By any standards, obesity represents fundamental health challenges, not only to the industrialized nations but also to the developing world. Reliable sources reveal that an estimated 26 percent of the adult population in the U.S. is presently obese, and a further 35 percent of the population within the adult category is at least fairly overweight (Melanson et al, 2003). A more alarming disclosure, however, is the fact that prevalence rates of obesity in children and adolescents have increased twofold over the past 20 years. As such, concerted strategies targeting the management of the particular disease continue to be proposed by medical professionals and other stakeholders in the hope that an amicable solution will be realized. However, to the dismay of many, a variety of intervention strategies developed to date seems incapable of arresting the situation, and in other instances, the interventions’ efficacy is severely limited. This paper purposes to argue against the proposition that the development of drug treatment methodologies for obesity will become the treatment of choice over other strategies such as exercise and diet.
The value and efficacy of drug treatment for obesity, including the use of Pharmacogenomics, cannot be put into question. Over the past couple of years, researchers have discovered a multitude of genes that have a great impact on the metabolic procedures governing weight. According to Hardy & Dhurandher (2003), “…a better understanding of the physiology of energy conservation and expenditure, appetite satiety, the fat cell, regional fat deposition, and nutrient portioning has opened doors that should lead to new approaches to the treatment of obesity” (p. 106). As such, the development of drug treatment should obviously present a window of opportunity for the victims of the disease. Obesity, however, is largely perceived as a lifestyle illness, and some physicians are indeed uneasy with the idea of prescribing drugs to treat obesity due to inefficiencies of the therapy and the nature of complications involved.
The development of newer drugs to fight the disease is a step in the right direction. However, impediments associated with some of the most recent drugs such as Dexfenfluramine and Phenylpropanolamine do not promote an ounce of confidence in embracing drug treatment of an ailment that many medical professionals still believe is deeply related to a defective lifestyle (Hardy & Dhurandher, 2003). As such, it is only imperative that a multidisciplinary approach incorporating drug treatment, diet management, and exercises is employed to effectively handle this serious illness. Indeed, according to Melanson et al (2003), there exists a wide body of scientific and clinical evidence to support the significance and effectiveness of the multidisciplinary approach to bodyweight management. The use of modern drug treatment procedures cannot, in any way, guarantee success by themselves in the treatment and management of obesity primarily due to the fact that the disease originates from one’s lifestyle.
It is, indeed, true that some drug treatment processes for obesity have been able to attain impressive results in terms of weight loss. However, many of the drugs on offer today are only used for short-term fixes, with scientists arguing that the drugs’ long-term results are less convincing since patients continue to gain weight after initial weight loss (Hardy & Dhurandher, 2003; Mauro et al, 2008). This is another indicator that drugs should only be used in conjunction with diet management and exercises if the required treatment outcomes are to be achieved. Undertaking daily exercises and lifestyle modification are core components for obese individuals and are principally important in the process of burning excess calories (Ross et al, 2000; Fogoros, 2009).
Admittedly, pharmacologic therapy of obesity is still in its infancy. However, research has created some new and valuable drugs that should greatly assist in the struggle to fight obesity (Hardy & Dhurandher, 2003; Collins & Williams, 2001). For the most part, the drugs employed in the recent past to fight the ailment have only been able to reduce an individual’s weight for the first 6 months of use. Afterward, the body develops resistance to more weight loss (Mauro et al, 2008). In the light of this, it is safe to argue that the ideal drug that successfully generates a fat loss, prevents fat regain, and bears no side effects when taken by obese individuals is still beyond our reach. If such a drug was to be discovered today or in the future, I would still argue for the adoption of a multidisciplinary approach since the other variables – exercises, diet, and lifestyle modification – are equally important for long-term weight management (Ross et al, 2000).
List of References
Collins, P., & Williams, G (2001). Drug Treatment of Obesity: From Past Failures to Future Successes? British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, Vol. 51, Issue 1, pp. 13-25
Fogoros, R.N (2009).Obesity: Is Diet or Activity More Important? Web.
Hardy, W.W., & Dhurandher, N.V (2003). Drug Treatment of Obesity. In J.P. Foreyt’s (Eds) Lifestyle Obesity Management. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN: 1405103442.
Mauro, M., Taylor, V., Wharton, S., & Sharma, A.M (2008). Barriers to Obesity Treatment. European Journal of Internal Medicine, Vol. 19, Issue 3, pp. 173-180
Melanson, K.J., McInnis, K. J., & Rippe, J.M (2003). Modern Management of Obesity: The Value of a Multidisciplinary Approach. In J.P. Foreyt’s (Eds) Lifestyle Obesity Management. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN: 1405103442.
Ross, R., Dognone, D., Jones, P.J.H., Smith, H., Paddags, A., Hudson, R., & Johnssen, I (2000). The Effects of Losing Weight through Diet or Exercise Programs on Obesity. Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 133, No. 2, pp. 92-100. Web.