Obesity is a growing problem in the West. In 2008, nearly a quarter of adults in England had a BMI over 30 and were considered obese. Now, a study led by the University of Leicester has found that anti-obesity drugs coupled with lifestyle advice are effective in reducing weight and BMI, hopefully leading to a decline in the prevalence in obesity in years to come.

Dr Laura Gray and colleagues from the Department of Health Sciences published a paper in the journal Obesity Reviews which looks at the effectiveness of anti–obesity drugs and a modified lifestyle on weight loss and body mass index.

The review was the first of its kind to combine all available evidence for anti-obesity drugs in a single analysis. Based on 94 studies including over 24,000 individuals it assessed how effective the drugs were in terms of weight loss and body mass index at three, six and twelve months.

The research also looked at the effect of lifestyle advice on weight loss. Lifestyle advice alone led to weight loss at six and twelve months but had less effective results in comparison to the anti-obesity drugs.

Nevertheless, it is reassuring to note that lifestyle interventions (diet and exercise) were effective. Professor Kamlesh Khunti from the University of Leicester commented that lifestyle interventions should therefore be promoted for weight reduction as they also have many other benefits as well.

• University Press Release
• A systematic review and mixed treatment comparison of pharmacological interventions for the treatment of obesity