AACE MENA 2025-What is the Role for Lifestyle Support in the New Era of Medical Treatment for Obesity?

What is the Role for Lifestyle Support in the New Era of Medical Treatment for Obesity?

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The speaker discusses obesity treatment, emphasizing that patients seek not only weight loss but also preventing weight regain, which is critical for long-term health benefits such as reducing cardiovascular disease and diabetes risks. While behavioral therapy can induce modest weight loss, physiological mechanisms often cause regaining weight. New pharmacotherapies like semaglutide and tirzepatide, combined with lifestyle support, achieve significantly greater weight loss (15-20%), but stopping medication leads to weight regain. These drugs reduce hunger and food cravings effectively, yet behavioral and dietary support remains essential. Support should shift from calorie restriction to improving diet quality, managing side effects, encouraging physical activity, and preserving muscle mass. Recent guidelines advocate for realistic goals, nutritional assessment, and ongoing support, including exercise programs. The speaker calls for adaptive behavioral interventions alongside pharmacotherapy, highlighting the need for further research on preserving muscle, long-term weight maintenance, and comparing different treatments.

Keywords

obesity treatment

weight regain prevention

semaglutide

tirzepatide

behavioral therapy

long-term weight maintenance