[acb-diabetics] weight watchers and losing weight

Tue Oct 26 00:05:16 GMT 2010

- Oct 22, 2010 -      

Weight Watchers and Merck Collaborate to Help Physicians Fight Obesity
Through Lifestyle Management Approach  

news 

Weight Watchers and Merck Collaborate to Help Physicians Fight Obesity
Through Lifestyle Management Approach 

Weight Watchers International, Inc., the world's leading provider of weight
management services, and Merck, a global healthcare leader, announced today

an innovative collaboration focused on fighting obesity.  The two companies
will launch an initiative in which Merck will provide physicians and other

health care providers with educational information about the Weight
WatchersR program and its underlying clinical evidence to assist doctors in
addressing

the ongoing weight management needs of their patients.  

"Recently published research at the 2010 International Congress on Obesity
demonstrated that the combination of the proven Weight Watchers behavior
modification

approach with physician's encouragement provides a significant increase in
patient adherence to weight-loss solutions and greater weight loss success
than

just standard physician care alone. Weight loss is an important component of
preventing and addressing many health conditions, including diabetes and
cardiovascular

diseases such as hypertension.  Because our weight management approach helps
educate people on how to live a healthy lifestyle while allowing
flexibility,

the Weight Watchers program delivers real weight loss results.
Collaborating with Merck will enable us to arm physicians with a
comprehensive, sustainable,

scalable and non-pharmaceutical solution for weight loss designed to help
improve the overall health of their patients," said David Kirchhoff, CEO of
Weight

Watchers International. 