Medical experts talk about obesity
SANDTON – With 11 October being World Obesity Day, Novo Nordisk hosted a successful medical expert summit where they provided an overview of the disease.
Healthcare company Novo Nordisk recently held their first Research and Development Summit at the Capital on the Park in Sandton. Medical experts at the summit reviewed the current management of type 2 diabetes and explored the complexity of obesity.
Vice president for obesity research Dr Mads Tang-Christensen and senior regional medical advisor at Novo Nordisk South Africa Dr Mantha Makume were part of the medical expert’s panel at the summit. With 11 October being World Obesity Day, experts shared the available treatment options in obesity management.
Makume gave a brief overview of what obesity is, “Obesity is an imbalance between energy intake, the food we eat and the energy expenditure exercise, how we use the energy source, leading to excessive weight gain. The disease is typically characterised by decreased satiety, feeling of fullness and increased hunger.”
Makume suggested that the first line of treatment for obesity is diet and exercise. “Therapeutic drugs can be added onto the lifestyle change, should the weight prove difficult to lose. Bariatric surgery is considered the last resort should the previous interventions fail. It is important to highlight that obesity is a disease and not just a lifestyle choice.”
Novo Nordisk public relations manager Leko Nkabinde said the summit turned out perfectly. “The experts shared at length the available treatment options in obesity management, but more importantly the importance of understanding that this is not just an individual’s disease but a chronic one that requires long term management.”
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https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/232523/research-suggests-obesity-affects-men-women/
