Medication and Lifestyle Changes Combo Best to Fight Obesity
Reported November 17, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — New research revealss combining weight loss medications and lifestyle changes can help people lose twice as much weight as either one alone.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia studied 180 women and 44 men with an average age of 44 and weight of 235 pounds. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups. All were instructed to consume between 1200 calories and 1500 calories a day and to exercise 30 minutes a day, most days of the week.
After one year, participants taking a weight loss medication (Meridia) alone lost 11 pounds, while those taking weight loss medication in combination with brief lifestyle counseling lost about 17 pounds. Those just making lifestyle changes lost about 14 pounds. Participants with the combined therapies lost more than 26 pounds.
“These findings clearly indicate that weight loss medications are most effective when combined with a comprehensive program of lifestyle modification,” says Robert Berkowitz, M.D., a co-author of the study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. “Sibutramine (Meridia) appears to modify internal signals that control hunger and fullness, while lifestyle modification teaches individuals to control the external food environment — for example, by keeping food records or shopping for groceries from a list.”
Researchers also found participants receiving brief lifestyle counseling along with weight loss medication lost significantly more weight than those taking medication alone during the first 18 weeks — about 19 pounds vs. about 14 pounds respectively. Researchers say this suggests primary care providers can give their patients effective lifestyle counseling during routine office visits.
SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine, 2005;353:2111-20