Contemporary management of obesity: A comparison of bariatric metabolic surgery and novel incretin mimetic drugs

Diabetes Technol Ther. 2024 Apr 26. doi: 10.1089/dia.2024.0122. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe global prevalence of obesity has risen sharply during the past half-century, reaching pandemic proportions and creating a public health crisis. Obesity is a recognized risk factor for the development of diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension, hepatic steatosis, and many other cardiometabolic disorders with significant resultant morbidity and mortality. Though treatment of obesity can prevent or slow the progression of these aforementioned illnesses, efforts to help patients achieve reliable and sustainable weight loss have had limited success. While improving nutrition and increasing physical activity results in a host of health benefits, the weight loss achieved with lifestyle interventions alone is modest and difficult to sustain. Early attempts at medical and surgical treatment of obesity were plagued with adverse effects and complications. Moreover, these approaches failed to demonstrate long-term health benefits, even when weight loss was achieved. Recently, novel incretin-based therapies targeting glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors have gained popularity due to their effectiveness in achieving substantial weight loss in patients both with and without diabetes. After many successful clinical trials, there are now multiple GLP-1 and one dual GLP-1-GIP receptor agonists FDA approved for chronic weight management. A...
Source: Atherosclerosis - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research