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The use of pharmacologic agents for treatment of obesity has a checkered history. A variety of drugs and hormones have been shown to cause short-term weight loss in obese adults; however, attempts to reduce body weight with powerful stimulants and appetite suppressants – examples include amphetamines, phenmetrazine, thyroid hormone, dexfenfluramine, and rimonabant – ultimately proved disastrous when the drugs were found to cause life-threatening cardiovascular complications and/or psychological decompensation (1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many of the therapeutic goals of diabetes care, such as lifestyle changes for weight management and medication adherence, are also effective for diabetes prevention. The diabetes educator can play a critical role in identifying and educating individuals at high risk for type 2 diabetes. Early detection of high-risk status provides an opportunity for early intervention and long-term health promotion. The diabetes educator is in a unique position to facilitate and support individual΄s efforts in implementing a diabetes prevention plan. The Diabetes Prevention Program – a national clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases – showed that a lifestyle intervention with the goal of moderate weight loss (5–10 of body weight) and increasing physical activity (150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week) are recommended for prevention of type 2 diabetes. The study also showed that pharmacologic treatment with metformin has also shown a degree of effectiveness for diabetes prevention in certain individuals. Prevention of type 2 diabetes can help alleviate the human and economic toll of this chronic disease which has become a worldwide epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]