Original Article: Update on Office-Based Strategies for the Management of Obesity

Issue Date: September 1, 2016

See additional reader comments at: http://www.aafp.org/afp/2016/0901/p361.html

To the Editor: Drs. Erlandson and colleagues provided a useful overview about obesity management. However, the article did not discuss the lack of patient-oriented evidence for medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the management of obesity. These medications can help with weight loss, but none have been shown to reduce cardiovascular morbidity or mortality.¹ Although these new treatments have been FDA approved, that does not mean that they are definitively safe, cheaper, or more effective than older options. Helping patients with lifestyle modifications and improving social determinants of health is more effective to achieve and maintain weight loss and positive long-term health outcomes.