Experts highlight need for obesity drugs amid ethnic health disparities

As global obesity rates continue to rise, experts say medication may be essential for effective treatment, especially after obesity is established, according to The Guardian. Dr. Louis Aronne—an obesity specialist and professor at Weill Cornell Medicine—noted that while improved diets and food supply can prevent obesity, they are often insufficient to reverse it due to physical changes in the brain that hinder weight loss. This supports the growing reliance on anti-obesity medications.

Professor Naveed Sattar of the University of Glasgow emphasized the heightened risk among ethnic minorities, including South Asians and Black individuals, who tend to develop type 2 diabetes at lower weight gains compared to white populations.

Even modest increases in obesity rates could significantly impact diabetes prevalence in many countries. Sattar also pointed to early trial data suggesting GLP-1-based medications may be nearly twice as effective at reducing heart disease risk in Asians compared to whites. He concluded that expanding access to safe, effective weight-loss drugs—particularly oral options—could benefit public health worldwide.