#HEALTH: When weight-loss needs medical intervention
FOR many, weight management is synonymous with diet changes, physical activity and daily habits. For others, this may not be as straightforward.
Weight management often involves diet modifications, exercise, and daily habits. However, obesity is a complex condition influenced by biological factors that can complicate sustained weight loss. In such cases, medical interventions like prescription weight-loss medications or bariatric surgery may be necessary. These treatments should not replace healthy lifestyle habits but rather complement them to achieve more sustainable weight loss and improve related health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnoea, and cardiovascular risk.
One hormone, GLP-1, plays a crucial role in appetite regulation and blood sugar control. Medications that enhance this hormone's effects can help patients feel fuller, reduce cravings, and regulate glucose levels. However, these medicines are not a quick fix for weight loss and are only prescribed for specific criteria, including BMI, health conditions, medications, medical history, and treatment goals.
Regular monitoring is essential to assess the patient's response, manage side effects, review other medications, and determine the treatment's appropriateness.
Bariatric surgery is considered when non-surgical treatments fail to produce sufficient or lasting weight loss, and the patient's BMI and health risks indicate that the potential benefits outweigh the risks. The surgery is not a quick fix and involves major surgery with long-term nutritional and metabolic consequences. Post-surgery, patients require lifelong supplementation and regular blood tests to prevent deficiencies in essential nutrients.
Overall, obesity treatment is about improving health, not just reducing weight. It requires individualized, sustainable approaches, including nutrition, exercise, behavioral support, medication, and in some cases, metabolic or bariatric surgery. The goal is to achieve meaningful health improvements that can be maintained over time.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
