The incidence of teen obesity is dramatically increasing. Aside from the genetic factors, obesity in teens is usually blamed on poor lifestyle and eating habits. This problem is not only happening in North America but other countries are also worried about the increasing number in their young population who are now considered as obese. Obesity in young kids could bring other health related problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart and liver diseases, and psychological problems.

Teen Obesity and Surgery

A report by Sharon Kirkey of the Postmedia News revealed that teen obesity is a serious concern. Doctors are worried of the possible complications that could be caused by excessive weight. Health experts headed by Dr. Thomas Inge and his group recently published on the Pediatrics Journal their findings and position on weight loss surgery for adolescents.

According to a paediatrician, obesity is not anymore considered as an old person’s disease. “We see these kids, and we’re doing blood tests on them regularly and we’re coming up with liver abnormalities, sugar abnormalities, cholesterol abnormalities. We’re seeing this not only in teenagers, but in pre-teens. They already have fatty livers.” said Dr Stan Lipnowski who is a member of the Canadian Paediatric Society’s Healthy Active Living Committee.

Rate of Obesity in Children Alarming

Dr. Stan Lipnowski said that the rate of obesity in children almost tripled in the last 25 years. In Canada alone, at least 26% of children ages 2 to 17 are considered overweight or obese. The incidence of morbid obesity is also increasing. “Some of these kids get short of breath just walking across the street, they’re so heavy,” the doctor from Winnipeg said.

Morbidly obese teens usually suffers from high blood pressure, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes, joint pain and Blount’s disease or the severe bowing of one or both legs. Added to this are the psychological effects on the individual such as depression and anxiety.

Weight Loss Surgery: Is it the Best Option?

Adults who underwent weight loss surgery have higher success rate based on surveys. A study in McGill University showed that obese adults who chose bariatric surgery reduced mortality rate by 89 percent compared to those obese individuals who did not opt for surgery. Bariatric surgery also reduces the risk of getting cancer up to 80 percent. However, experts are wary if these figures are also true for adolescents.

They agree that weight loss surgery is an effective method in treating obesity but the rate of its effectiveness on young individuals has still to be validated. “I think if you’ve exhausted all other measures, you may be left with nothing but bariatric surgery,” said Dr Lipnowski. “We don’t know if we can extrapolate the results from adults to kids. What’s the success rate going to be like two, three years from now, or five or 10? We don’t have that type of follow up in adolescents, it hasn’t been around that long,” he added.

Bariatric Surgery Comes with Health Risks

The common risks involved in undergoing a weight loss surgery is post-operation bleeding, wound infections, blood clots and intestinal leaks. The surgery could also result to vitamin deficiencies, malnutrition, anemia, and prematurely weak bones. There is also no guarantee that the pouches inserted inside the stomach will not stretch or the staples will not get loose. There are also some reports that bariatric surgery on teens can cause neural tube defects on their babies. And if improperly done it could result to death.

Experts agree that weight loss surgery for teens, whether the adjustable gastric banding and Roux-en Y gastric bypass, should only be the last option. If other methods of treatment fail and there are other health conditions that must be addressed immediately, bariatric surgery will be recommended.

Phentermine combined with topiramate has been submitted to the FDA as an anti-obesity drug. However, it was rejected by the group last year because of adverse concerns. Despite being effective in promoting weight loss, the FDA has turned down approval because of concerns such as metabolic acidosis, cognitive disorders, birth defects, and increased heart rate.

A new study has been released this year in response to the request of the FDA to submit a comprehensive assessment of the drug combo’s potential to cause any kind of birth defect as well as strategies to mitigate any known risk. Once the Phentermine/topiramate combo is approved by the FDA, it is expected to become a schedule IV drug.

The study is known as the Conquer trial, which compared two doses of the combo drug in obese and overweight individuals who also have cardiometabolic risk factors. The intake of the drug is taken in conjunction with lifestyle and diet changes. This study, which was published recently, was headed by Dr. Kishore M. Gadde together with his colleagues.

The Study and its Results

The study involved adults who have BMIs of 27 to 45 kg/m2 having two or more comorbidities. This may include hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidia, and abdominal obesity. The adults are grouped into three groups, which are tested in placebo, low dosage of the Phentermine/topiramate (7.5 mg Phentermine and 46 mg topiramate), and a higher dosage of the combo (15 mg Phentermine and 92 mg topiramate).

