Research
Mixed
Current obesity treatments (behavioral, pharmacological, surgical) are effective but often result in weight regain, and their long-term success is limited by unchanged environmental factors.
Obesity treatments are effective but not permanent cures. You need to manage your weight long-term, possibly using a combination of treatments, and be prepared for potential weight regain if you stop.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Despite available individual-level treatments, weight regain is common [73]. Owing to the chronic nature of obesity, a range of treatments may be required intermittently to manage body weight for the duration of an individual’s lifetime... discontinuing lifestyle modifications and anti-obesity medications results in weight regain owing to a variety of biological, physiological, behavioural and environmental factors [74].
Why this rating
Based on cited clinical trials and reviews of treatment outcomes.
Source
Breaking down silos: the multifaceted nature of obesity and the future of weight management
Faith Anne N. Heeren et al. · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · 2023
DOI 10.1098/rstb.2022.0215
narrative_reviewCited 16×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Obesity is not caused by a lack of willpower but is the result of complex interactions between individual biological factors and environmental determinants, requiring multifactorial prevention and treatment strategies.Strong
- Environmental-level factors, such as the food environment and socioeconomic status, interact with individual-level biological factors to drive obesity, and interventions focusing solely on the individual are suboptimal.Strong
- Modifying the food environment to reduce the availability of hyperpalatable, low-nutrient foods and increase access to healthy options is a critical step in reducing obesity incidence at the population level.Good
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
- Severely protein-deficient diets (2–3% energy) induce lean body mass loss and metabolic imbalance, whereas adequate protein intake (0.66 g/kg/d minimum) is a prerequisite for maintaining muscle, bone, and physiological function.Strong
- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
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