BioWorld by Clarivate Rethinks Obesity in New Special Investigation, Finding Fitness May Be More Linked to Health than Weight

In-depth analysis of obesity highlights latest advances in weight loss drugs, the search for biological fitness mediators and the pros and cons of weight as a proxy for health

LONDON, Feb. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BioWorld™ published by Clarivate Plc (NYSE:CLVT), a global leader in connecting people and organizations to intelligence they can trust to transform their world, explores how difficult scientific detachment can be for health topics that have large cultural components- such as obesity. After many years of research and development, drug-induced weight loss has matured into a viable therapeutic option. Special investigation from BioWorld provides in-depth analysis of the latest advances in metabolic health, how fitness may play a role in these shifts and how scientists' perceptions of the obesity epidemic may shift.

According to the World Obesity Federation, one billion people globally will be living with obesity by 2030. With medical researchers' laser focus on finding solutions to address the obesity epidemic, excitement is finally building around the next generation of drugs developed to help adults shed excess weight. These new classes of drugs offer promising results and may provide an alternative solution to weight loss other than invasive procedures such as bariatric surgery. While new weight loss drugs are an extraordinary advance in medicine and will likely become some of the most prescribed of all medications in the upcoming years, how will perceptions in the medical community around the role of fitness in weight loss and overall health evolve?

Following deep analysis of the latest studies on weight loss, metabolic health and fitness, BioWorld Science Managing Editor, Anette Breindl, discusses:

• How difficult scientific detachment can be for health topics that have large cultural components. Heated debates continue around the discrepancies between individuals with Body Mass Index (BMI) in the "overweight" range, often associated with the greatest longevity, and individuals in the so-called "Class I obesity" category, who often live as long as those with a "normal" BMI.
• How weight loss is blind to the behavioral differences between brown and white fats. Weight may be a poor proxy for health as fat cells are distributed throughout the body, and the details of where they are and what they are doing matter a great deal.
• The effects of GLP-1R agonists, also called incretin mimetics, which go far beyond weight loss, and the question of whether weight loss is causal to their effects.
• How new methods are enabling a molecular understanding of exercise, which may be much more important to health than weight is.

Lynn Yoffee, Publisher, BioWorld said: "Drug-induced weight loss has finally matured into a viable therapeutic option for patients. At the same time, there are longstanding concerns that the health effects of weight might be overrated. Can a person still be considered fit and healthy despite being over what is considered a normal weight? BioWorld Science Managing Editor Anette Breindl has reviewed the latest research around these challenges and raised several complicated red flags, just as millions of people are desperately hoping that the new weight loss pills are the answer in the quest to be healthy."

For more exclusive in-depth coverage of obesity and metabolic health on BioWorld, visit: https://www.bioworld.com/articles/693766-as-weight-loss-medicine-advances-its-relevance-recedes.   

Listen to the latest edition of the BioWorld Insider podcast, where BioWorld Science Managing Editor Anette Breindl, discusses her new analysis of multiple studies related to weight loss, metabolic health and fitness, which in many ways goes against the mainstream health care state of mind about obesity, here: https://www.bioworld.com/media/podcasts/532-bioworld-insider-podcast/play/31-rethinking-obesity-fitness-may-be-more-directly-linked-to-health-than-weight.

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About BioWorld

With writers and editors stationed around the globe, BioWorld published by Clarivate, reports the breaking news - and provides key perspective on hundreds of therapeutics and devices in development, the companies behind those candidates, the business development transactions that evolve the markets, and the regulatory hurdles that both challenge and guard the processes. BioWorld has a long tradition of excellence in journalism. Collectively, the news services have been honored with 63 awards dating back to 1998, including 15 for BioWorld daily news services.

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CONTACT: Catherine Daniel, Director of External Communications, Life Sciences & Healthcare, newsroom@clarivate.com