ABSTRACT
Obesity is one of the major public health problems worldwide. Its incidence and prevalence are increasing, especially in the Second and Third Worlds, despite numerous therapeutic and preventive attempts. The prevalence of obesity in Europe ranges from 7 and 14% in France and Sweden to up to 40% in Eastern European countries; in the U.S., about 33% of adults are overweight (BMI 25.0 to 29.9 kg/m2) and 31% are obese (BMI>30 kg/ m2).1,2 Also, less developed countries in Central and South America demonstrate that obesity is becoming a major health problem: in Brazil, the number of obese male subjects has doubled in the last 15 years; in Mexico and Peru, overweight has a prevalence of 50 and 30%, respectively.3,4 The costs caused directly and indirectly by obesity are about 8% of total health care expenses in industrialized countries.5,6
Treatment of obesity remains a difficult and unsatisfactory task. Many individuals are eagerly looking for remedies for their weight problems; due to the symptoms of overweight and the pressure of the society, often they are prepared to spend large sums of money for desperate and worthless treatments. As a result, there is a growing obesity “industry” with a volume of several billion dollars (U.S.) each year. Most of the treatments offered by these institutions are not scientifically sound, usually not efficient, and sometimes even dangerous. Therefore, it is of major importance to assess the effectiveness of treatment modalities using stringent scientific criteria.
