Browse the evidence

Physicians should persist in offering patients attention, support, and individualized treatment.

Practitioners should ensure they provide ongoing support and tailored treatment for patients.

US nutrition recommendations to limit fat intake have not prevented the increase in obesity and diabetes.

Practitioners should reconsider the effectiveness of low-fat dietary recommendations.

This Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) Clinical Practice Statement (CPS) discusses 30 common obesity myths, misunderstandings, and/or oversimplifications.

Clinicians should be aware of these myths to improve patient care.

Knowledge of the underlying science may assist the obesity medicine clinician improve the care of patients with obesity.

Clinicians should leverage scientific knowledge to enhance patient outcomes.

The scientific support for this CPS is based upon published citations, clinical perspectives of OMA authors, and peer review.

The CPS is grounded in credible scientific and clinical perspectives.

Clinical inertia results in type 2 diabetes not being effectively managed.

Family physicians should be aware of the factors contributing to clinical inertia in T2D management.

Guidelines for antidiabetic drugs should provide case studies and clinical examples.

Improving guidelines with practical examples may enhance their application in clinical settings.

Clear recommendations for personalized T2D management may encourage drug prescription.

Family physicians should utilize clear recommendations to improve drug prescription practices.

There is debate regarding the safety and efficacy of performing the deep squat exercise.

Practitioners should be aware of the ongoing debate about deep squats and consider individual client needs.

The article will discuss the potential benefits and risks of performing deep squats.

Practitioners should consider both the benefits and risks when advising clients on deep squats.

Preoperative exercise training may improve walking test distance and body weight in adults undergoing bariatric surgery, but evidence is limited.

While evidence is limited, starting exercise before bariatric surgery may help improve walking test distance and body weight. Consult with your healthcare provider to determine if preoperative exercise training is appropriate for you.

Obesity should be staged using functional and cardiometabolic risk factors (Edmonton Obesity Staging System) rather than BMI alone, as BMI alone underestimates risk and fails to capture morbidity.

Don't just look at your BMI. Your health risk is better predicted by your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and how physically fit you are. A higher BMI doesn't automatically mean you are unhealthy, and a normal BMI doesn't guarantee health. Focus on improving your metabolic markers and fitness.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) using metabolically optimized settings (specifically Contact 1) increases resting metabolic rate (RMR) and promotes weight loss in patients with refractory obesity, whereas standard movement disorder settings do not.

This finding applies to a very specific subset of individuals: those with severe, refractory obesity who have already undergone bariatric surgery without success. For the general population, this is not a practical intervention. However, for these patients, standard stimulation settings fail, but optimizing the stimulation to target the lateral hypothalamic area (specifically Contact 1) can significantly boost metabolic rate and aid weight loss. This suggests that metabolic rate suppression is a key barrier in refractory obesity that can be mechanically overridden.

Energy restriction is not supported by scientific evidence for improving glycemic control in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Current evidence does not support energy restriction as an effective standalone strategy for improving blood sugar in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes, as studies show little to no benefit compared to other approaches.

Controlled metabolic accelerators (CMAs) like HU6 induce weight loss via increased mitochondrial energy expenditure (uncoupling) rather than caloric restriction, resulting in fat loss while sparing skeletal muscle mass in patients with obesity-related HFpEF.

This paper describes a new class of drugs (CMAs) that burn fat by speeding up metabolism rather than restricting food. In early studies, this approach reduced fat mass significantly while keeping muscle mass stable, unlike diet or surgery which often weaken patients. This trial tests if this works for heart failure patients with obesity. It is not a lifestyle intervention but a pharmaceutical one requiring medical supervision.

Modern obesogenic environments (sedentary lifestyle, high-calorie processed food) exploit evolutionary adaptations (brain expansion, efficient fat storage) leading to a 'normalization' of obesity phenotypes and genotypes.

Your environment is shaping your biology. To combat obesity, you must actively create a 'non-obesogenic' environment (healthy food access, physical activity) because your evolutionary biology is wired to store fat in such settings.

In the US, higher food insecurity is inversely associated with BMI.

If you are experiencing food insecurity, you may find your weight is lower than expected. This study suggests that in the US, food insecurity is linked to lower BMI, likely due to limited access to food. If you are struggling to afford food, prioritize nutrient-dense, affordable options and seek community resources. Your health is important, and help is available.

Obesity and poor-quality diets are causing a decline in US life expectancy and an increase in mortality rates for chronic diseases, reversing decades of progress.

Recognize that preventing chronic disease and maintaining longevity requires addressing the root causes (diet quality and obesity) through policy and individual food choices, rather than relying solely on medical treatments for existing conditions.

Time-restricted feeding (TRF) shows promise for health but current evidence is insufficient to draw clear conclusions regarding its efficacy compared to other fasting methods.

Be cautious with time-restricted feeding claims. While popular, there isn't enough scientific evidence yet to confirm it works as well as other fasting methods for weight loss or health markers.

Ramadan Fasting (RF) protocols (28-30 days) have insufficient evidence to draw definitive conclusions regarding their effects on body weight, composition, or glycemic control compared to Time-Restricted Feeding.

Do not rely on Ramadan Fasting as a proven, standalone strategy for weight loss or metabolic health improvement based on current scientific evidence. The data is too sparse to recommend it over established methods like TRF.

Long-term calorie-restricting diets do not produce sustained weight loss or significant health improvements compared to control groups, and often result in greater weight regain than initial loss.

Relying solely on severe calorie restriction for long-term obesity management is unlikely to succeed. Most people regain the weight, often exceeding their starting weight. Health improvements seen in some studies are often due to other factors like exercise or medication reduction, not the diet itself. Sustainable weight management requires addressing the high rate of weight regain and the methodological biases that make diets appear more effective than they are.

There is no compelling evidence that non-sugar sweeteners provide important health benefits for weight loss in adults or children who are actively trying to lose weight, nor do they significantly improve glycaemic control or other major health outcomes compared to sugar.

If you are actively trying to lose weight, switching to non-sugar sweeteners is unlikely to provide a significant advantage over other methods. The evidence does not support using NSS as a primary tool for weight loss in this group. Focus on overall caloric deficit rather than just substituting sweeteners.

Acute exercise increases body temperature, which may promote Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) by facilitating the subsequent drop in core body temperature required for sleep onset, although empirical evidence remains inconsistent.

Exercising before bed raises body temperature. Theoretically, this helps you fall into deep sleep (SWS) once your body cools down. However, because results are inconsistent, monitor your own response; if you feel overheated, move your workout earlier.

Dietary restriction of branched-chain amino acids can improve insulin sensitivity and increase energy expenditure in animal models, suggesting a potential therapeutic avenue for metabolic disease.

Animal studies suggest that reducing BCAA intake might help with insulin sensitivity. However, human data is mixed, with some studies showing higher dietary BCAA linked to lower T2D risk. Do not restrict protein without medical supervision.