Invasive management of obesity Session at UEG Week 2014.
Obesity and the digestive tract Session at EAGEN Obesity Conference 2013.
Obesity: Causes and consequences for the digestive system Session at EAGEN Obesity Conference 2013.
Obesity is one of today’s most worrying public health problems; it strongly correlates with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, among other pathologies associated with metabolic syndrome.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO),1 the worldwide prevalence of obesity has more than doubled since 1980; in 2014, a whopping 39% of adults aged 18 years and older were overweight and 13% were obese. The culprits? Ever-increasing sedentary lifestyles and overconsumption of high-fat/high-sugar foods. Which means that the solution should be very easy—to move more and eat less of the wrong foods—right? Unfortunately, there is no simple solution/easy answer. Obesity encompasses many social and psychological layers, which are difficult to get past. Children and adults are constantly exposed to advertisements on how tasty and delicious sugary drinks or high-fat/high-sugar foods are, not to mention the fun and approval associated with sharing them with friends. At the same time, kids will play on their videogame consoles or chat with friends online, rather than going outside and doing the exact same things… for real. Not that I am against any of those things, but a knowledge-based balance is essential. Healthy lifestyles are now being heavily promoted at the societal level, starting from a very early age; as an example, the WHO has created a commission on ending childhood obesity, taking into account the different economic and cultural contexts of each region of the world.
The medical community itself has been changing gears in the fight against obesity. Several recent clinical guidelines advise doctors to think of obesity as a disease and to have a more active role in treating obese patients to help them achieve weight loss.2 As a result, most medical practitioners now require that their patients engage in healthy lifestyles before any medical or surgical procedure is considered. In particular, gastroenterologists are stepping up their game. As stated by Professor Mathus-Vliegen, Gastroenterologist and Professor in Clinical Nutrition at the Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, there are several natural reasons why gastroenterologists should take care of obese patients: many obesity-associated diseases develop in the gastrointestinal tract; patients with complications arising from bariatric surgery can be managed using minimally invasive endoscopic techniques; and the gastrointestinal tract is also the target for other forms of treatment, like endoscopic therapy.3 Indeed, endoscopic bariatric treatment of obesity has recently jumped into the spotlight since the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of two different inflatable medical devices, which are delivered to the stomach via a quick and minimally invasive endoscopic procedure and that trigger a feeling of fullness to help with weight loss.
The ReShape™ Integrated Dual Balloon System consists of two attached balloons that are filled and sealed separately in the stomach of the patient during an endoscopic procedure. 326 obese patients (BMI 30–40 kg/m2), who had at least one obesity-related health condition, participated in the clinical study that led to the FDA approval.4 Individuals who received the device lost an average of 6.8% of their total body weight at the time of removal (6 months after placement) compared with an average of 3.3% in the control group. The ORBERA™ Intragastric Balloon System uses a single balloon that can be filled with different amounts of saline. In the pivotal ORBERA™ clinical trial in the US, 255 obese patients (BMI 30–40 kg/m2) were randomly allocated to the treatment and control groups.5 The treatment group lost 3.1 times as much weight as the control group at 6 months.
Gastric balloons have been around for years outside the US and are not without controversy. Both of the obesity devices approved by the FDA are temporary and should be removed after 6 months. As such, are they effective in the long term? The clinical trials showed that patients were able to keep off most of the weight they had lost 6 months after removal of the device. But whether the same is true for longer periods of time is not clear. It is also important to note that both trials used obesity devices as adjuncts to lifestyle modification and it would be interesting to see their effect in isolation, for patients unable to diet and exercise.
Whatever the case might be, it is clear that gastroenterologists are on the look out for obesity, which is also reflected by the increasing discussion of this topic at speciality meetings. At UEG Week 2015, for instance, you can expect to hear all about potential novel solutions for obesity, new developments in our knowledge on the gut-brain axis and cancer as they relate to obesity, as well as a dedicated symposium on its epidemiology, treatment and management. I am curious to see what gastroenterologists will bring to the table this time around!
References
Invasive management of obesity Session at UEG Week 2014.
Obesity and the digestive tract Session at EAGEN Obesity Conference 2013.
Obesity: Causes and consequences for the digestive system Session at EAGEN Obesity Conference 2013.
Dr Rui Castro is currently a Principal Investigator at the Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Portugal. He completed his PhD at the University of Lisbon and the Department of Medicine (GI Division), University of Minnesota Medical School, USA, in 2006. Since then, Dr Castro has been combining his background on the modulation of liver cell function with his most recent discoveries in the miRNA field, to answer key questions on liver physiology and pathophysiology, while supervising both undergraduate and postgraduate students under the GI umbrella. In 2015, he was selected as a UEG Rising Star. Follow Rui on Twitter @RuiCastroHD.
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