide, a modified gastrointestinal hormone, administered once a week can reduce weight by 15 percent with lifestyle changes, compared with up to 40 percent with bariatric surgery, but It is aggressive and connected. For complications, according to the findings.

“Insurance companies need to focus on data and scientific advances from studies and we begin to cover drugs that will soon be approved, given that currently only a small minority of obese patients have coverage for the drugs and medical care they need,” Mantzoros said.

“It would be more cost-effective to cover treatment early than to wait for comorbidities and their complications to develop,” Mantzoros said.