On this week's episode, we look into the calculations being made to develop new obesity treatments. We go into the history, current best practices, body changes, and some possible new solutions in the weight loss field.

References:

• NIDDK. Overweight & Obesity Statistics. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 
• https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity Accessed December 22, 2025.
• Kuk JL, Rotondi M, Sui X, Blair SN, Ardern CI. Individuals with obesity but no other metabolic risk factors are not at significantly elevated all‐cause mortality risk in men and women. Clinical obesity. 2018 Oct;8(5):305-12. https://doi.org/10.1111/cob.12263
• Rothberg AE, McEwen LN, Kraftson AT, Ajluni N, Fowler CE, Nay CK, Miller NM, Burant CF, Herman WH. Impact of weight loss on waist circumference and the components of the metabolic syndrome. BMJ open diabetes research & care. 2017 Feb 20;5(1). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjdrc-2016-000341
• Tahrani AA, Morton J. Benefits of weight loss of 10% or more in patients with overweight or obesity: a review. Obesity. 2022 Apr;30(4):802-40. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23371
• Franz MJ, Boucher JL, Rutten-Ramos S, VanWormer JJ. Lifestyle weight-loss intervention outcomes in overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2015 Sep 1;115(9):1447-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2015.02.031
• Dombrowski SU, Knittle K, Avenell A, Araújo-Soares V, Sniehotta FF. Long term maintenance of weight loss with non-surgical interventions in obese adults: systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials. Bmj. 2014 May 14;348. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g2646
• Buckeridge C, Tsamandouras N, Carvajal‐Gonzalez S, Brown LS, Hernandez‐Illas M, Saxena AR. Once‐daily oral small‐molecule glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist lotiglipron (PF‐07081532) for type 2 diabetes and obesity: two randomized, placebo‐controlled, multiple‐ascending‐dose phase 1 studies. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. 2024 Aug;26(8):3155-66.
• Jastreboff, A. M., Ryan, D. H., Bays, H. E., Ebeling, P. R., Mackowski, M. G., Philipose, N., ... & Pannacciulli, N. (2025). Once-Monthly Maridebart Cafraglutide for the Treatment of Obesity—A Phase 2 Trial. New England Journal of Medicine.
• Chakravarthy MV, Rodriguez R, Hergarden A, Elliott MA, Frias JP, Argüelles-Tello FA, Tenorio E, Rankin JE, Wu J, Krishnan S, Erlanson DA. Effects of CT-388, a once-weekly signaling-biased dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist, on weight loss and glycemic control in preclinical models and participants with obesity. Molecular Metabolism. 2025 Nov 28:102291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmet.2025.102291
• Moyes CR, He S, Mathieu S, Lehman SL, Francisco MT, Vardy E, Terracina G, Galstian A, Murphy MJ, Poterewicz G, Kosinski D. Discovery of gut-targeted GPR40 agonist K-757 and GPR119 agonist K-833, a combination treatment for metabolic disorders. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2025 Jul 25;68(15):15339-57. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5c01030