Dietar drugs can help you lose weight, and so can cut calories and make other lifestyle changes. But combine the two approaches is much more effective than the approach alone, new surveys show.
In the study, obese people who modified their eating habits and exercises and took the drug that meridia has lost much more weight than people who have trusted any modification or medication of lifestyle.
"We find that a combination of the two approaches produced approximately double the weight loss of any used intervention," says Thomas A. Wadden, PhD.
The study appears in the November 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.Workout Plan In Gym For Weight Loss - Drugs + Diet Best for Weight Loss
There are two prescription weight loss drugs approved by the FDA being sold in the USA.: Abbott Laboratories Meridia and Roche's Xenical. Meridia works by suppressing appetite, while xenical works in the digestive system to block the absorption of fats.
Both medications are intended for use as part of a comprehensive program that includes diet, exercise and behavioral therapy. But often patients are sent home with the prescriptions alone, says Wadden.
"Certainly, doctors who prescribe these medicines recommend that their patients cut calories and increase physical activity, but these recommendations can be left at the office door," Wadden tells WebMD.
In an effort to better understand the effectiveness of the different approaches of treatment, Wadden and colleagues followed 224 men and women obese at different weight loss schemes for one year.
A group was prescribed standard doses of meridia with scheduled visits from 10 to 15 minutes with primary care providers. They received minimal lifestyle recommendations, which consisted of an initial pamphlet and "general incentive." A second group did not take the drug, but participated in an intensive group lifestyle modification program. These patients participated in 30, group education of 90 minutes and support sessions over a year. They also maintained daily records of foods they ate and their physical activity.
A third group received a combination of the medicine, brief visits with a primary care provider and intensive lifestyle modification group sessions similar to the second group. A fourth group led the diet drug and received additional advice during regularly scheduled office visits. They also maintained periodic of food and exercises, which were reviewed during their office visits with the primary care provider.
This room group was added, says Wadden, to see if doctors can provide enough lifestyle counseling to have an impact on weight loss within the limits of the brief brief office visit.
At the end of a year, patients who took diet drug and participated in the intensive lifestyle modification program lost more weight, with an average of 26.6 pounds.
Meridia Plus brief, the medical advice group lost 16.5 pounds. The group who participated in the Intensive Program, but did not take any meridia lost 14.7 kilos, and the meridia-only treatment group lost 11 pounds.
Wadden says that drugs and lifestyle modification complement themselves because they address different issues. Support and education programs teach people the tools that need to achieve a healthy weight and drugs help them take less calories.
The discoveries also suggest that doctors can provide significant counseling of lifestyle, even during hurried office visits, adds Wadden. Having patients maintain daily and exercise journals, and helping them develop a weight loss plan that fulfilled their individual needs were two important components of this counseling.
But Howard Eisenson, MD, which has been on both sides of the matter, is skeptical.
He tells the WebMD that he was not very successful receiving patients to lose weight as a private practice family doctor. But he saw many success stories in his current job as director of the well-known diet and fitness center of Duke University Medical Center.
"We have a team approach that includes nutritionists, fitness experts and behavioral therapists beyond doctors," he says. "These are people who are very important to the process. I think the role of the doctor is mainly to be a cheerleader - to show trust in the patient's ability to make lasting changes and accompany."
