International Journal of Obesity最新文献

{"title":"Beyond the Surface: Mechanistic Intersections Between Obesity and UVB Exposure.","authors":"Umar A Sheikh, Tasduq A Sheikh","doi":"10.1038/s41366-026-02084-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-026-02084-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Obesity, a globally prevalent metabolic disorder, and ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation, an inherent component of solar exposure, are each independently linked to a wide range of chronic health outcomes, including cancer, metabolic dysfunction, and immune dysregulation. Although traditionally viewed as separate risk factors, metabolic and environmental, respectively, emerging evidence reveals mechanistic intersections that may amplify disease burden when both are present. Obesity promotes chronic low-grade inflammation, oxidative stress, adipokine imbalance, and impaired DNA repair capacity, while UVB radiation induces mutagenic photoproducts, reactive oxygen species, and localized immunosuppression. These overlapping pathways converge on genomic instability, altered immune tolerance, and the development of tumor-promoting microenvironments, particularly within the skin. This review synthesizes recent advances in understanding the biological mechanisms linking obesity and UVB exposure, with emphasis on synergistic effects on oxidative stress, nucleotide excision repair efficiency, and immune surveillance. It examines experimental and clinical evidence supporting these interactions and highlights emerging therapeutic strategies, including phototherapy and vitamin D modulation, clarifying their mechanistic rationale in restoring immune balance and enhancing DNA repair. Finally, the review discusses implications for integrated prevention, risk stratification, and public health policy. By framing obesity and UVB radiation as a compound risk factor, this article underscores the need for interdisciplinary approaches to mitigate their combined impact on global health. Converging Effects of Obesity and UVB Exposure on Skin Carcinogenesis: Obesity and UVB exposure converge through shared inflammatory, oxidative, and immune-modulating pathways that amplify skin cancer risk. Obesity drives chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, altered adipokine signaling, and impaired DNA repair, while UVB radiation causes direct DNA damage, reactive oxygen species, and local immunosuppression. Together, these stressors synergistically intensify oxidative injury, weaken DNA damage responses, and diminish immune surveillance, promoting the development of basal and squamous cell carcinoma. Emerging therapeutic approaches including vitamin D modulation, UVB-based phototherapy, and autophagy-targeted interventions, highlight opportunities for prevention and clinical translation.</p>","PeriodicalId":14183,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Obesity","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147638808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Longitudinal associations between BMI changes and musculoskeletal pain in older European males and females.","authors":"Aisha Alayna Brown, Jesper Lykkegaard, Jonas Bloch Thorlund, Sören Möller, Jens Søndergaard, Linda Juel Ahrenfeldt","doi":"10.1038/s41366-026-02063-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-026-02063-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Musculoskeletal pain affects nearly 200 million European citizens and is a leading cause of disability. This study examines the associations between body mass index (BMI) trajectories over time and self-reported musculoskeletal pain, and explores how these associations differ by sex.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a longitudinal cohort study using data from waves 5-9 (2013-2022) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. A total of 73,469 participants (mean age 70 years; 56% female) contributed at least two BMI measurements across study waves. Baseline and follow-up BMI values were categorized into sex-stratified quartiles, resulting in 16 distinct BMI trajectories. Associations between these trajectories and incident back, hip, knee, and other joint pain were examined using mixed-effects logistic regression models, adjusted for age, region, education, income, household partnership, comorbidities, and smoking. Stable low BMI served as the reference group.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared with stable low BMI trajectory, both upward and downward BMI trajectories, as well as stable high BMI, were associated with increased odds of musculoskeletal pain, with the strongest associations observed for stable high BMI. Stable high or changing BMI showed consistent associations with incident back, hip, and knee pain, while associations with other joint pain were weaker and less consistent. Overall, the associations were stronger for females than for males, but sex differences were most pronounced for hip and knee pain. Notably, maintaining a stable high BMI was associated with one of the highest odds of incident knee pain in females (odds ratio = 4.17, CI = 3.33-5.23).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Elevated BMI at any time point was associated with increased odds of musculoskeletal pain, even among individuals who lost weight. The findings suggest that the cumulative duration of exposure to high BMI may be a critical factor in the development and prevention of musculoskeletal pain.</p>","PeriodicalId":14183,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Obesity","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147638796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Risk factors and clinical nomogram for fatty pancreas in adults with obesity: a case-control study.","authors":"Chaoyu Pang, Xin Gao, Zhiyao Fan, Changhao Gao, Shujie Liu, Yufan Meng, Boyu Diao, Runxian Wang, Zhenya Liu, Xin Huang, Tao Zhu, Shaozhuang Liu, Hanxiang Zhan","doi":"10.1038/s41366-026-02068-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-026-02068-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The correlation between fatty pancreas (FP) and metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), diabetes and other metabolic diseases is still controversial, and it is crucial to recognize the risk factors of FP to prevent its clinical complications.