Browse the evidence

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.

If you have Class III obesity (BMI >39.9), surgery is the most effective treatment available. Medications like semaglutide are significantly less effective than surgery for this group. If you are not a candidate for surgery or refuse it, medication is still an option, but you should expect less weight loss compared to surgical outcomes.

Older adults require higher total protein intakes (1.0–1.5 g/kg/d) and higher EAA/leucine density to overcome anabolic resistance and maximize muscle protein synthesis.

If you are over 65, aim for 1.0 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. Focus on protein sources rich in essential amino acids, especially leucine, to help your muscles respond better to food and exercise. This helps prevent age-related muscle loss.

Bariatric surgery (gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, duodenal switch) is the most effective intervention for significant weight loss and metabolic benefits in severe obesity.

For severe obesity, bariatric surgery (like gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy) is the most effective way to achieve significant weight loss. It works by restricting stomach size and/or altering digestion. It also improves metabolic health. Recovery is faster with modern laparoscopic techniques.

Semaglutide 2.4 mg once weekly is a highly effective treatment for obesity, leading to an average 14.9% body weight loss in nondiabetic adults over 68 weeks, and reduces major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with obesity without diabetes.

Semaglutide 2.4 mg once weekly is a powerful treatment for obesity. In clinical trials, it helped people lose nearly 15% of their body weight. It also reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events in people with obesity but no diabetes. Discuss with your doctor if this once-weekly injection is right for you.

Most athletes ideally need 1.2 to 2.0 grams/kg of body weight/day of protein, preferably split across 3-4 meals.

Athletes should aim for a specific protein intake range to enhance muscle synthesis and recovery.

Caloric restriction leads to a significant decrease in body weight in the short term.

Practitioners should consider caloric restriction as an effective short-term strategy for weight loss.

Lifestyle interventions (diet and exercise) remain the most cost-effective and durable strategy for weight loss and diabetes prevention, outperforming microbiome therapies in long-term weight management.

Diet and exercise are the most effective and affordable way to lose weight and prevent diabetes. They outperform probiotics and FMT for weight loss and provide durable benefits.

Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.

You must lift weights to regain strength and function. Aim for 2-3 sessions per week at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity (70-85% of your max). This mechanical load is the key signal your body needs to rebuild muscle function, which nutrition alone cannot provide.

Lifestyle interventions (diet, exercise, weight loss, smoking cessation) significantly reduce the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease progression.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle is the most powerful tool for preventing heart, kidney, and metabolic disease. Focus on a balanced diet, regular physical activity (aiming for 150 minutes per week), maintaining a healthy weight, and quitting smoking. These changes can reduce your risk of developing diabetes by up to 72% and significantly lower your cardiovascular risk.

Semaglutide (2.4 mg once weekly) and Tirzepatide (up to 15 mg once weekly) produce significant weight loss (up to 14.9-20.9%) and improved glycemic control (HbA1c reduction >2%) in adults with obesity or type 2 diabetes, outperforming placebo and existing pharmacotherapies.

Semaglutide and Tirzepatide are highly effective, once-weekly injectable treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes. They work by mimicking hormones that regulate appetite and blood sugar, leading to significant weight loss (up to 20%) and better glucose control than most other drugs. Because weight regain is common after stopping, these medications are intended for long-term management of these chronic conditions, not short-term fixes.

Tirzepatide produces substantial, dose-dependent weight loss in non-diabetic adults with obesity, with maximum tolerated doses achieving mean body weight reductions of approximately 20.9% compared to placebo.

If you have obesity and do not have diabetes, tirzepatide is a highly effective pharmacological intervention for weight loss. The medication works by mimicking hormones that regulate appetite and metabolism. Higher doses (up to the maximum tolerated dose) yield greater weight loss, with some patients losing over 20% of their body weight. While gastrointestinal side effects like nausea are common, they do not appear to increase the risk of serious health events compared to a placebo, making it a viable option for chronic weight management.

GLP-1 receptor agonists (liraglutide, semaglutide, tirzepatide) produce significant, clinically meaningful weight loss (7–21%) and improve cardiometabolic markers in adults and adolescents with obesity.

If you have obesity, GLP-1 medications like semaglutide or tirzepatide are currently the most effective pharmacological tools available, producing weight loss comparable to bariatric surgery. They work by mimicking hormones that regulate appetite and digestion. While they require weekly (or daily) injections and can cause temporary gastrointestinal side effects, they also improve blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Because obesity is a chronic disease, these medications are intended for long-term use to maintain weight loss, not just short-term fixes.

Discontinuation of GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy leads to substantial weight regain, indicating that obesity requires long-term, possibly lifelong, pharmacological management.

If you stop taking GLP-1 medications like semaglutide, you will likely regain most of the weight you lost. This is because obesity is a chronic condition, and the medication helps manage the underlying hormonal drivers. To keep the weight off, you likely need to stay on the medication long-term, similar to how blood pressure medication is used for hypertension.

Adhering to national dietary guidelines using minimally processed foods (MPF) results in significantly greater weight loss and fat mass reduction compared to adhering to the same guidelines using ultraprocessed foods (UPF), primarily driven by lower energy intake.

If you want to lose weight, follow your country's official healthy eating guidelines. Doing so with minimally processed foods (like whole grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables) will help you lose more weight than doing so with ultraprocessed foods (like reformulated cereals and ready meals). However, even if you eat ultraprocessed foods, as long as they meet national nutritional standards (low sugar, salt, and fat, high fiber), you can still lose weight. The key is that minimally processed foods help you eat fewer calories naturally, likely because they are less energy-dense and take longer to eat.

