obesity is a disease, and not a matter of will.” An aging expert on treating obesity, Dr. Lou Aronne, says the prolonged use of highly processed meals changes nerve impulses in the brain that respond to hormonal signals from fat cells, the stomach and the intestines. When these signals fail, the brain does not know how much food you have eaten or how much fat you have stored, so weight keeps piling on. Obesity can lead to more than 200 related health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and joint pain. Obesity is “a medical condition, a physical condition,” not something personal, Dr. Aronne says, and it can be scientifically treated.
Better scientific knowledge and a more comprehensive medical strategy are required for its management than just diet and exercise.
It used to be believed that a person could lose weight by meOrely eating less and moving more, and that obesity was the result of a lack of willpower. However, this idea has been disproved by modern science. Recent studies have shown that the human body’s complex weight-regulation system includes the brain, neurological system, and hormones. One crucial hormone that fat cells release to inform the brain that the body has sufficient stored energy is leptin. “Leptin resistance,” a condition where the brain becomes resistant to leptin, is brought on by obesity. As a result, even when their body has enough fat, the person nevertheless feels hungry. These metabolic alterations lead to weight increase even after dieting. Because animal studies have proved that certain medications can treat damaged brain nerves — particularly those in the hypothalamus — that then cause permanent weight loss, there is hope for a safe and effective treatment of obesity in humans. We now have data which shows that this is not necessarily the case, even though it is one of the most common misconceptions, that people just gain weight slowly over the years.
For example, hunter-gatherers and communities in places like Japan typically do not gain weight as they age, suggesting that the contemporary environment—particularly in Western countries—has a big impact. The increase in processed meals, sedentary lifestyles, and even drug use aggravate this problem. It might be very challenging for some people to return to their previous body weight since they have a “set point” for it. Even a small, temporary increase in weight can cause this alteration, especially if it persists over time. If the body’s system is not harmed, weight usually returns to normal after feasting ceases, according to natural experiments like actors acquiring weight for parts or older overfeeding research. However, the body’s regulatory mechanisms may be interfered with in cases of obesity or when drugs are used. It is more evidence that weight is not solely a matter of willpower because certain drugs can directly result in substantial weight gain, even in the absence of dietary modifications. It is interesting to note that even brief weight loss has been demonstrated to lower the long-term risk of diabetes, underscoring the long-term advantages of moderate weight control. By reestablishing some of these disturbed metabolic pathways, new drugs like as GLP-1 agonists (e.g., Wegovy and Ozempic) that imitate hormones that control appetite and satiety are showing promise in helping patients control their weight.
The creation of GLP-1-based drugs, which were motivated by a substance in lizard saliva, has resulted in recent advances in the treatment of obesity. These improved forms of GLP-1 are active for a lot longer than our native GLP-1 hormone, which only lasts a few seconds in the body.That is, they can target areas of the brain that natural GLP-1 can’t. Rather, these drugs reduce hunger dramatically, to a degree that can generally be thought of as curative — leading to dramatic weight loss, often in the range of 20% or more, with new drugs in development having the potential to surpass 30% and so on. These medications not only help you lose weight, but they also make you less likely to develop diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease. While many patients have to have the medication for a long time, some do still manage to lose