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AACE: Obesity is a disease state
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The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists has declared that there is sufficient clinical evidence to declare obesity a disease state.
The declaration of obesity as a disease state, rather than a consequence of poor lifestyle choices, will help pave the way for more effective therapies and treatments for the growing number of obese Americans, according to a press release issued by the association. Currently, the armamentarium is bare for obesity therapies.
“Sufficient evidence has accumulated to implicate a number of heterogeneous hormonal and regulatory disorders in the pathogenesis and progression of the disease state,” Alan J. Garber, MD, PhD, AACE vice president and Endocrine Today Chief Medical Editor, stated in the release. “Thus, multiple therapeutic interventions may be necessary lifelong to delay or reverse obesity in patients. Currently, certain efforts have not prevented the proliferation of obesity in the US population as well as elsewhere. Additional interventions and alternative approaches are clearly necessary.”
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On July 23, the AACE board of directors voted unanimously to declare obesity a disease state. The vote was the result of an AACE Task Force on Obesity report that concluded, based on available clinical data, insufficient data exist to suggest that obesity is not just a condition.
Having declared obesity a disease state, AACE leaders now plan to develop resources for the various modalities of obesity management, including behavior, nutrition, pharmacology and surgery. The efforts will be part of a comprehensive nutrition plan that will include sociopolitical, public and educational outreach. The association will collaborate with other professional medical societies and the FDA regarding obesity research and the consideration of anti-obesity drugs and their approval pathways, according to the release.
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I have long believed obesity was a disease. Indeed I have written a paper titled "Obesity is a chronic, relapsing, stigmatized, neurochemical disease" and I thus applaud the position taken by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. It is similar to the position of the Obesity Society.
– George Bray, MD
Endocrine
Today Editorial Board member
Disclosure: Dr. Bray reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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