Consensus on pharmacological treatment of obesity in Latin America.

A panel of 10 experts in obesity from various Latin American countries held a Zoom meeting intending to reach a consensus on the use of anti-obesity medicines and make updated recommendations suitable for the Latin American population based on the available evidence. A questionnaire with 16 questions was developed using the Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (Result) methodology, which was iterated according to the modified Delphi methodology, and a consensus was reached with 80% or higher agreement. Failure to reach a consensus led to a second round of analysis with a rephrased question and the same rules for agreement. The recommendations were drafted based on the guidelines of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice. This panel of experts recommends drug therapy in patients with a body mass index of ≥30 or ≥27 kg/m2 plus at least one comorbidity, when lifestyle changes are not enough to achieve the weight loss objective; alternatively, lifestyle changes could be maintained while considering individual parameters. Algorithms for the use of long-term medications are suggested based on drugs that increase or decrease body weight, results, contraindications, and medications that are not recommended. The authors concluded that anti-obesity treatments should be individualized and multidisciplinary.

Differences in Body Composition in Patients with Obesity 1 Year After Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass: Successful Vs. Unsuccessful Weight Loss.

AIM: The aim of this study is to compare the differences in body composition in patients with obesity with successful weight loss (SWL) and unsuccessful (USWL) 1 year after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). METHODS: We included 36 women and 22 men. After stratifying patients according with SWL (defined as ≥ 50% of excess weight loss), fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM) trajectories were analyzed in each group. RESULTS: The %FM in SWL women (78%) was lower than USWL (36 vs. 44, p < 0.001). The %FM in SWL men (77%) was lower than USWL (27 vs. 38, p < 0.05). A lower %FM before surgery increased the probability of success (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SWL patients have a lower %FM, and those with lower pre-surgical %FM are more likely to have SWL 1 year after RYGB.