title: [Obesity: therapeutic aspects].
abstract: Obesity is now recognized as a chronic disease. Its treatment implies a prolonged negative energy balance, by reducing caloric intake and/or increasing energy expenditure. In practice, three therapeutic approaches can be considered: 1) life-style modifications, combining well-balanced hypocaloric diet and regular physical exercise, the key-issue in obesity management; 2) in case of failure and as adjunct treatment, anti-obesity drugs, especially orlistat, an intestinal lipase inhibitor, and sibutramine, a central appetite regulator; and 3) in patients with extreme refractory obesity, surgical procedures consisting of gastric restriction (gastroplasty) or intestinal bypass. Anti-obesity treatments must be evaluated in the long run, in terms of efficacy/safety ratio, upon criteria of weight loss, reduction in associated risk factors, improvement of quality of life and, if possible, reduction of morbidity and mortality.
authors.affiliation: Service de Diabétologie, Nutrition et Maladies métaboliques, Département de Médecine, C.H.U. Sart Tilman-Liège.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scheen
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D009765:Obesity / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000628:therapy*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic