The percentage of obese people in the United States has jumped from 30.5% to 41.9% in the past 20 years, a startling increase. Most adults who try long-term diet and exercise fail.
This is the first guideline issued since diabetes medications were allowed for the treatment of obesity, and it gives clear information for clinicians and their adult patients who struggle to lose weight or keep it off through lifestyle modifications alone.
Most adults who attempt long-term weight loss with diet and exercise fail. The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has published new evidence-based recommendations that strongly urge these obese patients to use recently approved drugs in combination with lifestyle interventions.
The following drugs are first-line treatments that provide moderate weight loss as shown as a percentage of body weight when combined with a good diet and regular exercise (reported as the difference compared to percent weight loss observed in the placebo group).
List of the most effective prescription medications for weight loss
- Semaglutide (Wegovy®), weight loss percentage: 10.8%
- Phentermine-topiramate ER (Qsymia®), weight loss percentage: 8.5%
- Liraglutide (Saxenda®), weight loss percentage: 4.8%
- Naltrexone-Bupropion ER (Contrave®), weight loss percentage: 3.0%
“These medications treat a biological disease, not a lifestyle problem,” remarks author Eduardo Grunvald, MD, University of California San Diego.
“Obesity is a disease that often does not respond to lifestyle interventions alone in the long-term.
“Using medications as an option, to assist with weight loss,” according to the author of the study, “can improve weight-related complications like joint pain, diabetes, fatty liver and hypertension.”
Over the past 20 years, the prevalence of obesity in the United States has substantially increased, rising from 30.5% to 41.9%.
In recent years, the way that obesity is treated has changed.
“This guideline is the first since diabetes drugs were approved for obesity treatment and provides clear information for doctors and their adult patients who struggle to lose weight or keep it off with lifestyle changes alone,” adds Perica Davitkov.
Image Credit: Getty
You were reading: New Study Ranks The Most Effective Prescription Drugs For Weight Loss