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Retrospective collection of clinical, pathologic, and imaging data of people with obesity attending Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from January 1, 2020 to October 1, 2022. FP was diagnosed by non-enhanced computed tomography with the ratio of pancreas/spleen <0.7. Using binary logistics regression analysis to construct an FP prediction nomogram model, bootstrap repeated sampling internal validation and temporal external validation were used to test the predictive performance of the model.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In this cohort, the average age of the participants was 32.2 years, and the average BMI was 41.3 Kg/m². The prevalence of FP 23.3% (144/617). People with obesity with or without comorbid FP have partial differences in blood glucose, lipid. Independent factors for FP were body mass index (BMI) (OR = 1.97, 95% CI 1.29-3.01; P = 0.002), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.03-2.33; P = 0.035), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (OR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.11-2.52; P = 0.014), HbA1C (OR = 1.99, 95% CI 1.19-3.34; P = 0.009). This study constructed a nomogram containing these four indicators for FP, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that the nomogram has moderate predictive performance.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study identified key risk factors and developed a validated prediction nomogram for FP in adults with obesity. This model may facilitate early identification of FP and the prevention of related metabolic disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":14183,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Obesity","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147633476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cold-induced metabolic flexibility explains ethnic disparities among individuals with obesity and insulin resistance.","authors":"Lijuan Sun, Hui Jen Goh, Xinyan Bi, Siew Pang Chan, Melvin Khee-Shing Leow","doi":"10.1038/s41366-026-02066-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-026-02066-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cold-induced thermogenesis (CIT) mediated by brown adipose tissue (BAT) and skeletal muscle holds therapeutic utility for obesity, but relative tissue contribution to CIT-driven metabolic flexibility (MetF) and its correlation to insulin resistance remain undefined across diverse ethnicities.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to investigate ethnic differences in cold-induced MetF and its link to insulin sensitivity in Chinese and Asian Indian individuals with overweight.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Forty-one participants with pre-metabolic or metabolic syndrome of two ethnic groups (31 Chinese, 10 Indian), with an average body mass index (BMI) of 27.5 kg/m² underwent whole-body calorimetry following 1-h cold exposure (~14.5 °C) and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in a crossover design. Resting metabolic rate (RMR), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), carbohydrate oxidation (COX), and fat oxidation (FOX) were assessed. Blood glucose and insulin were measured to assess insulin sensitivity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Asian Indians had significantly higher fasting insulin levels and lower insulin sensitivity than Chinese participants. Chinese participants had greater increase in energy expenditure and a more pronounced fuel switch (RER, COX and FOX) with cold. For Chinese individuals, better cold-induced MetF was independently associated with lower fasting insulin and insulin resistance, even after adjusting for age, sex, and body fat. This association was not observed in Asian Indians.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Significant ethnic differences exist in the association of CIT-driven MetF to insulin resistance. Chinese individuals exhibited robust MetF-insulin sensitivity correlation, whereas Asian Indians showed a blunted response without such independent association. This suggests that ethnicity-specific strategies targeting MetF are crucial for addressing metabolic health disparities.</p>","PeriodicalId":14183,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Obesity","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147627760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic risk, antiseizure medications, and lifestyle factors in epilepsy-associated obesity and overweight.","authors":"Jiaqi Wang, Zihua He, Sisi Shen, Tong Yi, Shengyi Liu, Quan Yang, Josemir W Sander, Dong Zhou, Xiutian Sima, Jinmei Li","doi":"10.1038/s41366-026-02069-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-026-02069-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Obesity is common among people with epilepsy and is influenced by genetic susceptibility, lifestyle behaviours, and antiseizure medications (ASMs). How ASMs and lifestyle factors interact with genetic risk for obesity in epilepsy remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This population-based cohort study analysed UK Biobank participants with epilepsy recruited between 2006 and 2010. Polygenic risk scores for body mass index (PRS_BMI) classified individuals into low, medium, and high genetic risk groups. Associations between commonly used ASMs-including lamotrigine (LTG), valproate (VPA), carbamazepine (CBZ), and levetiracetam (LEV)-and overweight/obesity were examined using multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for demographic, socio-economic, and lifestyle factors. Gene-drug interactions were assessed, and Mendelian randomisation (MR) was used to explore potential links between LTG target gene expression and BMI.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 8451 individuals were included. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, LTG use was associated with lower odds of obesity (OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.47-0.85, P = 0.002) and overweight (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.56-0.92, P = 0.014). VPA was associated with an increased obesity risk (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.07-1.60, P = 0.010). Subgroup analysis suggested that LTG use was associated with a lower risk of obesity, particularly among individuals with low to moderate PRS_BMI. As PRS_BMI increased, the absolute difference in overweight risk between LTG users and non-users decreased. Sex-stratified analyses showed that LTG had a more substantial protective effect in males, while VPA was more strongly associated with obesity risk in females. Lifestyle factors were significantly associated with obesity and overweight risk, with higher physical activity levels and adherence to a healthy diet being associated with lower risk. MR analysis suggested a potential causal relationship between LTG target gene expression and BMI.