Obesity Explained

Obesity statistics include some information that contradicts what many people believe about weight gain. The people eating the most calories, for example, were not the most obese. In addition, during a several-year period when obesity rates continued to climb, the average caloric intake fell.

This indicates that the rise in the obesity rate is not due to an increased consumption of calories. Instead, it is due to other measured factors such as an increase in the proportion of the calories provided by carbohydrates.

Obesity

Obesity is an abnormal increase in body fat, often defined by a body mass index (BMI) over 30. From needing larger clothes to noticing physical changes in body proportions, obesity is easily identified. Symptoms are secondary to the physical changes that obesity causes, and could include low energy, reduced range of motion or agility, and joint pain from weight bearing.

The role of diet in the mechanism of the disease

Eating a high carbohydrate diet results in elevated blood glucose levels. The pancreas reacts by releasing more insulin to cause the glucose to be stored in cells. High insulin levels cause the cells to become less responsive to insulin signaling. This results in the need for more insulin.

This cycle repeats, as insulin sensitivity progressively decreases and the need for more insulin rises. High insulin levels result in weight gain because insulin causes the body to store blood glucose as body fat.

Inflammation also results, further complicating the functional picture and reducing satiety. This increases appetite, even though the body has difficulty storing the extra fuel. Increased intake of calories drives a further increase in weight as the cycle continues.

A diet that includes ultra-processed foods is also a promoter of obesity, in part because processed foods are engineered to suppress satiety and drive hunger.

Insulin resistance and a loss of appropriate satiety signaling are the root cause of obesity.

Treatment options for obesity

Common treatment options for obesity include bariatric surgery. It has a variable success rate, with failures usually defined as either a failure to lose enough weight, or failure due to symptoms secondary to the procedure.

One study found an overall success rate of 58% for surgical bypass or gastric banding, while another study noted that 44% of patients experienced intolerable symptoms after gastric banding bariatric surgery.

Medication as a weight loss strategy became famous due to the use of fenfluramine/phentermine, or “fen-phen,” which did help some people lose weight. However, these were similar to amphetamine stimulants, with serious and dangerous side effects.

GLP-1 medications such as glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists (GLP-1 Agonists) instead function by stimulating insulin secretion, while stimulating the proliferation of pancreatic beta cells.

Examples of these drugs are Ozempic and Wegovy. GLP-1 agonists increase glucose uptake into muscles while decreasing gluconeogenesis in the liver. They also act directly on the hypothalamus to stimulate satiety.

Pancreatitis is a known side effect. Other systems affected are urinary (kidney), integumentary (skin), digestive or alimentary (liver), immune, endocrine (hormonal), circulatory (blood), neurological, and cardiovascular.

Often consisting of calorie-counting/low-calorie consumption, diets alone have proven to be very challenging as a primary therapy for obesity. Low-carbohydrate diets have been shown to help with metabolic disease in general, and obesity quite specifically.

Some research opinions state that exercise is much more effective for preventing obesity or maintaining weight loss than treating obesity. However, exercise can help, and there is evidence that interval-type exercise is more effective than continuous-effort exercise.

How Revero treats obesity

Revero’s combination of a low-carbohydrate diet, medical supervision, and clinical protocols are designed to target the root cause of obesity. Restoring insulin sensitivity, reducing insulin levels, and rebuilding normal hunger and satiety signaling are the goals of the Revero program.

When patients eat a low-carb diet, large quantities of insulin are no longer needed to move glucose from the bloodstream into cells. Being fat-adapted means the body can oxidize body fat for fuel instead of being fully dependent on carbohydrates.

This powerful combination of effects targets the cause of obesity, making it possible to consistently lose weight without persistent hunger.

A Root Cause Approach for Treating Metabolic Conditions

Revero offers root-cause treatments for primary hypertension and obesity. Our virtual clinic provides ongoing support through clinicians and coaches, enabling safe medication management, and personalized nutrition therapy designed to reduce blood sugar and insulin resistance and restore health effectively and sustainably.