Obesity

Overcoming obesity is not always achievable on your own.

Get the extra help you need with a proven obesity treatment.

Obesity has grown to become a leading global health concern. The number of people in the UK who are seriously overweight has more than tripled over the last 30 years. It is now estimated that one third of all UK adults are at risk of developing serious life threatening conditions because of their weight.

Research has proven that even a modest amount of weight loss can be extremely beneficial, but sometimes losing weight can be a challenge, even with healthy eating habits and exercise. It is in these cases that a doctor may recommend a prescription weight loss medication like Xenical to help you lose the weight.

What is obesity?

Obesity is a health condition that develops because of an accumulation of excessive body fat. It can be caused by a large number of reasons, including genetics, but is more likely to affect people who lead unhealthy lifestyles. Childhood obesity can be a strong indicator of weight-related health problems in later life.

Healthcare professionals normally use the body mass index (BMI) to work out whether a person's weight is healthy in relation to their height. A person with a BMI higher than 30 is normally classed as obese, but a doctor will judge that alongside other variables.

What causes obesity?

Obesity usually develops gradually when a large number of calories is continually consumed and not burned off. Unhealthy eating habits and poor lifestyle choices can cause a build-up of fat reserves in the body, causing significant weight gain. Many times a person's eating habits are influenced by emotional and psychological factors, but genetics can also mean that you metabolise fat in a different way to other people.

What health problems can obesity lead to?

Being critically overweight can impact your health in a number of different ways, causing those with the condition to experience:

• Difficulties breathing
• Difficulty exercising
• Increased sweating and frequent palpitations
• Back and knee pain
• Skin conditions such as acne
• Gallstones

Obesity-related diseases are amongst the most common causes of death for men and women under 75. These conditions can all be caused as a direct result of being obese:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Heart attack, stroke and further cardiovascular diseases
• Type 2 diabetes

How can obesity be treated?

There are a number of treatment options available for obesity which vary from natural supplements to prescription treatments to diets and exercise but must always be implemented alongside lifestyle changes and regular exercise. Depending on the severity of your condition, certain obesity treatments will be more suitable than others, according to how well your body responds to them.

Diet and exercise

Following a healthy diet and exercising regularly are extremely important if you want to lose weight. It is important that you speak to your doctor or dietician about the best diet and exercise plan for you, as simply starving yourself and doing an excess amount of exercise is not a sustainable way to lose weight. Crash dieting can even damage your weight loss efforts and lead to malnutrition, leading to a number of other issues.

Herbal supplements

Although many herbal supplements claim to have properties that can suppress appetite or alter the digestion of fat, there is no conclusive clinical proof that they work.

Prescription treatments

Xenical is the only prescription medication approved in the UK for treating obesity. This treatment can be prescribed to people who have a BMI of over 30 or for those with a BMI of over 27 who have other underlying health concerns. Unlike weight loss treatments of the past like Reductil, Xenical works on fat within the stomach instead of influencing brain chemistry. Xenical can help to prevent you from absorbing 30% of the fat you consume as part of your diet. Over the course of a year, patients who have taken Xenical have lost up to 19 pounds.

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