Research
Hormonal
Successful long-term weight loss maintenance likely requires targeting multiple redundant hormonal systems simultaneously rather than a single molecule.
Treating obesity is complex because your body has multiple redundant systems that fight weight loss. Relying on a single drug or diet strategy is unlikely to work long-term. Effective management likely involves addressing multiple aspects of your biology and lifestyle simultaneously.
StrongQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Successful pharmacologic treatment for obesity may be possible only by simultaneously targeting the interlocking, redundant systems that drive food intake and act to resist the loss of body fat.
Why this rating
This is a review paper synthesizing multiple lines of evidence (genetic, hormonal, surgical) to form a conclusion.
Source
To Eat or Not to Eat — How the Gut Talks to the Brain
Judith Körner et al. · New England Journal of Medicine · 2003
DOI 10.1056/nejmp038114
narrative_reviewCited 203×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Exogenous administration of Peptide YY (PYY) reduces appetite and food consumption by approximately 30% in both lean and obese humans, primarily through inhibition of gut motility and hypothalamic signaling.Good
- Obese individuals exhibit a diminished endogenous postprandial Peptide YY (PYY) response compared to lean individuals, despite consuming more calories.Good
Related findings · Hormonal
- Initial treatment for type 2 diabetes should be a combination of metformin and either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist to achieve cardiorenal protection, rather than monotherapy or older agents like sulfonylureas.Strong
- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →