A Cleveland Clinic study shows that survivors of COVID-19 who have moderate or severe obesity may have a greater risk of experiencing long-term consequences of the disease, compared with patients who do not have obesity.
Efficacy of diabetes drug on weight loss is game-changing: expert
CLEVELAND, March 2, 2021 More than 800 million people worldwide who have obesity could potentially benefit from a hormone-mimicking medication typically used to treat diabetes. The medication is now shown to be effective for weight loss, says an expert at a top American hospital, Cleveland Clinic, ahead of World Obesity Day on March 4. Dr W Scott Butsch, Director of Obesity Medicine, Cleveland Clinic’s Bariatric & Metabolic Institute, said: “Obesity is a complex, highly heritable disease with a strong biological basis. We estimate 40 to 70% of the variability of the BMI in the population is due to genetic traits, which makes it very challenging for people to lose weight. Treatment plans need to be personalised and include different approaches, such as lifestyle interventions, obesity medications, and bariatric and metabolic surgery. Importantly, the recent STEP 1 trial showing the beneficial impact of dia