Weight Management
Obesity is increasing worldwide and is one of the main risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Many people who are obese do not have type 2 diabetes, but they may be on the path to developing it. So, while their glucose levels may be in the normal range, they could be relying on high insulin levels to keep glucose under control. High insulin levels promote fat storage and also aggravate other problems such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.
Therefore, making lifestyle changes to reduce insulin levels can be very effective for people who wish to lose weight. It will also help reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future.
Weight-loss medications have transformed the management of obesity in recent years. However, too often they are prescribed with little advice on the lifestyle changes that are essential for long term weight loss and to minimise the possible adverse effects of the medications, such as loss of muscle tissue.
My approach is to include weight loss injections as part of the management of people with obesity, in conjunction with lifestyle advice. I encourage people to make changes to their diet before they start injections, to use the lowest dose of medication that enables them to lose weight, and to stop medication once weight-loss goals have been reached.
