According to the HAS, nearly 8.5 million French people are obese, a figure up 13% since 2012. Severe forms have jumped 66%. HAS is publishing its new recommendations on Thursday for the medical care of adults with obesity.to improve the patient’s health and allow them to return to a lower level of severity“, says the communicated. Support that is not limited to weight loss alone.
To begin with, the HAS proposes to integrate new parameters in addition to BMI and waist circumference, the relevance of which is questioned for classifying levels of obesity, in particular the level of severity of associated pathologies, the impact function of obesity (shortness of breath, pain, etc.), the psychopathological context, eating behavior or even the impact of the disease on the quality of personal and professional life. It also specifies the type of doctor to consult because of the stage of obesity: general practitioner in first resort, then specialist doctor and finally specialized obesity centers (CSO) or CHU.
Gradual support for lasting weight loss
The management of obesity is not only aimed at losing weight, it is also useful for act on comorbidities, risk factors, quality of life and mobility. The Haute Autorité de Santé insists on the fact that the indication of weight must be personalized according to each patient and given after an overall assessment taking into account their age, their associated comorbidities, their quality of life or even their goals.
To move towards moderate weight loss, the HAS recommends a moderate reduction in daily intake and strongly advises against the implementation of unbalanced and very restrictive diets such as the ketogenic diet for example. Conversely, a Mediterranean type diet is highly recommended.
Placing education and physical activity at the heart of the strategy
Along with a balanced diet,physical activity will come in addition for optimal support. “It can take the form of relaxation and leisure activities (games, matches, sports, etc.), work or housework.“, indicates the HAS. Thus it recommends to practice each week of your choice:
- 2h30 to 3h of moderate physical activity ;
- 1h15 to 2h30 of intense physical activity;
- An equivalent combination of moderate or vigorous activity.
At the same time, it is recommended that the patient combine muscle building (twice a week) and limit physical inactivity as much as possible, breaking it up with short periods of walking or movement.
Finally, to ensure that obese patients are better informed about their own situation, HAS is setting up therapeutic education programsin order to enable them to become fully involved in their lasting change in lifestyle.
All these new recommendations are considered without any drug treatment. But, “in the event of failure of nutritional management (less than 5% weight loss at six months), and if this has been well conducted in terms of eating behavior and patient involvement, a drug treatment can be considered“, concludes the press release.
Source :
- Obesity in adults: improving the medical management of the most severe cases, Haute Autorité de Santé, June 23, 2022
Read also:
- Suffering from chronic pain could cause weight gain
- Obesity: eating more slowly could reduce the risk according to a study
- Obesity: beware of injections supposed to “melt fat”
