Learnings from ObesityWeek® 2025: From Stigma to Science

For too long, obesity has been framed as a matter of personal choice: the result of poor diet, inactivity, or lack of willpower. This outdated view has perpetuated stigma, undermined self-esteem, and created barriers to effective help for millions worldwide.

But the science is now unequivocal: obesity is a chronic, relapsing, and multifactorial disease, as deserving of attention as hypertension, diabetes, or dementia (World Health Organisation, 2022).

This year’s ObesityWeek® in Atlanta brought that message into sharp focus. Leading clinicians, researchers, and patient advocates discussed not only the biology of weight regulation but also the critical need to dismantle misconceptions that hinder treatment and research progress.

Why Has Obesity Become So Prevalent?

Humans are biologically predisposed to seek and conserve energy; an evolutionary mechanism that once supported survival. While our genetics have changed little, our environment has shifted rapidly. The widespread availability of calorie-dense foods and increasingly sedentary lifestyles have contributed to the recent sharp rise in obesity.

Genetics can account for up to 70% of an individual’s body weight (Loos & Yeo, Nature Reviews Genetics, 2022). As scientific understanding has grown, it has become clear that obesity is strongly driven by biological factors, not merely choice.

Obesity as a Systemic Challenge

Obesity is not just about weight. Excess adiposity drives a cascade of significant metabolic, cardiovascular, and hepatic complications, including insulin resistance, hypertension, heart disease, and systemic inflammation. The social and psychological burden is equally profound. Individuals living with obesity often experience:

• Discrimination in healthcare, media, and daily life

• Anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem

• Reduced employment opportunities

Recognising obesity as a disease reframes treatment from personal failure to one of restoring biological and mental health. The transformations seen with GLP-1 medications are clear across multiple associated conditions.

GLP-1 Misconceptions

Almost everyone has heard about GLP-1s as weight-loss drugs, but many misconceptions remain. Some view GLP-1 therapies as the "easy" route to weight loss, but these drugs are not burning calories; they encourage more healthy behaviours by reducing a powerful biological drive to eat excessively (APA, 2025).

Just like other chronic health conditions, the patient still has the condition even once they achieve their target weight and are very likely to return to their previous weight if they stop their medication: We do not expect someone to retain control of their blood pressure once they stop hypertension medication and it's the same with obesity. The evidence shows that long-term behavioural support, nutrition, and psychological care remain essential for durable outcomes.

The Power of GLP-1 and Next-Generation Therapies

At ObesityWeek, discussions on GLP-1 receptor agonists and emerging multi-agonist therapies highlighted their transformative potential. Benefits of these medicines include:

• Regulating appetite and satiety to reduce calorie intake

• Improving glycaemic control, blood pressure, and systemic inflammation

• Providing dual benefits: weight reduction plus cardiometabolic improvement

• Newer injectables and oral formulations promising enhanced efficacy, tolerability, and adherence

These innovative therapies demonstrate that next-generation obesity treatments deliver comprehensive health benefits, moving beyond weight loss to improve cardiometabolic outcomes and support holistic, patient-centred care.

New Areas of Discovery with Weight-Management Medications

Sessions highlighted that we are still uncovering nuances in weight loss with GLP-1 therapies. One example centres around the concern that GLP-1s can cause muscle mass loss, negatively affecting metabolism and functionality. However, some new data indicates the muscle becomes leaner, retains strength when exercised, and loses intramuscular fat. The result may be leaner, healthier muscle, which maintains its function.

Cultural Innovation: “Changing the Thread”

ObesityWeek® also showcased a powerful cultural initiative bridging science and society: the Changing the Thread Collection, a collaboration between British Fashion Designer Tan France and Lilly, makers of Zepbound (tirzepatide).

Clothing was displayed embroidered with personal narratives of people living with obesity, recognising it as a chronic disease deserving of understanding and treatment. The art installation challenged stereotypes and embraced science, helping to create space for people to seek obesity care without fear.

Clinical Research as an Opportunity for Obesity Patients to Receive Cutting-Edge Treatments

At EMS Healthcare, we are working with world leaders in developing new and improved treatments for obesity and associated diseases. Where obesity treatment is highly rationed or inaccessible due to cost, we offer an opportunity to access new innovative treatments supervised by expert physicians and nurses trained in obesity management. New oral and injectable treatments can be accessed via our studies, delivered in the community setting.

Patient-Centred Solutions for Real-World Research

At EMS Healthcare, we combine traditional site integrity with data-driven placement, ensuring studies are consistent, accessible, and patient-centred. The UK is an ideal environment for obesity trials due to:

• An established infrastructure, talent pool, and clinical research heritage, coupled with being a government-backed national priority

• Integrated national health data to identify suitable participants and track long-term patient outcomes through electronic data systems

• Inclusive and underserved populations

Through proximity, inclusivity, and patient-first design, EMS Healthcare supports both recruitment and retention. By offering sites in familiar, community settings, we eliminate the inconvenience of distant medical centres and, crucially, provide a supportive environment to tackle anxiety and perceived stigma around obesity for participants.

Dr Nick Probert FFPM, DPM, MBChB, BSc (Hons), MRCS, is Medical Director and Principal Investigator at EMS Healthcare, with specialist expertise in pharmaceutical medicine, clinical trials and cardiometabolic research.