STEP 1 for Effective Weight Control — Another First Step?

Abstract

Given the worldwide increase in obesity, with attendant coexisting conditions and increased risk of death, there is a pressing need to address weight loss and maintenance strategies.^1-3 Behavioral methods of weight control fail more often than not, and bariatric surgery is invasive and, often, eventually followed by regain of weight.^1-3 Medications approved for weight loss by the Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, and other regulatory bodies have had a troubling history, with withdrawal of several approved drugs owing to serious adverse events; among these are various amphetamines (addiction), fenfluramine (cardiac toxicity), and, most recently, lorcaserin (cancer risk).^4,5 . . .