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Genetic predisposition, ASMs, and lifestyle behaviours were collectively associated with the risk of overweight and obesity in epilepsy. LTG use was associated with a lower risk of weight gain, particularly among individuals with lower genetic susceptibility, with this association attenuating as genetic risk for obesity increased. VPA was associated with an increased risk of obesity, especially in females. These findings support personalised metabolic risk management in epilepsy care.</p>","PeriodicalId":14183,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Obesity","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147627702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Movement behaviors, psychosocial well-being and childhood obesity: the IDEFICS/I.Family cohort.","authors":"Guiomar Masip, Rasmus Møller Jørgensen, Toomas Veidebaum, Dénés Molnar, Lauren Lissner, Fabio Lauria, Stefaan De Henauw, Charalambos Hadjigeorgiou, Antje Hebestreit, Christoph Buck, Wolfgang Ahrens, Luis A Moreno","doi":"10.1038/s41366-026-02071-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-026-02071-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Understanding the association between movement behaviors and psychosocial well-being at a young age seems essential for effective interventions and moving friendly environments, particularly in the context of childhood obesity.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>to examine the association between adherence to movement behavior guidelines and psychosocial well-being, and whether obesity indices moderate this association.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The IDEFICS/IFamily cohort followed European children aged 2-16 years over 6 years, including 7359 repeated observations across three waves. Longitudinal associations between adherence to movement behavior recommendations and psychological well-being were assessed using generalized linear models. Obesity indicators, z-score body mass index (z-BMI) and z-score waist circumference (z-BMI) were used to test their moderating role.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Lower adherence to movement behaviors was negatively associated with psychosocial well-being (β = -0.39, 95%CI: -0.77, 0.00), with stronger effects in males (β = -0.70, 95%CI: -1.20, -0.20). Moreover, effects were larger in participants with overweight/obesity (β = -1.29, 95%CI: -2.21, -0.37). Obesity indices moderated the association between movement behaviors and psychosocial well-being (β = -0.40, 95%CI: -0.80, -0.06 for z-BMI; β = -0.36, 95%CI: -0.82, -0.03 for z-WC).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Adherence to movement behavior guidelines was associated with psychosocial well-being, especially in males and individuals with overweight or obesity. These findings highlight the potential relevance of movement behavior patterns for psychosocial well-being and obesity prevention, while acknowledging the observational nature of the data.</p>","PeriodicalId":14183,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Obesity","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147627778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of weight-loss surgery in patients with obesity on adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cells versus circulating endothelial progenitor cells.","authors":"Ning Yang, Mina H Al Saeedi, Ailing Xue, Negin Mahmoudi Hamidabad, Xiangyang Zhu, Hui Tang, Kyra L Jordan, Aleksandra Kukla, Alfonso Eirin, Amir Lerman, Lilach O Lerman","doi":"10.1038/s41366-026-02057-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-026-02057-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objective: </strong>Obesity imposes dysfunction of the endogenous cellular reparative system, which may manifest as impaired adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (AT-MSCs) function or altered characteristics of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). However, whether both systems are abnormal in patients with obesity remains unclear. We hypothesized that human obesity induces impairment of MSCs and EPCs that would be reversed after weight-loss surgery (WLS).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Abdominal adipose tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected to harvest MSCs and EPCs, respectively, from patients with obesity (n = 8) before and 9-12 months after WLS. MSCs mitochondrial function and EPCs number and surface markers were compared to those collected from healthy controls (HC).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Patients with obesity had a higher basal body mass index compared to both HC (P < 0.0001) and post-WLS (P < 0.001). Compared to HC, MSC proliferative and differentiation capacity was preserved (P > 0.05), but they showed at baseline increased mitochondrial oxidative stress, and cytochrome-c release (P < 0.05), with reduced membrane potential and matrix density, which mostly improved after WLS. The percent of circulating CD34⁺KDR⁺CD133⁺ and CD34⁺KDR⁺ EPCs was elevated in patients with obesity (P < 0.05), as were EPC fractions expressing the inflammatory marker VAP-1 or pro-calcinogenic marker OCN-1, yet neither fell after WLS (P > 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Obesity impairs MSC mitochondrial function and increases the percent of circulating, but also potentially injurious EPCs. WLS largely reverses MSC mitochondrial injury and but not circulating EPC characteristics. Therefore, restoration of the endogenous tissue-resident and circulating cellular regenerative systems in the same patients with obesity may require different strategies or timeframes.