Tirzepatide and semaglutide are the only obesity management medications (OMMs) achieving greater than 10% total body weight loss (TBWL) at study endpoints, with tirzepatide uniquely associated with a significantly higher proportion of patients achieving ≥25% TBWL.

If you are seeking significant, clinically meaningful weight loss (over 10% of body weight), current evidence strongly supports using tirzepatide or semaglutide over older oral medications. Tirzepatide shows the highest efficacy, with a unique ability to help a larger proportion of patients lose 25% or more of their body weight. Be aware that these are long-term treatments; stopping them typically leads to regaining most of the lost weight, so they should be viewed as ongoing management for obesity, not a short-term fix.

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) are more effective than adjustable gastric banding (AGB) for weight loss and quality of life in severe obesity, with RYGB providing superior weight loss compared to SG.

If you have severe obesity and are considering surgery, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass offers the best chance for significant, lasting weight loss and improved quality of life. Sleeve gastrectomy is a good alternative if bypass is not possible, but expect less weight loss. Adjustable gastric banding is not recommended as it is significantly less effective. Discuss these options with a specialist bariatric team to determine the best fit for your health profile.

Tirzepatide induces significant, dose-dependent weight loss in patients with obesity or type 2 diabetes, with non-diabetic individuals experiencing greater absolute weight reduction than diabetic individuals at equivalent doses.

Tirzepatide is a highly effective treatment for weight loss, with higher doses (15 mg) producing the greatest results. Non-diabetic patients tend to lose more weight than diabetic patients at the same dose. The most common barrier is gastrointestinal side effects like nausea, which are dose-dependent but typically manageable and do not lead to serious health risks.

Tirzepatide increases the likelihood of achieving clinically meaningful weight loss thresholds (≥5%, ≥10%, ≥15%) in a dose-dependent manner, with 15 mg showing the highest odds ratios for all thresholds.

Higher doses of tirzepatide significantly increase your chances of losing 5%, 10%, or 15% of your body weight. The 15 mg dose offers the highest probability of achieving these milestones compared to lower doses.

Semaglutide (2.4 mg weekly) produces significantly greater weight loss than liraglutide (3.0 mg daily), orlistat, and phentermine in obese individuals.

If you have obesity or overweight with related health risks, Semaglutide (2.4 mg weekly) is currently the most effective pharmacological option for weight loss, significantly outperforming Liraglutide, Orlistat, and Phentermine. You must start at a low dose (0.25 mg) and increase it every 4 weeks to minimize stomach side effects. This medication works best when combined with diet and exercise changes.

Tirzepatide, a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist, produces significant, dose-dependent weight loss and HbA1c reduction in overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes, with efficacy increasing at doses of 5mg, 10mg, and 15mg administered once weekly.

If you have type 2 diabetes and are overweight or obese, Tirzepatide is a highly effective, once-weekly injection that helps you lose significant weight and lower your blood sugar. The higher the dose (up to 15mg), the more weight you tend to lose. While you might experience side effects like nausea or diarrhea, especially at higher doses, most people get used to it. It is more effective than many existing obesity medications.

Tirzepatide administration significantly reduces body weight in overweight and obese individuals (BMI ≥28 kg/m²) compared to control, with the magnitude of weight loss being dose-dependent.

If you have a BMI of 28 or higher, Tirzepatide is a clinically proven option for significant weight loss. It works by mimicking hormones that regulate blood sugar and appetite. You take it as a once-weekly injection, starting at a low dose (2.5mg) and increasing to 5mg, 10mg, or 15mg depending on your response. Expect some gastrointestinal side effects like nausea or diarrhea, especially at higher doses, but most people tolerate it well. The higher the dose, the more weight you tend to lose.

Tirzepatide significantly reduces HbA1c levels in individuals with Type 2 Diabetes, with the effect being dose-dependent.

For those managing Type 2 Diabetes, Tirzepatide offers a powerful tool to lower blood sugar levels (HbA1c). It works by helping your pancreas release insulin when needed and stopping the liver from making too much sugar. Like with weight loss, higher doses lead to greater HbA1c reductions. This makes it a viable option for patients who need better glycemic control alongside weight management.

Once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide (specifically the 2.4 mg dose) produces substantial, sustained weight loss (mean reduction ~14.9%) and significant improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors (HbA1c, lipids, blood pressure) in adults with overweight or obesity, with an acceptable safety profile characterized by mild-to-moderate gastrointestinal side effects.

If you have obesity or overweight with comorbidities, once-weekly semaglutide (2.4 mg) is a highly effective medical treatment that can help you lose nearly 15% of your body weight and improve heart health markers like blood pressure and cholesterol. While you may experience temporary stomach issues like nausea when starting, these usually get better as your body adjusts. It is not a quick fix but a long-term management tool for a chronic condition, comparable to how medication manages high blood pressure.

Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is causally associated with a significant global burden of incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), mediated by both direct metabolic effects and adiposity.

Reduce or eliminate sugar-sweetened beverages to significantly lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The risk is not just from weight gain but from how sugar is metabolized directly. This is especially critical if you are young, male, or live in urban areas in high-burden regions like Latin America or Sub-Saharan Africa.