Submitted by admin on Tue, 2006-11-28 08:00. ::
Dr. Chu Nien-feng said that Xenical, produced by Roche, is the first medicine in Taiwan to help teenagers facing the problem of obesity. They can consider taking the medicine if they have a body mass index of over 30, he said.
The BMI, based on height and weight, is a health indicator used to measure one's overall body fat. Obesity experts classify a person who has a BMI of less than 18.5 as underweight, a BMI of 18.5-24.9 as normal weight; 25-29.9 as overweight; more than 30 as obese; and over 40 as extremely obese.
People who are underweight have higher rates of disease and death than people with normal BMIs. People with BMIs of 25 and above are at greater risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, gallstones and osteoarthritis. People with levels over 30 are at increased risk of developing these diseases as well as certain cancers, and of death, especially from heart disease.
Chu said that one of his patients is an 18-year-old female student who is 165 centimeters tall and weighs 132 kilograms. With diet control and exercise failing to achieve weight loss, she could turn to Xenical for assistance, he said.
But he also cautioned those who are aged between 12-18 that they can only use Xenical if they have a BMI of over 30, if their blood fat, blood sugar and uric acid levels are too high, and if their weight cannot be reduced through diet and increased exercise.
He warned teenagers against taking drastic action to lose weight, urging them to seek the assistance of doctors. He also said they should set weight loss of 0.5 kilograms per week as their goal.
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