Anti-obesity drugs: use, mechanisms and clinical importance

The high prevalence of obesity (>20% in industrialized countries) and its serious health risks, cause severe individual and public costs. Pharmacological interventions are available, such as dietary products and drugs acting on the absorption of nutrients, the production of hormones regulating the feeling of hunger and satiety, and the expenditure of energy. The individual benefit of these pharmacological interventions depends on the efficiency of these measures and the side-effects associated with them. The afflicted patient, and very often even the treating physician, are unable to evaluate the risk/benefit ratio of these drugs for the individual patient. This article describes the possibilities and limitations of pharmacological interventions to treat obesity and gives information on the indications for dietary, pharmacological and surgical interventions.