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Approaches to addressing the rise in obesity levels

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 19, pages 76–81 (2023)Cite this article

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Abstract

Levels of obesity and overweight are increasing globally, with affected individuals often experiencing health issues and reduced quality of life. The pathogenesis of obesity is complex and multifactorial, and effective solutions have been elusive. In this Viewpoint, experts in the fields of medical therapy, adipocyte biology, exercise and muscle, bariatric surgery, genetics, and public health give their perspectives on current and future progress in addressing the rising prevalence of obesity.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Caroline M. Apovian

  2. Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

    Xi-Rong Guo

  3. Exercise & Nutrition Research Program, The Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia

    John A. Hawley

  4. Division of General Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    Shahzeer Karmali

  5. Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Ruth J. F. Loos

  6. The Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA

    Ruth J. F. Loos

  7. Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Wilma E. Waterlander

Authors
  1. Caroline M. Apovian
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  2. Xi-Rong Guo
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  3. John A. Hawley
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  4. Shahzeer Karmali
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  5. Ruth J. F. Loos
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  6. Wilma E. Waterlander
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Contributions

Caroline M. Apovian is Co-Director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness (CWMW) in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, USA, and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. For over 30 years, Dr Apovian has held a position at the forefront of the obesity and nutrition fields.

Xi-Rong Guo is a chief paediatrician, professor and executive dean at Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China. He is engaged in research on the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. He has reported five novel obesity-related full-length genes and published more than 100 articles on obesity.

John A. Hawley is Director of the Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research at the Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia. The primary focus of his laboratory’s research programme is the interaction of exercise training and diet on human health outcomes with an emphasis on primary lifestyle interventions to combat obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Dr Shahzeer Karmali is a minimally invasive gastrointestinal and bariatric surgeon based at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He is Professor of Surgery in the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta. He completed his surgical residency at the University of Calgary in 2002 and Fellowship training in minimally invasive surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA. He currently has over 220 peer-reviewed publications.

Ruth Loos is Vice Executive Director and Group Leader at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Her research focuses on the genetic aetiology of obesity: by identifying genes, she aims to gain insight into the biology that underlies body weight regulation and the mechanisms that link adiposity to its comorbidities. Furthermore, she examines the role of genetic information in identifying subtypes of obesity, in predicting who is at risk of gaining weight, and in tailoring prevention and treatment strategies.

Dr Wilma Waterlander is Assistant Professor at the Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Her main focus of research is the LIKE (Lifestyle Innovations based on youths’ Knowledge and Experience) project, which combines methods from system dynamics and participatory action research to develop an innovative, accessible and sustainable approach to promote healthy habits in 10–14-year-olds in multi-ethnic groups with a lower socioeconomic position in Amsterdam.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Caroline M. Apovian, Xi-Rong Guo, John A. Hawley, Shahzeer Karmali, Ruth J. F. Loos or Wilma E. Waterlander.

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Competing interests

C.M.A. is on advisory boards for Altimmune Inc., Cowen and Company LLC, Gelesis Srl., L-Nutra Inc., NeuroBo Pharmaceuticals Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Pain Script Corporation, Riverview School, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals and Xeno Biosciences. C.M.A. has received research funding from the NIH, PCORI and GI Dynamics Inc. The other authors declare no competing interests.

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Apovian, C.M., Guo, XR., Hawley, J.A. et al. Approaches to addressing the rise in obesity levels. Nat Rev Endocrinol 19, 76–81 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-022-00777-1

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