Antiobesity drugs only work with lifestyle changes<\/p>\n
By Clare E. Urwin<\/p>\n
SURABAYA (JP): Obesity is not just about being too fat. Nor is
\nit about looking nice and cuddly, attractively plump, or proud
\nand portly. Obesity and being overweight is dangerous. It is a
\nlife-threatening health problem that we need to take very
\nseriously.<\/p>\n
To put it simply, it will kill you, sooner or later and one
\nway or the other.<\/p>\n
For instance, diabetes is rapidly becoming a worldwide
\nepidemic. An alarming statistic is that 90 percent of people with
\nType 2 Diabetes are overweight.<\/p>\n
Being too heavy is a significant risk factor in high blood
\npressure, heart failure, coronary disease, stroke, certain
\ncancers, sleep apnea, thrombosis, orthopedic difficulties and
\nnumerous other medical problems.<\/p>\n
Because obesity is so menacing to good health, any responsible
\nnew product, claiming it can help people lose weight, has got to
\nbe worth examining.<\/p>\n
Living in Asia, it is easy to think that we are immune to the
\nworldwide epidemic of increasing weight gain. After all, Asians
\ndo not look fat, at least not generally. And certainly, compared
\nto the growing size of citizens in America, Australia and Europe,
\nmost Asian people seem positively thin.<\/p>\n
However, in reality, this is not true. Unfortunately, the
\nobesity-associated diseases appear at a lower body mass index
\n(BMI) in Asia than in western countries. In other words, even
\nthough Asian people are generally smaller, they get more weight
\nrelated disease and it starts earlier than it does for their
\nEuropean cousins.<\/p>\n
Where the fat is situated in the body, is the problem. With
\nmost Asians, and men in particular, body fat tends to accumulate
\naround the belly area, giving a rotund apple-shaped appearance.
\nThis abdominal fat is a clear warning sign of impending problems.<\/p>\n
You can get a very good idea of your own weight situation and
\nhealth risk factors by merely measuring the circumference of your
\nwaist. This easy method of predicting possible future
\ndifficulties is now widely used; either alone, or combined with
\nthe traditional BMI method.<\/p>\n
At present, risks are associated with a waist measurement of
\n102 cm (40\") for a male and 88 cm (35\") for a female, if their
\nBMI is over 25. A new proposed classification for health risks in
\nAsians is 90 cm (36\") for a man and 80 cm (32\") for a woman if
\ntheir BMI is over 23. After further study, it may go down even
\nlower.<\/p>\n
So, it is very important how big your waist is. Reduce that,
\nand reduce your risk. Incidentally, an increased waist
\ncircumference can also be a marker for added risk, even in
\nsomebody of normal weight.<\/p>\n
Visceral, or inner fat, rather than subcutaneous or outer fat,
\nis the real danger. Visceral fat, the one that you cannot see,
\nsits right up around all the vital organs like your kidneys and
\nintestines. The more you have of that stuff, the more peril you
\nare in.<\/p>\n
However, some good news has come out of all this study. Losing
\neven a little weight, brings a lot of benefits. For instance a 5
\npercent overall weight loss can result in a 30 percent reduction
\nin visceral fat.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, losing only six or seven kilos can reduce the
\nrisk of diabetes mellitus by 60 percent. It is easier on men too.
\nWhen they lose weight it immediately goes from their belly area.<\/p>\n
The obvious solution to permanent weight loss is behavioral
\nmodification. In other words, make changes to your lifestyle.
\nAlter your eating habits by learning to love healthy food and
\ncombine this with some regular exercise that you really enjoy.<\/p>\n
However, we all know it is not easy. Losing weight requires
\ncommitment and determination. It is hard work and takes a long
\ntime. In this case, Xenical, a lipase inhibitor - a fat blocker,
\nmight help. This new anti-obesity drug, introduced earlier this
\nmonth by Roche, works on a particular enzyme in your stomach and
\nreduces the enzyme's ability to absorb fat. This results in a
\nthird of the fat you eat, being passed straight through your body
\nin your stools. Roche claims that, unlike the old-fashioned
\nappetite suppressants, the new drug does not affect the brain,
\nblood or heart and is nonaddictive.<\/p>\n
Recent studies show that people who use this drug and combine
\nit with some lifestyle changes, can lose about 10 percent of
\ntheir initial weight over the course of a year.<\/p>\n
However, Xenical is an aid, not a substitute for a weight-loss
\nprogram. It will not work without lifestyle changes. Proper
\neffort and personal responsibility are still required, especially
\nby eating a low-fat diet and increasing exercise.<\/p>\n
In a way, it is a self-learning drug. If you do reduce the
\nfats in your diet to 30 percent of calorie intake, there are
\nnormally no, or very few, side effects. However, if you continue
\nto eat a high-fat diet, some rather embarrassing ones happen.
\nThese can include oily spotting, flatulence with discharge,
\nfaecal urgency, fatty or oily stools and faeces incontinence. Not
\nnice.<\/p>\n
This prescription medicine is indicated for at-risk,
\noverweight people only. It is not meant for those who want to
\nlose two kilos before the bikini season. (clareu@attglobal.net)<\/p>",
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