After 56 weeks, those taking a higher dosage of the drug achieved the highest mean weight loss, which is nearly two kilograms higher than the mean weight loss of people who are in the group given a lower dosage of the drug. Those taking placebo, on the other hand, have lost a mean weight of 1.4 kilogram.

Though it can be noted that the weight loss efficiency is better in higher dosages of the drug, adverse effects are on the rise, too. The most common side effects experienced by those taking the combo drug are dry mouth, constipation, dizziness, insomnia, dysgeusia, and other depression and anxiety related problems. The published report, however, did not mention birth defects as part of the adverse effects of the Phentermine/topiramate combination.

The Medical Benefits of Topiramate

Before topiramate was combined with Phentermine to address obesity problems, it was sold first in 1995 to treat epileptic seizures as well as the Lemox Gastaut syndrome. Topiramate was and still is classified as an anticonvulsant.

Besides weight loss, other benefits of topiramate are better sleep, fewer headaches, and a cure to migraine. However, despite a lot of positive side effects, topiramate can also cause certain negative side effects like glaucoma, kidney stones, confusion, nightmares, lack of concentration, birth defects, psychosis, and suicidal thoughts. Its less common side effects include vomiting, nausea, painful urination, fainting, and severe back pain.

Taking Phentermine with Topiramate Needs Doctor’s Supervision

It is true that topiramate has a lot of great medical benefits to offer. Being combined with Phentermine, it becomes more of an effective drug to help people who are obese and overweight. However, unless this drug gets the approval of the FDA, people like you must be very careful about this drug.

Hence, it is always best to consult a medical professional to give you advice regarding your weight loss and other medical problems.

Obesity is an underlying problem in today’s world. In fact, more than half a billion of the population or 1 out of 10 adults across the globe is obese, which doubled in number since the 80’s. The epidemic is becoming more and more alarming especially now that obesity is not only a problem of the wealthy but also even of poorer nations.

The problem with obesity is mainly its role of making people more susceptible to metabolic diseases including heart disease and diabetes. But thanks to a recent study of British researchers, there is now a possibility to treat obesity-related diseases through a gene, which they call a “master switch” that is linked to the problem. Lead researcher Tim Spector of the King’s College London said that this is the first major study showing the possibility of small changes in a single master regulator gene can impact other genes.

The study is just one part of a multi-national collaboration that is funded by Wellcome Trust. It is more known as the MuTHER study, which is employing the help of researchers from two top institutions such as the University of Oxford and the King’s College London.

The Master Switch

Scientists have long identified the gene KLF14 as being linked to cholesterol levels and type 2 diabetes. However, today, Spector’s team have analyzed how this can be a master switch towards treating problems associated with obesity.

The team has analyzed more than 20,000 genes taken from under the skin of around 800 British female twin volunteers. The study has found a link between KLF14 gene and the levels of other distant genes that can be found in the fat tissue. This then shows that the gene KLF14 acts as a master switch to control all these genes. The findings are then confirmed in another 600 fat samples from a separate group of volunteers from Iceland.

The researchers of the study have explained that other genes that can be controlled by the KLF14 gene are also linked to various metabolic traits including obesity, cholesterol, body mass index, and insulin and glucose levels. Oxford University’s Mark McCarthy, who worked on the study as well, explained that KLF14 acts as a master switch that controls the processes that connect the changes in the behavior of subcutaneous fat including disturbances in the liver and muscle, which contributes to diabetes and other conditions.

The Future of KLF14

The link of KLF14 towards treating health-related obesity problems is already established nowadays. However, there are no fix things yet on how this will be used for the obesity epidemic the world is facing today.

The team, however, is working hard to understand the processes and the information they have discovered from their study. They are looking forward to use this information in improving treatment procedures for various conditions such as obesity, heart problems, and diabetes.

Gene Can be the Solution to Obesity

The discovery of the master switch gene can give light to the obesity problems of most of the world’s nations. This can be the first step towards ending this problem sooner or later. The success of this study will also mean the success of the whole world in the fight against obesity and all the problems it brings.

But in the meantime, obese people must still cling to the traditional methods of treating obesity. Anti-obesity pills will remain the best option as scientist continues to search on how the master switch gene can finally end the problem of obesity.