Health
Weight-loss medications are not effective without ‘nutrition therapy,’ experts say
People who are on weight-loss journeys should not rely solely on anti-obesity medications, according to a statement from a national nutrition association.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics released the statement on March 4, which is World Obesity Day.
“The academy calls on the medical community, including pharmaceutical manufacturers of anti-obesity medications, obesity medicine providers and other health care practitioners specializing in obesity, to enhance the efficacy of these medications and maximize patient success rates by including a referral for medical nutrition therapy from a registered dietitian nutritionist alongside prescriptions for anti-obesity medications,” said Dr. Lauri Wright, PhD, president of the Chicago-based academy.
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“The anti-obesity medications alone will not end obesity unless they are combined with a collaborative, interprofessional approach that includes policy changes to reduce health inequity and disparity,” she also said in the release.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Wright emphasized the need to overcome obstacles to obesity treatment.
People on weight-loss journeys should not rely solely on anti-obesity medications, a national nutrition association said on Monday, March 4. (iStock)
“We must reevaluate how we treat and prevent obesity by increasing access to nutritious food and for health insurance plans to cover nutrition services,” she said.
“Medical nutrition therapy and intensive behavioral therapy provided by a registered dietitian nutritionist are both proven and cost-effective.”
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics released its statement on March 4, which is World Obesity Day. “We must reevaluate how we treat and prevent obesity by increasing access to nutritious food and for health insurance plans to cover nutrition services,” the president of the group said. (iStock)
Semaglutides, a class of medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists — including Ozempic (prescribed for diabetes management), Wegovy (prescribed for weight loss), Rybelsus (type 2 diabetes) and Saxenda (weight loss) — have been spiking in popularity in recent years.
The number of people in the U.S. using GLP-1 agonists for either diabetes or obesity reached 40 million in 2022, research has shown.
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In the academy’s statement, Wright referred to obesity as “a complex, chronic and progressive disease associated with serious complications and risk of mortality.”
“Recognizing World Obesity Day during National Nutrition Month is an opportunity to reevaluate how we best utilize anti-obesity medications to ensure that every patient has access to both lifestyle interventions and safe and effective medications that can improve the health of many adults in the U.S.,” she added.
Semaglutides, a class of medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists — including Ozempic (prescribed for diabetes management), Wegovy (prescribed for weight loss), Rybelsus (type 2 diabetes) and Saxenda (weight loss) — have spiked in popularity in recent years. (Getty Images)
The academy said it plans to release a white paper in the spring, which will have detailed recommendations for lifestyle interventions.
Doctors share thoughts on the academy’s stance
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, responded to the statement in a conversation with Fox News Digital.
“It is important that we put a spotlight on this huge burgeoning problem during World Obesity Day,” he said.
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“With over one billion obese people in the world and over a 40% obesity rate in the U.S., we have a huge problem.”
While Siegel is in agreement with the academy’s stance, he noted that not everyone with obesity needs to be on a weight-loss medication.
Obesity management requires a multi-pronged approach that combines proper nutrition and exercise — and takes psychosocial factors into account, one doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is right to spotlight this, but wrong to imply that this shifting focus needs to include a prescription for an anti-obesity medication, presumably a semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) or a tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound).”
Given the “tremendous shortage” of these drugs, Siegel warned that many diabetics who need them can’t get them.
“And at the same time, not everyone tolerates them well, and we don’t have a complete handle yet on long-term side effects,” the doctor noted.
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“I certainly think they are useful — and can think of many situations where they decrease risks of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer as well as the need for bariatric surgery — but they are surely not one size fits all and are mostly not first-line therapy.”
To promote healthy weight management, Siegel recommended increasing daily exercise and adopting a diet rich in vegetables and fiber and lower in “empty calories.”
“With over one billion obese people in the world and over a 40% obesity rate in the U.S., we have a huge problem.”
Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurologist and longevity expert, is a big proponent of semaglutide medications as a “highly potent” treatment in the fight against obesity.
“They are indeed the holy grail of modern-day medicine and will likely have a similar effect on worldwide health as the advent of antibiotics in the early 1900s,” he predicted to Fox News Digital.
Osborn said he agrees with the academy’s recommendation.
“The management of obesity is complex,” he told Fox News Digital. “It is best done through a multi-pronged approach that emphasizes proper nutrition, exercise and psychosocial factors. One cannot anticipate long-term and sustainable results without all three.”
To promote healthy weight management, a diet should be rich in vegetables and fiber, and lower in “empty calories,” said one physician. (iStock)
Medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro have “changed the landscape of obesity management,” Osborn said.
“By sending a robust satiety signal to the brain, these medications force the brain to ‘just say no,’ equating to a caloric deficit and weight loss,” he said.
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“But absent exercise and a properly designed macronutrient-based food regimen with its full complement of protein, fats and carbohydrates, one may develop a relatively malnourished state … and a compromised immune system.”
For this reason, Osborn recommended that medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro should always be prescribed along with nutrition and exercise counseling.
Fox News Digital reached out to Novo Nordisk, maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, for comment.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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