There are many ways to shed weight, from weight loss teas to pills to special diets to generic, rigorous exercise plans. Weight loss or anti-obesity medications are very popular and may or may not be effective for some people.
Obese Woman
Since people might just want to lose weight for aesthetic purposes, it is recommended as a therapy for some disease conditions like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and osteoarthritis.
Scientists and researchers have the opinion that weight loss, slow to moderate weight loss in particular, improves knee function and reduces the incidence of dying in osteoarthritic patients with obesity.
Slow weight loss is beneficial
A recently published study carried out by Dr. Jie Wei and his colleagues in China revealed that there is an increased risk of death when weight loss is done rapidly in patients with obesity and osteoarthritis.
Previous studies have recorded a beneficial effect of weight loss on patients with obesity and osteoarthritis; however, loss of weight was achieved with slow to moderate weight loss therapy, viz., diet and lifestyle modifications, and not rapid weight loss.
No one knew if rapid weight loss with anti-obesity drugs could be beneficial, seeing that it could hasten the process for both doctor and patient.
The lack of data moved Dr. Jie Wei and his colleagues to carry out their study.
They suggested that taking weight-loss drugs that cause slow to moderate weight loss could be more beneficial for osteoarthritic patients with obesity. They recruited 6,524 people and categorized them into 3 groups: stable weight, slow to moderate weight gain, and fast weight gain. They were on weight loss medications like orlistat, sibutramine, and rimonabant.
The five-year death rate for the stable weight group was 5.3%, the slow to moderate weight loss group was 4%, and the fast weight loss group was 5.4%. This showed that patients on a fast weight loss regimen or not even on anything at all stood a higher chance of dying.
The reason why the risk of dying is higher is not explained, but it could be due to the type of drugs used and complications from using them.
Should doctors prescribe weight-loss drugs?
Some doctors today do not bother about the rate of weight loss offered by these medications. We know for a fact that people react to weight loss in varying ways, and for some people, rapid weight loss might just predispose them to adverse effects like metabolic and cardiovascular complications. It could also cause rebound weight gain if drug use is terminated. Eventually, it might just be better to go more slowly, as this therapy is more sustainable and provides a better overall outcome.
Clinical significance
Initiating anti-obesity medications that provide slow to medium weight loss could be a lasting solution for people with diseases that require weight loss therapy.
Ultimately, albeit slow, diet and lifestyle modifications are more reliable and less likely to have negative effects.
Conclusion
If further research confirms the finding that anti-obesity medications induce gradual weight loss, which lowers death, it may help shape policy and enhance the quality of life for patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis who suffer from obesity.
References
Wei, J., Hunter, D., Lane, N.E., Wu, J., Zeng, C., Lei, G., and Zhang, Y. (2023), Weight Loss Induced by Antiobesity Medications and All-Cause Mortality Among Patients With Knee or Hip Osteoarthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.42754
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