Tag Archives: obesity

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Almost 90% of Covid deaths are happening in countries with high obesity rates

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Researchers found that by the end of 2020, global Covid-19 death rates were more than 10 times higher in countries where more than half the adults are overweight, compared to countries where fewer than half are overweight.

The team examined mortality data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and found that of 2.5 million Covid-19 deaths reported by the end of February, 2.2 million were in countries where more than half the population is overweight.

In an analysis of data and studies from more than 160 countries, the researchers found that Covid-19 mortality rates increased along with countries’ prevalence of obesity. They note that the link persisted even after adjusting for age and national wealth.

The report found that every country where less than 40% of the population was overweight had a low Covid-19 death rate of no more than 10 people per 100,000.

But in countries where more than 50% of the population was overweight, the Covid-19 death rate was much higher — more than 100 per 100,000.

The researchers say that being overweight can also worsen other health issues and viral infections, like H1N1, flu and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

The World Obesity Forum suggests prioritizing those living with obesity for Covid-19 testing and vaccination.

“An overweight population is an unhealthy population, and a pandemic waiting to happen,” the group writes.

In the US, close to three-quarters of the population is either overweight or obese, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster diabetes drug blows the doors off in obesity, proving highly effective in driving weight loss – Endpoints News

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As the obe­si­ty epi­dem­ic in Amer­i­ca wors­ened through­out the years, many biotechs cropped up hop­ing to de­vel­op weight-loss drugs that would help stem this tide. But now, No­vo Nordisk’s di­a­betes cash cow semaglu­tide is show­ing such star­tling­ly ef­fec­tive re­sults in obe­si­ty that it may have a head start in cor­ner­ing the mar­ket.

In near­ly a 2,000-per­son tri­al, par­tic­i­pants in­ject­ed them­selves with ei­ther semaglu­tide or place­bo for 68 weeks. Pa­tients in the drug arm saw an av­er­age 15% weight loss, com­pared with just 2.4% on place­bo, and al­most a third lost more than 20% of their weight. Re­searchers pub­lished the da­ta Wednes­day in the New Eng­land Jour­nal of Med­i­cine, and all p-val­ues came out to p<0.001.

Robert Kush­n­er

Those re­sults mark a “game-chang­er” in an obe­si­ty field that, to this point, has not seen re­sults as ef­fec­tive as these, study leader Robert Kush­n­er told the New York Times.

The da­ta al­so mark an im­por­tant mile­stone in re­gards to di­a­betes. There are no ap­proved obe­si­ty med­ica­tions in the US that al­so pre­vent or treat type 2 di­a­betes. But giv­en that semaglu­tide is al­ready OK’ed in that in­di­ca­tion, the re­sults sug­gest No­vo could end up killing two birds with one stone here.

In an ex­plorato­ry end­point, clin­i­cians looked at pa­tients clas­si­fied as “pre­di­a­betes” and saw nu­mer­i­cal im­prove­ments in gly­cat­ed he­mo­glo­bin lev­els. Among those in that group, 84.1% in the semaglu­tide arm saw im­prove­ments in these lev­els, com­pared with 47.8% in the place­bo group. Re­searchers did not run a p-val­ue in this end­point.

Obe­si­ty has proved a chal­leng­ing field to treat for years, and not just with drugs. Typ­i­cal weight man­age­ment strate­gies are of­ten not enough to achieve full con­trol, and those who fol­low with bariatric surgery to al­ter the di­ges­tive tract end up re­gain­ing weight more of­ten than not.

That the­sis ap­peared to be con­firmed again in this tri­al, Kush­n­er said, as every­one in the study par­tic­i­pat­ed in a di­et and ex­er­cise pro­gram, re­gard­less of whether they re­ceived semaglu­tide.

Some con­cerns re­main over the drug’s safe­ty, per a NE­JM ed­i­to­r­i­al pub­lished along­side the da­ta. Though sim­i­lar lev­els of side ef­fects were seen in both groups, 89.7% in the drug arm and 86.4% in con­trol, there was a high­er rate of gas­troin­testi­nal events among those tak­ing semaglu­tide — 74.2% vs. 47.9%.

Most of these fell in­to the mild or mod­er­ate cat­e­gories, but se­ri­ous gas­troin­testi­nal dis­or­ders ac­count­ed for the dif­fer­ence in to­tal se­vere ad­verse event rates, the study au­thors said. Se­ri­ous ad­verse events were re­port­ed in 9.8% and 6.4% of semaglu­tide and place­bo par­tic­i­pants, re­spec­tive­ly, with 1.4% of par­tic­i­pants on semaglu­tide re­port­ing a se­vere GI event and 0% in the place­bo group.

The tri­al pop­u­la­tion al­so did not prove rep­re­sen­ta­tive of the US pop­u­la­tion as a whole, with most par­tic­i­pants be­ing women (74.1%) and White (75.1%). Over­all, how­ev­er, the re­sults proved to be a sig­nif­i­cant step in the right di­rec­tion, the au­thor wrote.

