Edited by Drummond Rennie, MD, Deputy Editor (West), and Don Riesenberg, MD, Senior Editor.
To the Editor.— The treatment of obesity is a matter of opinion, not of fact. The recent commentary by Wadden et al1 recommends a responsible program of very-low-calorie diets plus behavioral therapy for those who are 30% overweight or more. Yet studies conducted by Dr Wadden and others working with the Sandoz Nutritional Company do not support this recommendation.Wadden et al2 compared three groups of patients: those treated by very-low-calorie diets alone, by behavioral therapy alone, and by a combination therapy such as that recommended in the commentary. "At the three-year follow-up, however, subjects in all three conditions had regained between 74% and 85% of their end-of-treatment weight loss and differences in weight loss among conditions were no longer significantly different."2 Dr Stunkard,3 writing separately, recommended conservative treatments with behavioral therapy "over such radical ones as jawwiring and very low calorie diets." Another study
Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature
Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal
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