Specialist for the Rüsselsheim region: Treating obesity
Specialist for the Rüsselsheim region describes the current status of obesity therapy
RÜSSELSHEIM, Germany – The number of people with obesity has increased ninefold since 1975. In the USA, the proportion of obese people was almost 40 per cent in 2016. In Germany, around 25 per cent of adults are affected by obesity. Professor Dr Dr h. c. Christian Wüster, Head of the Hormone and Metabolism Centre for the Rüsselsheim region, has also noticed an increase in patients with obesity in his day-to-day practice. ‘Obesity is associated with many other health problems and is also a risk factor for Covid-19. Obesity could contribute to the fact that the life expectancy of people in western industrialised nations is decreasing rather than increasing. Corresponding trends are already discernible in the USA,’ warns Professor Wüster.
Key points of obesity therapy at the Hormone and Metabolism Centre for the Rüsselsheim region
Patients from the Rüsselsheim region with obesity are treated at the Hormone and Metabolism Centre. Professor Dr Christian Wüster uses modern therapies that pursue very different and individual approaches. The diagnosis of obesity and its causes are the first priority. This is because obesity can be caused and influenced by various factors.
These include hormonal causes as well as poor diet or metabolic disorders. Prof Wüster also includes new studies in his treatment strategies that pursue different therapeutic approaches to the diagnosis of obesity.
Specialist for the Rüsselsheim region refers to current studies on obesity
New studies have shown that it is not only our modern lifestyle in an affluent society that contributes to many people putting on excess pounds. According to the studies, some participants gained significantly less weight than others, even though they overeat. So-called brown fat could play a role in this. It is found in mammals and actively burns calories to generate heat and protect against the cold. It contains many mitochondria, which give it its brown colour. These fat cells do not produce adenosine triphosphate as the body’s energy source. Instead, they convert sugar and fat into heat. According to a large number of studies, people with a lot of active brown fat are better able to protect themselves against obesity. ‘In this respect, the aim of obesity therapy can be to activate and increase brown fat. The more brown fat a person has, the more calories they burn and the easier it is to lose weight,’ says the endocrinology specialist for the Rüsselsheim region, explaining the theoretical approach.
