New treatment plans and safe “slimming drugs” are needed to end this ongoing epidemic, they argue.

For some time now, scientists have been talking about a growing and troubling global public health crisis. This is because a large part of the world’s population suffers from weight problems. And that has far-reaching consequences. Researchers have come to the shocking finding that obesity now kills more than 4 million people worldwide every year. And so we really need to act now.

Overweight in the Netherlands
Many people in the Netherlands are also overweight. Figures show that half of all adults in the Netherlands are overweight. 13.9 percent are even seriously overweight. Children cannot escape it either. For example, 14.7 percent of Dutch children between the ages of 4 and 17 are overweight.

“Obesity is the epidemic crisis of our time,” said researcher Christos Mantzoros. And he doesn’t say that without reason. In recent decades, the number of overweight people has increased significantly. And if you are overweight, you can suffer from a variety of health problems, which can also become more serious the more overweight you are. “It can lead to diseases such as diabetes, fatty liver, cardiovascular disease,” Mantzoros lists. “In addition, it shortens height and significantly reduces quality of life.”

Rode

Despite the fact that we all know that by now, it turns out that it is not so easy to prevent overweight. This is partly because we are surrounded by tasty, cheap and processed foods that make it easy for many people to eat more than they actually need in terms of energy. This imbalance is then further exacerbated by our ‘sedentary’ lifestyle. This, coupled with too little physical activity, would also be the driving force behind the obesity epidemic. “We live in an obesogenic environment,” Mantzoros tells Scientias.nl. “It consists of little exercise and a lot of very tasty, excess calories. These then disrupt our hormone balance, creating a kind of vicious circle.”

tackling

Tackling overweight also appears to have its shortcomings. For example, the researcher states that doctors in the United States still prescribe too few effective drugs for weight loss. In addition, many patients would not receive the treatments they need. “The weight stigma that exists in healthcare facilities makes overweight people hesitant to seek help,” the researchers write. Some obese people do not seek help until complications have already arisen, which can lead to life-threatening situations.

Light at the end of the tunnel

But there is light at the end of the tunnel, Mantzoros assures us. “Until recently, we didn’t fully understand the genetic and hormonal causes of obesity—and how they subsequently lead to complications,” he says. “But in the meantime, we are beginning to better understand its causes. And that has led to the development of new, effective treatment plans.” In the study, the researchers mapped the molecular and hormonal pathways that lead to obesity and the related diseases. And this data in turn provides other researchers with the insights they need to devise, test and implement new treatment plans for obesity. “With a better understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying obesity, we hope to arrive at better, more effective solutions,” said Mantzoros.

Treatment plans and weight loss drugs

And that is urgently needed. The researchers emphasize in their studies the need for safer and more effective treatments for overweight people. And slowly they start. In the meantime, for example, new ‘slimming drugs’ are being tested that may lead to weight loss without unpleasant side effects. And as our understanding of obesity improves, the researchers predict that only more effective drugs will hit the market in the future. “It’s really just that we’ve obtained such effective weight loss drugs,” Mantzoros says. And these can offer a solution for most obese people – along with a lifestyle change, of course. “This is a good start.”

Example
An example of a drug that works against obesity is semaglutidel; a modified gastrointestinal hormone given once a week. It is intended to be used as an adjunct to diet and exercise and/or other blood glucose control drugs. This drug can lead to 15 percent weight loss when combined with lifestyle changes. Bariatric surgery (surgery that aims to reduce weight) is another option. There are several methods, which have in common that they limit food intake and alter digestion. Bariatric surgery has the advantage that it can lead to up to 40 percent weight loss, although at the same time it is also a fairly invasive method that sometimes comes with complications.

The researchers hope that such new drugs — as well as existing treatments that are still largely untapped, such as gut microbiome modulation and gene therapy — can end the obesity epidemic. “We are calling for action,” said Mantzoros. “Both to the pharmaceutical industry to search for safer and effective medicines more quickly, to doctors and other healthcare professionals to act carefully and appropriately and to insurers to cover new and effective treatment options. It is much more cost effective to cover treatments early rather than waiting for complications to arise. And in this way we can save lives and give many a healthier and longer life.”