Obesity is a major health problem in the United States and around the world. It is increasing in both children and adults. Approximately one-third of Americans are obese. The healthcare costs of obesity are significant. This includes taking obesity treatment supplements, cost of weight loss surgeries, prescription medications, as well as secondary effects like deaths and treatment of obesity-caused diseases.

What is Obesity?

Obesity is a complex condition that affects more than one billion people worldwide. It is characterized by excess body fat, which may be caused by heredity, nutrition, age, and physical inactivity or by certain over-the-counter or prescription medications.

Obesity is also a known risk factor for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, sleep apnea, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, and certain types of cancer.

When we talk about obesity, we usually mean the presence of too much body fat, which can put you at risk for serious medical problems. People with obesity may have a hard time losing weight, even when they try hard to do so.

Causes of Obesity

The causes of obesity are complex and vary from person to person. In part, some people are genetically predisposed to obesity, with their body types being more likely to store fat.

Generally speaking, obesity is caused by an imbalance between calories consumed and calories burned.

Most people with obesity suffer from excess body fat. Overconsumption of calories and the lack of physical activity are also factors that play a role in weight gain.

Obesity is a leading cause of preventable death and disability in the United States. Worldwide obesity rates are rising and are expected to continue to climb in coming years (WHO 2015).

Obesity Risk Factors

The risks of becoming obese and the consequences of being obese are as diverse as the people who are obese. Risk factors for obesity can be found in almost any community, regardless of the overall obesity rate. It is important to fully understand these risk factors to better help people to prevent and manage overweight and obesity.

The most common risk factors for obesity are: age, gender, and genetics. Older age, gender, genetics, and higher BMI are all major risk factors for obesity. Females are more likely than males to be obese. Black and Hispanic men and women are less likely than white men and women to be obese (CDC 2016).

Obesity Treatment Options

We should realize that obesity treatment is a complex endeavor that involves a series of steps, including education, behavior change, and physical activity. Most people who successfully lose weight, keep it off. Obesity treatments can help people lose weight and keep it off.

An array of weight loss options include obesity treatment supplements, prescription medications, and surgery.

The most common treatment for obesity is diet and exercise. Other obesity treatments include weight loss pills, bariatric surgery, and gastric bypass surgery.

Weight loss surgery

Another option, weight management surgery is most common for people with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 50, or those who have not been successful in losing weight through diet and exercise.

Obesity surgery is one of the most common and dangerous options to treat obesity.

One of the most common surgeries is gastric bypass. This is also known as laparoscopic gastric bypass, with roughly 135,000 surgeries performed in the U.S. in 2014 (U.S. Census 2015). Gastric bypass is a surgical weight loss procedure that can alter a person’s digestive tract to help you lose weight more quickly.

Another common weight loss surgery is liposuction. This is a surgical procedure where a thin tube is inserted through incisions in the skin to remove excess fat. Liposuction is often performed under general anesthesia and requires patients to stay overnight in the hospital.

During this procedure, thin layers of fat are removed from different areas of your body. The most common areas for liposuction are the thighs, back, arms, and abdomen. There are many different types of liposuction. Your surgeon will decide which is best for you based on several factors, including your preferences, your health status, and how much of your fat you want to remove.

Prescription weight loss medications

Prescription weight loss medication is also an option for some people with obesity who have not been able to achieve significant weight loss through diet and exercise.

Most weight loss medications are considered an adjunct to diet and exercise.

Prescription weight loss medication is often used in conjunction with a healthy diet and regular physical activity.

Obesity treatment supplements: Fat burners

Another option for some people with obesity is a fat burner. Fat burners are a type of over-the-counter dietary supplement that are designed to help people lose weight by turning excess body fat into energy.

Some fat burners contain active ingredients which have been shown to help people lose weight by increasing the amount of calories that are burned during exercises.

The use of fat burners is not recommended as a long-term weight loss treatment.

Obesity treatment supplements: Appetite suppressants

An appetite suppressant is a drug or supplement that suppresses or reduces appetite. Appetite suppressants work to reduce the desire to eat thus decreasing the number of calories that people consume.

People generally lose weight when they use appetite suppressants.

It is important to note that appetite suppressants are only part of a healthy diet and exercise program. They are not a substitute for making healthy lifestyle choices.

Obesity treatment supplements: Metabolism boosters

Another option for some people with obesity is a metabolism booster. Metabolism boosters are dietary supplements that are designed to increase the body’s basal metabolic rate (the amount of calories the body burns when at rest).

The use of a metabolism booster is not a substitute for making healthy lifestyle choices.

It is important to note that the use of a metabolism booster may be associated with an increase in the risk of adverse side effects.

Obesity treatment supplements: Fiber supplements

Fiber-based supplements are those that contain dietary fiber. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that can not be broken down entirely by the small intestine.

Fiber helps keep you full and regular, which can help you avoid overeating, and therefore lose weight, by making it more difficult to eat as much.

Fiber supplements are made up of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients and may help to maintain healthy digestive systems, improve digestive health, and lower cholesterol levels. It also helps to lower blood pressure and the risk of heart disease by making it easier to digest food.

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