Obesity: Lifestyle management, bariatric surgery, drugs, and the therapeutic exploitation of gut hormones

Abstract

Obesity is on the rise and the pursuit of efficient and safe treatment is ongoing. Available anti-obesity medical therapies have so far proved to be disappointing, whereas bariatric surgery is leading the way and offers long-term health benefits. Part of the success of bariatric surgery is thought to be mediated by gut hormones. A better understanding of the role of gut hormones within the gut-brain signaling pathway in the control of hunger, satiety, and energy homeostasis, has led to their therapeutic exploitation as possible anti-obesity drugs. In this review, we provide a summary of currently available treatment options for obesity from simple lifestyle modifications and bariatric surgery to traditional and novel medical therapies.

Keywords :

• Obesity
• lifestyle management
• bariatric surgery
• drugs
• gut hormones

Declaration of interest

The section is funded by grants from the MRC, BBSRC, NIHR, an Integrative Mammalian Biology Capacity Building Award, an FP7- HEALTH- 2009-241592 EuroCHIP grant and is supported by the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre Funding Scheme. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

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