STRATEGIES AND POTENTIAL MOLECULAR TARGETS FOR OBESITY TREATMENT

Obesity is an increasingly prevalent and important health problem. Alt hough treatment is available, the long-term maintenance of medically s ignificant weight loss (5 to 10 percent of initial body weight) is rar e. Since 1995 there has been an explosion of research focused on the r egulation of energy balance and fat mass. Characterization of obesity- associated gene products has revealed new biochemical pathways and mol ecular targets for pharmacological intervention that will likely lead to new treatments. Ideally, these treatments will be viewed as adjunct s to behavioral and lifestyle changes aimed at maintenance of weight l oss and improved health.