Shopping Cart About ADA ADA Journal Position Papers ... International Obesity EVIDENCE SUPPORTS DIETITIAN EFFECTIVENESS IN OBESITY TREATMENT Obesity Decreases Life Span Obesity is associated with increased chronic diseases and appears to lessen life expectancy markedly. Data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) showed that as overweight and obesity increased in this population, so did the prevalence of numerous health outcomes, including type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, coronary heart disease, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and osteoarthritis. The prevalence of having two or more health conditions increased with weight status across all racial and ethnic subgroups. ( JAMA JAMA 1999 Oct 27: 282(16):1523-1529. ATPIII , June 2001) Dietary Strategies Underlie Success Evidence-based guidelines emphasize that the most appropriate treatment strategy for obesity is DIET in combination with physical activity and behavior therapy, as well as adjunctive treatment with other modalities including pharmacotherapy and gastric surgery. Dietetic professionals have been successful in utilizing various combinations of dietary strategies, including healthy eating plans and meal replacements, to achieve a 5 to 10 percent reduction in body weight. Weight loss is associated with significant reductions in percent body fat, insulin and cholesterol levels. Studies have shown that obese patients with diabetes who received nutrition intervention services from dietitians as the case managers can achieve better treatment outcomes, such as better metabolic control, and reduced body weight and waist circumference, than a usual care group. In addition, people who receive e intervention group decreased the number of prescription medications. ( | |
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