Remedies hardly help against fatigue

More and more Germans are obese

06/10/2013

In Germany, more and more people are suffering from being too fat. Increasingly, men and young adults are even extremely overweight. Until Saturday, a congress on the topic took place in Hanover.

New ways of prevention and therapy
More and more adults suffer from massive obesity. „Overall, almost a quarter of the German population is obese“, said the President of the Congress of the German Obesity Society, Prof. Martina de Zwaan. The strong overweight brings not only medical, but also psychological problems. By Saturday, more than 400 experts discussed new ways of prevention and therapy.

Admit obesity as a disease
From a body mass index (BMI) of 30 one speaks of obesity. That would be at a height of 1.70 meters 86.5 kilograms. The BMI can be calculated by dividing the body weight in kilograms by the square of the height in meters. At a BMI between 25 and 30, a person is considered overweight and over 30 as obese (obese). Experts are calling on the health insurance companies to finally recognize obesity as an illness, so that those affected are not dependent on individual cases in the reimbursement of costs. The President of the German Obesity Society, Martin Wabitsch, emphasized: „Obesity is a brain disease, not a lifestyle phenomenon.“

Improvement of the psychosocial situation
Wabitsch is a professor at the University Hospital Ulm and coordinator of the Competence Network Obesity. In the project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research with two million, young people with a heavy overweight get help. „Our approach is not to lose weight, but to improve the psychosocial situation“, so Wabitsch. Teenagers who weigh 150 kilograms or more often suffered from a poorer quality of life than those with cancer. „You can not find a training and job. You can not find a partner. They are increasingly isolated.“

Change of diet and behavioral therapy
The project, which will last for at least six years, will investigate which therapy approaches are promising. It can be attended by 14 to 21 year olds, many of whom have joint problems, nocturnal breathing or old-age diabetes due to their overweight. More than 200,000 young people are affected nationwide. For morbidly obese adolescents, surgical intervention is an option if dietary change and behavioral therapy fail. „We know that complications in obesity surgery have diminished“, so Professor Alfred Wirth from Bad Rothenfelde.

No miracle pills for the pounds
Professor Wirth emphasized that fast weight loss with miracle pills is unrealistic. Rather, it takes a long breath to get rid of the pounds. The basis for the case of extreme overweight should always be a combination of nutritional, exercise and behavioral therapy. It is advisable to first a comprehensive nutritional advice. The percentage of fat and carbohydrates in the diet should be reduced and a total of at least 500 calories less per day should be consumed. In addition, exercise is paramount. Every week, sufferers should exercise for at least 150 minutes or consume 1,200 to 1,800 calories per week through exercise. Endurance sport is more effective than strength training.

Learning to avoid relapses
The third part of the measures, behavioral therapy, is about observing oneself and learning to avoid relapses. In addition, reaction possibilities should be developed if the balance shows too much again. In addition to the methods mentioned, medically prescribed medications may also be used. However, only the active ingredient Orlistat is recommended, which inhibits fat absorption during digestion. And only people with a BMI between 35 and 50 who have had no change in conservative treatment after six months should be treated surgically.

Less overweight school beginners
According to congress president Martina de Zwaan, 6,000 obesity surgeries, such as stomach reductions, were registered nationwide last year. It is estimated, however, that in 2012 a total of 9,000 such surgical procedures were performed in German hospitals. De Zwaan said the trend is rising rapidly. However, the experts also had good news: In recent years, less overweight children have been introduced at the school entrance examinations. It was said that the education campaigns have been successful since the mid-1990s. (Ad)