Almost 1:10 adolescents non-prescription weight loss products globally

One in ten adolescents globally have used ineffective and potentially harmful non prescribed weight loss products in their lifetime, with 2% using them in the previous week. A review, of over 90 studies of 600,000+ participants, headed by Ms Natasha Hall fro0m Monash University’s School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has […]

Tirzepatide enhances weight loss with sustained treatment but discontinuation leads to weight regain

The current class of anti-obesity drugs is proving remarkably effective at removing excess pounds. However, a phase 3 randomized clinical trial led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian found that people who stopped taking the medication regained much of that weight within a year. At the same time, the study shows that remaining on the drug not only […]

FDA approval for Zepbound (tirzepatide) injection, the first and only obesity treatment of its kind that activates both GIP and GLP-1 hormone receptors – Eli Lilly

The FDA approved Eli Lilly and Company’s Zepbound (tirzepatide) injection, the first and only obesity treatment of its kind that activates both GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) hormone receptors. Zepbound is indicated for adults with obesity (with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or greater), or those who are overweight (with a BMI of 27 kg/m2 or greater) […]

Globally, consumption of sugary drinks increased at least 16% since 1990

The decision to reach for a sugary beverage is heavily influenced by where you live, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy researchers report in a new study published October 3 in the journal Nature Communications. While an analysis of the Global Dietary Database for the years 1990, 2005, and 2018 found overall consumption of sweetened drinks increased—by nearly 16% worldwide over the 28-year period […]

Obesity experts spotlight safety gap in clinical trials and drug labeling for people with obesity

A new opinion piece published in Health Affairs Forefront raises questions around current approaches to assess drug safety and effectiveness in people with obesity. The article sheds light on how increased body fat can modify the effects of drugs used to treat common conditions, in some cases rendering the drugs ineffective or unsafe for people with obesity. The article, titled “Assessments Of […]

New study reveals the most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis, affects 15% of the global population over the age of 30

A new study projects nearly 1 billion people will be living with osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, by 2050. Currently, 15% of individuals aged 30 and older experience osteoarthritis. The research, published today in The Lancet Rheumatology, analyzes 30 years of osteoarthritis data (1990–2020) covering more than 200 countries and was led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation […]

Too few primary care doctors address obesity with their patients, highlighting need for weight loss tool

Too Few Primary Care Doctors Address Obesity With Their Patients, Highlighting Need for Weight Loss Tool After finding that few to no clinicians provided weight management care, researchers developed a weight loss tool called PATHWEIGH. This tool was designed to remove clinician barriers in providing patient care that addressed weight. Early success with the tool led to PATHWEIGH being implemented […]

New analysis of trial of semaglutide in adolescents shows it can reduce liver enzymes indicative of liver damage

A new substudy of the STEP TEENS trial presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2023, Dublin 17-20 May) shows that adolescents using semaglutide experienced significant reductions in levels of liver enzymes that are an indicator of liver damage. The study is by Dr Daniel Weghuber, Department of Pediatrics, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria, and Dr Rasmus Sørrig, […]