There is now a pandemic of obesity, and the problem is getting worse instead of better. Would you know how to offer help that is worth the time and effort? Or would you simply reiterate the same platitudes that have been so ineffective over the years? Stephen Kreitzman and Valerie Beeson explain how Lipotrim can help
Many weight loss programmes either fail outright or provide so little weight loss beyond glycogen and its associated water losses that cavalier attitudes to weight loss are commonplace. The loss of significant weight cannot be treated so lightly. A type 2 diabetic on oral agents, for instance, will need to stop medication, ideally prior to dieting, since the blood sugar will normalise within the first few days of treatment. Continued medication may induce a hypoglycaemic reaction. Some people should not diet at all; others should diet with only the closest monitoring. Virtually all medical discussions of obesity begin by listing the medical consequences of excess weight. When weight loss is real and significant, there are physiological changes and therefore monitoring and control are justified.
There are now more than 300 pharmacies in the UK and Ireland, offering monitored weight loss programmes using Lipotrim, joining the thousands of UK GPs and hospital consultants offering Lipotrim to their patients. You can offer your patients help with their excess weight by simply guiding them to a local, trained pharmacist.
Excessive weight is the cause of disease in almost all cases of type 2 diabetes. Weight loss is an effective treatment. Excessive weight is contributory to hypertension. Weight loss reduces blood pressure in these people. Weight loss improves blood lipid profiles, ameliorates pain in arthritic patients, improves respiratory problems from apnoea to asthma, increases fertility and improves quality of life immeasurably.
Modest reductions in calories could theoretically result in weight loss. Of course, the modest reduction has to be from the equilibrium level, not from current intake.
If a person is overeating by 2,000 calories a day (very common in the obese), a small reduction in calorie intake will not cause weight loss. A reduction of a single calorie per day from the level in equilibrium with expenditure, however, will, in theory, result in weight loss. The dieter will have to be patient, however, since it will take 3,500 days (10 years) to use up the calories in a single pound of body fat at the rate of one calorie a day.
At the other extreme, there is a maximum rate of weight loss for any individual. A total fast requires that all the calories necessary for life come from the body reserves. A total fast violates the principle of need for nourishment and therefore supplementation is required. A diet has to supply adequate essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and trace elements, in order to keep the dieter healthy. A total fast therefore cannot be a valid treatment for obesity.
What is needed is a nutrient complete source, which guarantees nourishment but at the same time provides the least possible calorie levels so that a maximum rate of safe weight loss can be achieved. Liquid enteral feeds meet the nutrient criteria but are designed to cause weight stability or even weight gain. These high calorie levels are met by relatively high levels of fat. Enteral feeds are used for prolonged periods without problems.
The simple idea of reducing fat levels in enteral formulas solved the calorie problem. An ideal nutritional product with the absolute minimum of calories consistent with a healthy diet is achieved. Lipotrim is an example of such a product.
You can offer your patients real help with their excess weight. Get the facts, share them with your patients. Weight is a serious issue.
Stephen Kreitzman PhD RNut UK Registered Nutritionist
Valerie Beeson Clinical Programme Director
Howard Foundation Research Ltd Cambridge UK
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