In the United States and Europe, the use of obesity medications such as Ugovi appears to be spreading among the wealthy. A 59-year-old woman living in Washington, DC, expressed delight at the effectiveness of the drug. She lost approximately 16 kilograms, losing 0.5 kilograms per week. While it’s a dream drug for those struggling with obesity, it does have its drawbacks. It’s also becoming clear that long-term use of the medication is necessary to maintain the weight loss. At $10,000 per year, long-term use requires significant financial resources. The biggest problem is rebound. It has been pointed out that discontinuing the drug can lead to weight gain. A Novo Nordisk spokesperson acknowledged the potential for rebound effects from Ugovi. Interestingly, the spokesperson emphasized the need for long-term use of the drug for obesity, just as with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Of course, there are also non-drug dieting methods. This idea came from an experiment in which germ-free pregnant mice were fed a high-fiber diet. The pregnant mice were divided into two groups. One group was fed a low-fiber diet, while the other was fed a high-fiber diet. The offspring of these two groups were then fed a high-fat diet. The mother mice fed the high-fiber diet produced large amounts of a substance called short-chain fatty acids in their intestines. The results showed that obesity was significantly reduced in mice born to mothers who ate the high-fiber diet. Meanwhile, mice born to mothers who ate the low-fiber diet became obese as they grew. This suggests that consuming foods high in fiber can also help prevent obesity in human children.
So, how can people without much money avoid obesity? Recent findings have shown that the intestinal flora of obese individuals has reduced production of short-chain fatty acids. Short-chain fatty acids prevent obesity by both suppressing fat accumulation and increasing fat consumption. The bacteria that produce these short-chain fatty acids are called Bacteroides. Bacteroides live on dietary fiber. Foods that these bacteria prefer include seaweed, mushrooms, vegetables, beans, konjac, millet, and brown rice. One research group conducted a one-year dietary experiment on 12 obese individuals. They found that eating more vegetables can change obese flora to lean flora. They confirmed that the obese flora gradually becomes closer to lean flora. Gradually improving obesity through the bypass effect of consuming more vegetables seems to be a wise choice for the weak.