The GLP-1 drug has al­ready reaped bil­lions for No­vo Nordisk, tak­ing in $1.64 bil­lion in 2019 and $1.5 bil­lion in the first half of 2020. In ad­di­tion to di­a­betes, the com­pa­ny al­so has re­ceived break­through ther­a­py des­ig­na­tion for semaglu­tide in NASH, an­oth­er area filled with speed bumps.

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‘Game-Changer’ Drug Promotes Weight Loss Like No Medicine Ever Seen, Scientists Say

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In the simplest terms, obesity is the product of a body’s energy output being less than its energy input. But in reality, there’s nothing simple about this complex and mysterious disease.

 

Obesity, which has skyrocketed in recent decades – now defining the body mass of over 40 percent of adult Americans – isn’t just difficult for people to endure and scientists to understand. It’s also incredibly hard to treat.

Beyond commitment to sustained lifestyle changes – healthy eating and exercise, effectively – there are really only two potential options that may help: bariatric surgery and weight-loss medications.

The former is invasive and carries various risks and complications. As for the drugs, they don’t always work, and can have their own adverse effects too.

However, an experimental treatment recently trialled by scientists and detailed in a study published this week could open new doors for treating obesity patients with a weight-loss drug.

In the study, which involved almost 2,000 obese adults across 16 different countries, participants took a weekly dose of a drug called semaglutide, an existing medication already used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

A control group took only a placebo, in place of the medication. Both groups received a lifestyle intervention course designed to promote weight loss.

At the end of the trial, the participants who took the placebo lost a small but clinically insignificant amount of weight. But for those who took semaglutide, the effects were pronounced.

 

After 68 weeks of treatment with the drug – which suppresses appetite due to a variety of effects on the brain – participants taking semaglutide lost on average 14.9 percent of their body weight. And over 30 percent of the group lost more than 20 percent of their body weight.

Broadly speaking, this makes the drug up to twice as effective as existing medications for weight loss, the researchers say, approaching the kind of efficacy of surgical interventions.

“No other drug has come close to producing this level of weight loss – this really is a game-changer,” says obesity researcher Rachel Batterham from University College London.

“For the first time, people can achieve through drugs what was only possible through weight-loss surgery.”

In addition to losing weight, participants registered improvements in other areas, showing reductions in various cardiometabolic risk factors, and reporting quality of life improvements.

While the results are compelling, semaglutide dosage for anti-obesity effects does come with some drawbacks.

Mild-to-moderate effects were reported by many participants (in both the semaglutide and placebo groups), including nausea and diarrhoea. While the effects were temporary, they were enough for nearly 60 of participants to discontinue their treatment, compared with just five in the placebo group.

 

At present, the drug requires a weekly injection to work – whereas an oral form of the medicine would likely be preferred by patients.

More significantly, we don’t yet have data on what happened to the participants after the drug regimen ceased at the end of the trial.

For at least one individual, however, who spoke to The New York Times, her weight began to creep up after the trial was over.

“While drugs like this may prove useful in the short term for obtaining rapid weight loss in severe obesity, they are not a magic bullet for preventing or treating less severe degrees of obesity,” says nutritionist Tom Sanders, an emeritus professor at King’s College London, who wasn’t involved with the study.

“Public health measures that encourage behavioural changes such as regular physical activity and moderating dietary energy intake are still needed.”

Nobody would deny the wisdom of that, but if further analysis of semaglutide turns out to be positive, we could also be looking at an important new pharmaceutical option to help combat obesity.

 

And that option might arrive sooner than we think.

The study, funded by pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk – which sells semaglutide as an anti-diabetic medication – is now being tendered as evidence to international health regulatory authorities, in support of an application to market the drug as an obesity treatment.

The US FDA, along with its counterparts in the UK and Europe, is currently assessing the data.

The findings are reported in The New England Journal of Medicine.

 

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Health

Obesity: Diabetes drug hailed as a ‘game changer’ after trial reveals dramatic weight loss | Science & Tech News

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A drug that suppresses appetite has been described as “gamechanger” in the fight against obesity after research showed it could cut body weight by up to 20%.

The study into the effects of semaglutide on obesity by a University College London (UCL) team found that more than one third (35%) of people who took it lost more than one-fifth of their total body weight.

Researchers say it means that for the first time it is possible to achieve through drugs what was previously only possible through weight-loss surgery.

The negative health implications of obesity have been brought into even sharper focus by the COVID-19 crisis because of its effect on mortality rates.

Semaglutide works by hijacking the body’s own appetite regulating system in the brain, leading to reduced hunger and calorie intake.

The UCL randomised control trial involved 1,961 adults who were either overweight or obese (average weight 105kg/16.5 stone, body mass index 38kg/m2), and took place at 129 sites in 16 countries across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.

