In this special series on obesity, our host, Dr. Neil Skolnik, discusses the obesity epidemic with some of the foremost experts in the world. In Part 2 of the series, Dr. Skolnik is joined by Drs. Deborah Horn, Thomas Wadden, and Donna Ryan. Together, they discuss, in detail, approaches to obesity including lifestyle, medications and bariatric surgery.

The Focus on Obesity series is a collaborative project of the American Diabetes Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians. The entire program will comprise a total of seven episodes: four episodes of Diabetes Core Update, which will cover topics of interest for family physicians, primary care clinicians, and other health care professionals; as well as three episodes of its sister podcast, Diabetes Day by Day, which will be tailored for people with overweight or obesity and their caregivers. The combined seven-episode program will be released between February and June 2024 and can be freely accessed at https://diabetesjournals.org/journals/pages/podcasts_obesity.

Funding support for the “Focus on Obesity” series is jointly provided by Lilly and Novo Nordisk.

Presented by:

Neil Skolnik, MD, Professor of Family and Community Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University; Associate Director, Family Medicine Residency Program, Abington Jefferson Health

Thomas Wadden PhD,  is a Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the former director of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at Penn.  

Donna Ryan, MD Professor emeritus at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Deborah B. Horn, DO, MPH, Medical Director for the UT Center of Obesity Medicine and Metabolic Performance; Fellowship Program Director, Allison Family Foundation Fellowship in Clinical Obesity Medicine and Metabolism, McGovern Medical School

Selected references: 

STEP-1 Trial (Semaglutide) – Wilding J,  Batterham RL, Calanna S, et al. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2021; 384(11), 989-1002. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2032183

SURMOUNT-1 Trial (Tirzepatide) - Jastreboff, A.M., Aronne, L.J., Ahmad, N.N., et. al. Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2022; 387(3), 205-216. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2206038

STEP – 4 Trial - Rubino D, Abrahamsson N, Davies M, et al. Effect of Continued Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Placebo on Weight Loss Maintenance in Adults With Overweight or Obesity: The STEP 4 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2021; 325(14), 1414-1425. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2021.3224

SURMOUNT-4 Trial - Aronne LJ, Sattar N, Horn DB, et al. Continued Treatment With Tirzepatide for Maintenance of Weight Reduction in Adults With Obesity: The SURMOUNT-4 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2024;331(1):38–48. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.24945

Diabetes Prevention Program Trial:  Knowler WC, Barrett-Connor E, Fowler SE, et al. Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin. N Engl J Med 2002; 346: 393– 403 

Look Ahead Trial: Wing RR, Bolin P, Brancati FL, et al. Cardiovascular effects of intensive lifestyle intervention in type 2 diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2013;369(2):145–54.