[Ten questions on the treatment of obesity: from dieting to surgery]

Advantages and risk of weight reduction achieved by combining diets or unbalanced diets with restriction of carbohydrates or fat are discussed. Nutriments differ according to their density, their flavour, their satiating, and their thermogenic effect. Food is also a source of pleasure and a remedy to frustration. One of the problems of dieting is that most patients regain the weight they have lost due to a hypometabolism secondary to caloric restriction. Only physical exercise together with behavior therapy are able to slow down this weight regain. The indication of drug treatment with orlistat, sibutramine and fluoxetin and the indication to bariatric surgery are presented. The importance of the prevention of obesity by nutrition teaching in schools as well as the necessity of a long term treatment as in type II diabetes are underlined.