Is obesity among the most misunderstood, misclassified, and mistreated diseases?
Over the past 30 years, researchers have not only identified a key hormone (leptin) that helps regulate appetite and body weight, but they’ve also determined the biologic underpinnings (eg, altered central nervous system pathways associated with energy balance) and discovered that obesity is often genetically driven.
Together, these advances, along with the development of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, suggest that obesity is a chronic disease that might best respond to cohesive medical and lifestyle management.
Why then is obesity still regarded by many as the direct result only of a lack of self-control, poor eating habits, and a sedentary lifestyle? Equally important, what does the future hold for patients with…