title: Medical management of obesity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is associated with elevated morbidity and death rates. The World Health Organization defines obesity as a chronic disease. The percentage of obese persons is increasing worldwide. Many different treatment modalities are available. Long-term success rates are not convincing.
  Overweight and obesity should be treated in an interdisciplinary and multimodal approach. The best results in loosing body weight, especially body fat use very low calorie diets followed by a fat-reduced, carbohydrate-rich diets. Weight-loss drugs should be used only in a weight-loss program including diet and physical activity. Surgical intervention is necessary in a small group of persons refractory to conservative obesity treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  New structured guidelines oriented and quality controlled programs for treatment of obese patients are necessary.
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, Hospital Barmherzige Brüder, Romanstrasse 93, 80639, Munich, Germany. Prof.Wechsler@barmherzige-muenchen.de
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Wechsler
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leopold
mesh_terms: D004038:Diet, Reducing; D002149:Energy Intake; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D015431:Weight Loss