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Previous Volume 346:591-602 February 21, 2002 Number 8 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Overweight and obesity are the most common nutritional disorders in the United States, affecting the majority of adults in the country. Given a normal body-mass index (defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) ranging from 18.5 to 24.9, 34 percent of the adult population is overweight (body-mass index, 25 to 29.9), and another 27 percent is obese (body-mass index, 30).¹ The prevalence of obesity has increased by more than 75 percent since 1980.² The prevalence of overweight in children and adolescents (defined as a body-mass index in the 95th percentile or higher . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Nonpharmacologic Approaches to Weight Loss

History of Pharmacotherapy for Obesity

Mechanisms of Action of Weight-Loss Drugs

Appetite-Suppressant Medications

            Noradrenergic Agents

            Serotonergic Agents

            Mixed Noradrenergic–Serotonergic Agents

Medications That Reduce Nutrient Absorption

Dietary Supplements and Herbal Preparations

Weight-Loss Medications Currently in Clinical Trials

Medications Approved by the FDA for Indications Other Than Obesity

Investigational Medications

Strategies for Use of Medications in the Treatment of Obesity

Identification of Patients with a Response to Treatment

Pharmacotherapy for the Prevention of Weight Regain

Off-Label Use of FDA-Approved Medications

            Intermittent Use

            Drug Combinations

            Treatment of Children and Adolescents

Summary

Source Information

From the Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (S.Z.Y.) and the Unit on Growth and Obesity, Developmental Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (J.A.Y.), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

Address reprint requests to Dr. Susan Yanovski at the Obesity and Eating Disorders Program, NIDDK, 6707 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20892-5450, or at sy29f@nih.gov.

References

Related Letters:

Pharmacotherapy for Obesity
Steelman M., Weiss W. P., Maese F., Lechin M., Yanovski S. Z., Yanovski J. A.
Extract | Full Text | PDF  
N Engl J Med 2002; 346:2092-2093, Jun 27, 2002. Correspondence

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