Key points from today’s guests:
Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, The University of Kansas Health System
- Weight loss drugs are evolving and are showing that they can help people lose weight, but it takes more than just these new drugs alone.
- Whether you're 100 pounds, 200 pounds, or 300 pounds, what we know is that if you exercise, you're going to have better health and you're going to have better lean body mass and better muscle mass.
- I think the older we are the more important weight strength training becomes. Not only for just the lean body mass, but for mobility, especially in your hips. It keeps your balance and you are less of a fall risk.
- As we've gotten more reliant upon fast foods, fat, salt and other things that we know aren't as healthy for us, these drugs can help, but it needs to include lifestyle changes.
- We can show you the science. You have to help show us the faith and the hope to deliver all that the science can.
John Jakicic, Ph.D., Center for Physical Activity & Weight Management, Kansas University Medical Center
- These new weight loss drugs are basically affecting the molecules and systems of the body that signal psychiatry to the brain. So when you eat and you fill up, there's a signal goes your brain says to stop eating.
- The early indications with the new drugs are that there's really great results on average, with very small side effects.
- But the other thing I think is really important is the variability in response to people. This can work for a lot of folks, but for some people, they're not going to get the big response that other people see. And that's where the lifestyle factors come into play.
- So just with any medication, they work well for some, but there's a few that they're not going to work for.
- We are in a new era of treatment for obesity and excess weight. This is an opportunity for patients to actually change their lives -- and it's not just about taking the medication, there's a lifestyle package behind that.
- I think that the more the lifestyle package includes an adequate physical activity plan, the more successful these patients are going to be on these medications for holistic health.
Cliff Erwin, weight loss patient
- After talking to his primary care physician, he saw a weight loss specialist who put him on a combination of medicines and a workout and lifestyle routine.
- Overweight and diagnosed with pre-diabetes, he began taking Manjaro at the same time he began an exercise program.
- It worked so well and he lost enough weight, he was no longer pre-diabetic.
- At the Performance Center or playing sports with friends, he really started seeing the pounds come off and now it's become an addiction really to keep up with that and not only lose weight but to keep it off and live a healthier life.
- He said it has been great to have the dietician to talk to about meal planning, especially when he is on the road to make healthier choices.
Kelsey Ngeh, Sports Medicine and Performance Center
- I think the most important thing is for patient who want to lose weight is to include a cardiovascular component as well as a strength training component.
- Many times when clients start a weight loss journey, they just do cardio, cardio, cardio, and that's not going to be enough to build the muscle that they need. Muscle burns calories for us and so making sure that there's at least a strength training component in addition to medication is very important.
- Cardiovascular exercise is great for our heart, but for mobility balance, all muscles need to be challenged. And if they're not challenged, then they get weak like any other muscle and so adding in those components is going to absolutely help with long-term total body health.
- With the physical activity, I would just encourage people to find something they like to do. If you find activities that you enjoy, it can become a healthy addiction and it really can help your overall lifestyle
Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director, infection prevention and control, The University of Kansas Health System
- The Health System has 17 patients with active COVID infections this week, up slightly from last week.
- There is a new dominant COVID variant comprising an estimated 25 percent of cases and the current vaccine should still be effective against it.
- A lot of these mutations and variants are based on the spike protein. That is what attaches to our cells allows it to enter into our cells to cause infection.
- We will continue to see new variants arise and that is why it is so important to get your updated COVID booster or vaccine.
Friday, Nov. 3 is the next Morning Medical Update. Most stroke patients aren't as young as Camden Gray. See what it took to prevent life-changing damage to the 3-year-old's brain.
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