Antiobesity Medications Compliment Lifestyle Change in an Optimal Weight Management Plan: Obesity Expert

"I like to think of antiobesity medications as complimenting lifestyle, and the same for bariatric surgery. They're allowing the patient to be able to adopt healthy eating habits and exercise."

Caroline Apovian, MD, obesity management expert and researcher, spoke recently wtih Patient Care® about the epxanding class of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) antiobesity medications (AOMs), emphasizing that treatment for the disease of obesity is multifactorial. Medication is just one element, and, for many persons with overweight or obesity, the effects of the AOM will support increasing levels of physical activity and changes in dietary composition.

While the new generation of AOMs has been described as "revolutionary," there is still no silver bullet for obesity. In the conversation above, Apovian discusses how AOMs, optimal dietary choices, and increased physical activity work together.

Caroline M Apovian, MD, is a professor of medicine a Harvard Medical School and codirector of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness in the division of endocrinology, diabetes, and hypertension at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. Apovian is one of the founding creators of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, the body that provides certification and recognititon for physicains who have specialized knowledge and training in the practice of obesity medicine.