Along with being health concerns, overweight and obesity are risk factors for additional diseases such as:
- raised blood pressure / hypertension,
- glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus, or
- impaired blood lipids, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
For individuals with health issues who are aiming for energy reduction and low calorie diets, meal replacement products or “slimming foods” can be a tool to support weight loss or weight maintenance strategies. This is particularly useful where dietary interventions pose a challenge, or have not been successful before. These products are designed to replace all or a part of the total daily diet, and are specifically formulated to provide the calories and nutrient needs of people on a weight-loss or weight maintenance diet. As an interim way, it is used to help people lose and regain control of their weight, often with support from healthcare professionals.