Diet and exercise not enough, obesity experts say

Plenty of people who are obese and medically need to lose weight say they get sick and tired of being told to eat less and exercise more. And for good reason: A growing body of research finds lifestyle and behavioral modifications often are not enough to help someone drop a significant amount of weight and keep it off.

A new paper published in the journal Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology argues that it's high time for obesity to be recognized as a serious chronic disease with biological causes -- not just a result of poor eating habits and sedentary behavior.

The authors, a group of obesity treatment experts, say that while patients may be successful in the first few months of a weight loss program, some 80 to 95 percent will eventually put the weight back on. They say this is because obesity has a lot to do with underlying biological issues in the body that dieting simply can't change.

"Although lifestyle modifications may result in lasting weight loss in individuals who are overweight, in those with chronic obesity, body weight seems to become biologically 'stamped in' and defended," Dr. Christopher Ochner, lead author and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, said in a press statement.

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