</p>","PeriodicalId":14183,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Obesity","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147627733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A time bridge for obesity care: protein monitoring adds a timing layer to the EASO pathway while preserving the Lancet Commission definition.","authors":"Enzo Nisoli, Michele O Carruba, Alessandra Valerio","doi":"10.1038/s41366-026-02083-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-026-02083-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) frames obesity care around staged, target-driven decisions. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission provides a disease definition-clinical obesity requires objective dysfunction- and distinguishes preventive strategies for preclinical obesity from therapeutic strategies for clinical obesity. Continuous protein monitoring (CPM) refers to wearable or minimally invasive sensors that repeatedly measure short panels of proteins in interstitial fluid or blood and track within-person trends over time. We hypothesize that CPM could help stratify risk and guide the timing of preventive intervention in preclinical obesity (excess adiposity, preserved function), and trigger timely escalation within the EASO pathway without changing the Commission's diagnostic criteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":14183,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Obesity","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147618704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Central amygdala neuropeptide Y neurons drive hedonic ingestive behaviour independent of energy homeostasis.","authors":"Neda Rafiei, Caitlin S Mitchell, Philip Jean-Richard-Dit-Bressel, Caitlin R Tedesco, Natasha N Kumar, Gavan P McNally, Herbert Herzog, Denovan P Begg","doi":"10.1038/s41366-026-02060-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-026-02060-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>Neuropeptide Y (NPY), a key orexigenic neurotransmitter, is widely expressed in the central nervous system, including in a distinct subpopulation of neurons within the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA). While CeA NPY neurons contribute to energy regulation during chronic stress or high-fat diet exposure, the role of these neurons in modulating ingestive behaviour under standard conditions, particularly in response to caloric and non-caloric cues remains poorly understood.</p><p><strong>Subjects/methods: </strong>Using state-of-the-art chemogenetic techniques, we selectively activate NPY-expressing neurons in the CeA of NPY^Cre/+ transgenic mice, enabling precise control of their activity in freely behaving animals.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our experiments revealed that activation of these neurons significantly increased the consumption of both caloric and non-caloric palatable solutions, without affecting overall macronutrient preference. These findings indicate that CeA NPY neurons drive reward-related ingestive behaviour, promoting excess consumption beyond homoeostatic energy needs, regardless of the nutritional value of food. Importantly, this effect was observed independently of metabolic stress or dietary manipulation, suggesting that CeA NPY neurons engage a neural pathway that prioritizes food consumption based on reward value alone.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study provides novel insights into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying reward-driven consumption and identifies CeA NPY neurons as a key node in the neural circuitry mediating hedonic appetite. These findings have potential implications for understanding the pathophysiology of overeating and for developing targeted interventions for disorders characterized by dysregulated reward-based consumption.</p>","PeriodicalId":14183,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Obesity","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147615970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An experimental investigation of the stigmatization of weight loss and regain from GLP-1 receptor agonist use and cessation.","authors":"Erin C Standen, Sean M Phelan, A Janet Tomiyama","doi":"10.1038/s41366-026-02061-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-026-02061-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist medications (GLP-1s) are effective for weight loss, but when people discontinue them, they tend to regain weight. The present work sought to examine the stigma of losing and regaining weight after GLP-1 use and cessation.</p><p><strong>Subjects/methods: </strong>In two randomized, between-subjects experiments, participants evaluated a fictional target after reading a brief description of the target's weight-related history, which varied by study condition. Study 1 (N = 607) aimed to understand stigma directed at individuals who lose weight using GLP-1s, so the target was described as either: having lost weight by using a GLP-1, having lost weight via diet and exercise, or not having lost weight. Study 2 (N = 706) examined stigma directed at people who regain weight after discontinuing GLP-1s, and the target was described as either: having regained weight after discontinuing a GLP-1, having regained weight after discontinuing a diet and exercise plan, not having lost weight, or having maintained weight loss. After reading, participants completed measures of weight-related stereotyping and willingness to affiliate with the target.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In Study 1, the GLP-1 target was evaluated more negatively than the diet/exercise target and the no weight loss target. Participants' willingness to affiliate differed significantly across groups (p < 0.001), with the GLP-1 target receiving significantly lower ratings compared to the diet/exercise target (Mean difference = 0.52, 95% CI [0.27, 0.76]) and the no weight loss target (Mean difference = 0.26, 95% CI [0.02, 0.51]). In Study 2, the GLP-1 and diet/exercise targets were evaluated similarly, and both were rated more negatively than the target who maintained weight loss (ps ≤ 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings suggest that people may face stigma across the cycle of losing and regaining weight after using a GLP-1, underscoring the need for stigma-reduction efforts in the context of weight management.</p>","PeriodicalId":14183,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Obesity","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147616037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}