Precision Prevention, Diagnostics, and Treatment of Obesity: Pipedream or Reality?
Precision medicine approaches have gained attention for their potential to more effectively manage obesity by tailoring diagnosis and treatment strategies to individual characteristics, including genetic background, phenotypes, metabolic profiles, and environmental exposures. The current review evaluates the evidence for precision medicine in weight management by summarizing the proceedings of a Pennington Biomedical Scientific Symposium titled "Precision Prevention, Diagnostics, and Treatment of Obesity: Pipedream or Reality?" This review discusses the extent to which we can classify and predict obesity risk based on individual-level factors; whether we have the diagnostic capability to prospectively identify people who will benefit most from specific interventions; whether prospective trials demonstrate superior prevention and treatment of obesity when precision approaches are applied; and whether evidence is sufficient to guide policy decisions. Expert opinions were presented on the current evidence of precision medicine for obesity to collectively evaluate key barriers and opportunities for implementation of precision approaches in clinical and public health settings.
Authors
- Emily K. Woolf (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1546-865X)
- Jacqueline M. Stephens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3796-9531)
- José M. Ordovás (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7581-5680)
- Hanim E. Diktas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4603-3719)
- Caroline M. Apovian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8029-1922)
- Brian E. Roe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4228-2889)
- Tim Lobstein (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4102-0545)
- Deborah F. Tate (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4915-5308)
- Corby K. Martin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8125-4015)
- Paul J. Laurienti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8871-9658)
- Jack A. Gilbert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7920-7001)
- Andrés Acosta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2286-489X)
- Suzanne Phelan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2260-0499)
- Holly L. Nicastro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6150-8113)
- Peter T. Katzmarzyk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9280-6022)
- Leanne M. Redman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7267-7374)
- John W. Apolzan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8492-7820)
- Donna H. Ryan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8374-2277)
- Jamy D. Ard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1643-6795)
- Kristen E. Boyle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9689-3322)
Institutions
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center (US)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Louisiana State University (US)
- Tufts University (US)
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Mayo Clinic (US)
- California Polytechnic State University (US)
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US)
- WinnMed (US)
- Office of the Director (US)
- Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (US)
- World Obesity Federation (GB)
- Wake Forest University (US)
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (US)
- Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Obesity
- Published
- 2025-09-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.70015
- Primary Topic
- Diet and metabolism studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00