This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
VIDEO: Obesity results from complex disease process
ORLANDO, Fla. — In this video exclusive, W. Timothy Garvey, MD, chair of the AACE Obesity Scientific Committee, outlines some of the pathophysiology behind obesity and why health care providers must understand the condition as a chronic endocrine disease process.
Obesity is characterized by a dysregulation of several secretory factors from peripheral organs that control energy balance. In particular, several hormones from the stomach, adipose tissue, gastrointestinal tract and pancreas act on cells in the hypothalamus to regulate satiety through orexigenic and anorexic central nervous system pathways, Garvey said.
In obesity, these dysregulated processes lead to maintenance of a higher body mass and weight-related complications, both cardiometabolic and biomechanical. Frequently, lifestyle interventions cannot alter these processes. Medications that target these central nervous system pathways can help patients adhere to a reduced-calorie meal plan, Garvey said.