Obesity therapies you should know
I understand how it feels to be bullied because of one’s weight. I have been there. However, at that time, I was also navigating gender confusion, which shifted my perspective.
Instead of breaking me, those experiences taught me resilience and how to stand up for myself. But for others, the impact can be much more profound. In the past three decades, the prevalence of obesity has risen globally to pandemic proportions.
Studies have shown a strong link between obesity and mental health. The fact is that not all thin people are happy, and not all overweight or obese individuals are sad. However, a study found that adults with excess weight had a 55% higher risk of developing depression over their lifetime, while people with depression had a 58% increased risk of obesity. Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that poses health risks. A body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and a BMI over 30 is classified as obese. In 2019, an estimated five million deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) were attributed to higher-than-optimal BMI.
The prevalence of overweight and obesity continues to rise among both adults and children. Between 1990 and 2022, the percentage of children and adolescents (aged 5-19) living with obesity increased fourfold, from 2 to 8% globally. Among adults, aged 18 and older, obesity rates more than doubled, rising from seven to 16%.
Obesity represents one side of the global double burden of malnutrition. Today, more people are obese than underweight in every region except Southeast Asia. While obesity was once considered an issue mainly affecting high-income countries, middle-income nations now report some of the highest obesity rates worldwide.
Weight-related bullying disproportionately affects females, as societal pressures often place a significant emphasis on body image in shaping self-esteem and self-worth. Unfortunately, losing weight is not a guaranteed solution to all associated struggles.
Many people inquire about anti-obesity treatments, including oral medications, supplements, and injectibles. Here are some of the most common anti-obesity therapies you should know about:
Phentermine is a stimulant medication for chronic weight management. It is an appetite suppressant that works in the brain and is meant to be used together with a lifestyle therapy regimen involving a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity. It is similar to amphetamines which stimulate the brain and nerves, thus increasing heart rate, blood pressure while reducing appetite. It should, however, not to be used in people with glaucoma, overactive thyroid secretion, uncontrolled blood pressure, advanced coronary artery disease, extreme agitation, and history of drug abuse.
It is best to avoid combining it with other weight loss medications, unless your prescriber recommends it, and also be careful with other drugs that you are taking without consulting first your prescriber. It also interacts with caffeine, alcohol, antidepressants, and nicotine.
Glucomannan supplementation is a water-soluble dietary fiber from the plant Amorphophallus konjac. It slows down gastric emptying (a measure of time it takes for food to empty out of your stomach) by forming a viscous gel with large volume that increases the feeling of satiety (feeling full).
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin’s (HCG) primary role is to support fetal development by maintaining progesterone hormone levels during pregnancy and also by regulating reproductive function and enhancing fertility through the promotion of spermatogenesis (production of sperm). Its use for weight loss is based on its ability to mobilize fat stores while decreasing hunger pangs. However, scientific evidence supporting these claims is limited. More studies are necessary for a conclusive evidence on its effect on obesity. Its side effects include: depression, extreme tiredness (fatigue), swelling caused by too much fluid trapped in the body’s tissues, enlarged breasts in men, also called gynecomastia, headache, and trouble getting rest.
Safflower oil an edible oil derived from the seeds of Carthamus tinctorius L. Safflower is a good source of unsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that are all good for the heart. Sixteen weeks of Safflower Oil decreases fat mass in the trunk region, improves glycemic control and inflammation, lowers blood lipids in obese people and in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes. In a study conducted, a significant reduction in waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, a decrease in fasting blood sugar, decreased insulin resistance and improved adinopectin level (adinopectin and leptin are both hormones, secreted by the adipose tissue that plays crucial roles in regulating insulin sensitivity, energy balance, and metabolism, with leptin primarily involved in appetite and energy expenditure, and adinopectin having anti-inflammatory and insulin-sensitizing effects) was noted in patients with metabolic syndrome. But more studies are needed for this.
Ozempic (Semaglutide) is an antidiabetic injectible medication used to treat type 2 diabetes. It helps stimulate the production of more insulin when needed. It also decreases the amount of sugar or glucose produced by the liver and is given at once-weekly injections. It is also used as an antiobesity drug for long-term weight management but this is more the effect of another form of semaglutide with a higher dose called (Wegovy) which is an excellent antiobesity drug but is quite expensive. This drug, however, is not for people with kidney disease, or those who developed diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), changes in vision (diabetic retinopathy), severe liver disease, pancreatic disease, diabetic retinopathy, and gallbladder disease.
Saxenda (liraglutide) is an anti-diabetic injectible drug used to treat type diabetes and chronic obesity. It is a second-line therapy for diabetes following first-line therapy with metformin. The FDA first approved liraglutide in 2010 as an adjunct treatment for type 2 diabetes by improving glycemic control, in 2014 for chronic weight management in adults, and again in 2020 for pediatric patients aged 12 and older with obesity. As a monotherapy, liraglutide has been shown to reduce HbA1c levels up to 1.14%. Liraglutide acts on the pancreatic ß-cells to release endogenous insulin while also acting on appetite regulation centers in the brain to decrease appetite. But you will need frequent injections (once a day) of this drug to achieve all these effects and therefore it is expensive.
Tirzepatide has a dual-action mechanism that targets both GLP 1 and GIP receptors. It is used for losing weight and keeping it off. Tirzepatide works for weight loss by decreasing appetite and slowing the movement of food from the stomach into the small intestine, which may make you feel full more quickly and longer. It is also used for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults with obesity. It is an injectible drug that is cheaper and administered only once a week (its effect is similar to Wegovy), and is now available in the Philippines. You will see results at least after 10 weekly sessions of injecting it, and you can use it in combination with another antiobesity capsules, a food supplement which is being used to help in cases of metabolic syndrome, elevated uric acid, gout, dyslipidemias, and PCOS.
This capsule contains activated specific antioxidants capable of increasing the peripheral sensitivity of cells to insulin. It contains molecules of arginine, zinc sulphate and lettuce extract that increase the production of insulin and allow larger amounts of glucose to be metabolized or used by the body. Lettuce extract has a hypoglucemiant action in the intestines, reducing the absorption of glucose by 30%.