Participants took a 2.4mg dose of semaglutide or matching placebo weekly via an injection under the skin.

Overall, 94.3% of participants completed the 68-week study, which started in autumn 2018.

Those taking part also received individual face-to-face or phone counselling sessions from registered dietitians every four weeks to help them adhere to the reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, providing guidance, behavioural strategies and motivation.

In those taking semaglutide, the average weight loss was 15.3kg, with a reduction in BMI of 5.54.

The placebo group observed an average weight loss of 2.6kg (0.4 stone) with a reduction in BMI of 0.92.

Publishing the data in the New England Journal for Medicine, lead author, Professor Rachel Batterham from UCL’s Centre for Obesity Research, said: “The findings of this study represent a major breakthrough for improving the health of people with obesity.

“Three quarters (75%) of people who received semaglutide 2.4mg lost more than 10% of their body weight and more than one-third lost more than 20%.

“No other drug has come close to producing this level of weight loss – this really is a gamechanger.

“For the first time, people can achieve through drugs what was only possible through weight-loss surgery.”

Professor Batterham added that the drug could have major implications for UK health policy for years to come.

Along with the weight loss, the group taking semaglutide saw reductions in risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, such as waist circumference, blood fats, blood sugar and blood pressure, and reported improvements in their overall quality of life.

Semaglutide is already clinically approved for use by patients with type 2 diabetes, though at lower doses than used in the obesity trial.

Evidence from the study has been submitted for regulatory approval as a treatment for obesity to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

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Being fit doesn’t outweigh the dangers of obesity, new study suggests

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New research has just plunged a dagger through the core of the mentality that you can be “fat but fit.”

Physical activity does nothing to cancel the harmful effects of excess body weight on cardiovascular health, according to a bombshell study published Thursday in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology.

The findings contradict previous studies concluding that maintaining physical activity could lessen the effects of extra body weight on heart health.

“One cannot be ‘fat but healthy,’ ” said the study’s author, Alejandro Lucia, a professor of exercise physiology at the European University of Madrid.
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“One cannot be ‘fat but healthy,’ ” said the study’s author, Alejandro Lucia, a professor of exercise physiology at the European University of Madrid. “This was the first nationwide analysis to show that being regularly active is not likely to eliminate the detrimental health effects of excess body fat. Our findings refute the notion that a physically active lifestyle can completely negate the deleterious effects of overweight and obesity.”

Lucia cites previous research that suggested, in adults and children, a “fat-but-fit” lifestyle could be in similar cardiovascular heath to those who are “thin but unfit” — and adds that’s led people astray from the true priority.

“This has led to controversial proposals for health policies to [prioritize] physical activity and fitness above weight loss,” he said. “Our study sought to clarify the links between activity, body weight, and heart health.”

SKIPPING DINNER MIGHT LEAD TO WEIGHT GAIN, NEW STUDY SAYS

This study surveyed data from 527,662 working Spanish adults, all insured by a large occupational risk prevention company. Thirty-two percent of the participants were women; The average age was 42.

They were categorized by activity level and body weight — with some 42 percent classified as normal weight with a body mass index (BMI) of 20 to 24.9. Approximately 41 percent were overweight, with a BMI of 25 to 29.9, while 18 percent were considered obese, with a BMI of 30 or above. The majority of the study’s pool, more than 63 percent, were physically inactive. About 24 percent were regularly active and just more than 12 percent were considered insufficiently active.

The research team then examined the associations between BMI, level of physical activity, and high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes — the three of which carry big risks for heart attack and stroke.

They found that across all BMI measurements, any physical activity was linked to a lower likelihood of diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure when compared to no exercise at all.

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“This tells us that everyone, irrespective of their body weight, should be physically active to safeguard their health,” said Lucia.

So yes, being active is important. But size still matters.

Regardless of activity levels, the overweight and obese participants faced higher cardiovascular risks than those with normal body weight. When compared to inactive normal-weight adults, physically active obese people were still about twice as likely to have high cholesterol, four times more likely to have diabetes and five times more likely to have high blood pressure.

“Exercise does not seem to compensate for the negative effects of excess weight,” he added. “This finding was also observed overall in both men and women when they were [analyzed] separately.”

Lucia concluded that obesity and inactivity must both be combatted.

“It should be a joint battle,” he said. “Weight loss should remain a primary target for health policies together with promoting active lifestyles.”

However, the study makes no mention or recommendations for diet — and when it comes to an example of physical activity, Lucia said “walking 30 minutes per day is better than walking 15 minutes a day.”

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Sean Heffron, MD, a cardiologist at the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases at NYU Langone Health, underscored that obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease — as is insufficient physical activity — but weight loss requires a two-part formula.

“Exercise in and of itself isn’t the kind of way to lose weight,” he said. “It’s complementary to having an ideal body weight,” but improving your diet is the other piece of the puzzle.

This content originally appeared in The New York Post.

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