Obesity

Obesity is a multifactorial disorder of energy balance in which chronic calorie intake is greater than energy output
Body mass index (BMI) The BMI is body mass (kg) divided by the square of the height (metres); it is highly correlated with body fat. 'Healthy' people have a BMI of 20-25, those with a BMI of 25-30 are deemed to be 'overweight', those with a BMI of >30 are said to be obese and those with a BMI >40 to be morbidly obese.
In our body there are two types of hormones which affect food intake
1. Hormones which decrese food intake (anorexigenic peptide) e.g. leptin, MSH etc
2. Hormones which increase food intake (orexigenic peptide) e.g. neuropeptide Y & agouti related protein which increase food intake

Pharmacological approaches for obesity
Orlistat is a pancreatic lipase inhibitor, preventing the breakdown of dietary fat to fatty acids and glycerols

Sibutramine, originally intended to be used as an antidepressant, has recently been shown to have anti-obesity action. Sibutramine is an inhibitor of neuronal 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)/noradrenaline reuptake at the hypothalamic sites that regulate food intake
POTENTIAL NEW ANTI-OBESITY DRUGS
mazindol (adrenergic agonist
sertraline (a selective serotonin uptake inhibitor
pegylated leptin
β3-adrenoceptor agonist