Review
Current concepts
Treatment for morbid obesity
A R Carmichael
19 Water Meadows,
Fordwich, Canterbury, CT2 0BF, UK
Accepted 4 August 1998
There is no single unifying theory to explain the aetiology of
obesity but several environmental factors, such as decreased physical
activity and increased fat intake may contribute to its development in
genetically predisposed individuals. Dietary and pharmacological
treatments of morbid obesity have been proven to be unsuccessful.
Modern surgical treatments have been shown to be effective in achieving
significant weight loss with consequent reduction in morbidity. Despite
the fact that surgical treatment of morbid obesity is the only
therapeutic form that has stood the test of time, it still remains a
crisis-driven form of therapy in the UK. It is probable that a better
understanding of the aetiology and physiology of obesity may lead to
the development of an effective pharmacological treatment of obesity in
the future. However, until then, surgical treatment of morbid obesity
should be considered as an effective and efficient way of treatment in
selected cases.
Keywords: obesity
© 1999 by The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Dixon, J. B., Schachter, L. M., O'Brien, P. E.
(2001). Sleep Disturbance and Obesity: Changes Following Surgically Induced Weight Loss. Arch Intern Med
161: 102-106
[Abstract] [Full Text]
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
- Submit a response
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me when eLetters are posted
- Alert me if a correction is posted
- Citation Map
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in this journal
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
- Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
