Growing problem?
About one in 30 of us can be classed as severely obese, which can cause complications for our health, including heart disease, strokes and lower life expectancy. Clinicians say if we fall into this category, or have a body mass index over 35, losing just 15kg may cut our chances of getting weight-related wellness issues like type 2 diabetes. Instead of opting for surgery we may soon be able to go on a special diet that has proved successful during a year-long trial. Researchers from the infirmary gave 91 people with a body mass index of 46 a liquid diet, composed of 820 calories a day, for 12 weeks. They had regular appointments to check their progress and got support from practice nurses when necessary. After this period, they slowly started to eat solid food and they were monitored for the rest of the year.
Did it work?
Results from the study showed that on average people taking part in the study lost 12.4kg, with a third dropping 15kg. The researchers explained that the diet combined with monitoring makes it an ideal alternative to gastric surgery. It doesn’t have the surgical risks linked with gastric bypass, and would cost the NHS £2,611 for each patient, rather than £12,500 – which is the estimated costs of the surgery. We can get more information about the kind of weight-loss strategies that suit us by talking over our options with our GPs.