title: [Nutrition and health--ideal body weight for the obese unrealistic; health benefit by moderate sustained weight loss].
abstract: The aim of achieving a normal or ideal body weight in the treatment of obesity is an obsolete goal. It stems from the time that obesity was not yet seen as a chronic incurable disease. A more realistic treatment goal is to reduce the body weight by 10-15% over a prolonged period of time. This moderate weight loss will result in a decreased risk for and incidence of obesity-associated diseases. Weight reduction and maintenance is countered by a decrease in resting-energy expenditure and in thermogenesis by food intake, a decreased energy expenditure through physical exercise, a reduced fat oxidation, a relative leptin deficiency and an excess of the gastrointestinal hormone ghrelin. Just as with hypertension and diabetes, the only option is life-long management with the normalisation of abnormal values within a given range.
authors.affiliation: Academisch Medisch Centrum/Universiteit van Amsterdam, afd. Maag-, Darm- en Leverziekten, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam. e.mathus-vliegen@amc.uva.nl
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Mathus-Vliegen
mesh_terms: D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology*