Recently I was watching a couple of movies from the 1970s; one was a drama filmed in New York City and the other was a documentary filmed in California. There were plenty of random shots of people in streets as well as crowds at various events throughout both. However, one thing about both movies that I found so visually striking – aside from the classic cars of the time, the fashions, and, of course, the hairstyles – was the fact that everyone was so utterly thin. Not emaciated, just not heavy and certainly not overweight.
It is certainly a stark contrast to what we see today in random crowd shots, or even what we see when we’re out in public; it’s blatantly obvious that there is indeed an obesity epidemic, and it seems to only be getting worse. This month, we are taking a look at this issue which is also one of the Endocrine Society’s top priorities with an official stated goal of reducing “the prevalence of obesity through improved clinical care and support for obesity research funding.” The Endocrine Society also has two Scientific Statements on this topic: “The Science of Obesity Management” and “Obesity Pathogenesis,” as well as a pair of Clinical Practice Guidelines, and a variety of other resources accessible at our website.
We’re featuring a major ENDO 2025 symposia addressing obesity in “Weighing In: Making Obesity Treatment More Effective and Accessible by 2030.” Kelly Horvath spoke to speakers and co-chairs of this session who discuss the future of treating this omnipresent and formidable condition. This 90-minute session is remarkably timely considering that obesity rates reached almost 42% of U.S. adults in 2020. And although the scourge of obesity has felt daunting for several years, new pharmaceuticals have created modest gains against this burgeoning enemy. Lifestyle modifications are still a driving force in conquering this malady, according to session co-chair Marcelo Correia, MD, MSc, PhD, clinical assistant professor of internal medicine-endocrinology and metabolism at the University of Iowa, in Iowa City. “One thing we can never put on the back burner between now and 2030 is lifestyle modifications,” he says. “This aligns with my interest in dietary interventions, which goes far beyond this or that diet. It has to do with behavior, how people can live their lives, adding more physical activity, and adding more mental and spiritual elements to bring not only health but well-being.” Mark your calendars now for Sunday, July 13, 2025 from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
In “Kids on the Move,” Colleen Williams speaks with the Endocrine Society’s 2025 Outstanding Leadership in Endocrinology Laureate Award winner, Ilene Fennoy, MD, to discuss her work on protecting future generations from obesity. Of course, pharmaceutical solutions are currently at the top of everyone’s list for keeping obesity at bay, Fennoy also discusses the importance of solid, long-term solutions to curtail this epidemic from educational programs in school to help kids eat better to simply getting more movement in their lives every day. As a pediatric endocrinologist, this is one of Fennoy’s greatest passions. “One of the main reasons I entered the field of pediatric endocrinology was to learn more about the medical risks associated with size at birth, partially because of my desire to help African Americans, who are more likely to be small for gestational age,” she says. “I have always been interested in growth and became increasingly interested in childhood obesity and how we can manage it and try and prevent the progression to type 2 diabetes.”
Senior Editor Derek Bagley speaks to Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, MBA, who has an interesting “back story” in her career of combatting obesity. In “Harsh Realities,” she talks about her youth growing up working in her parents’ food pantry they run out of their local Atlanta church and how that has impacted her career which has led to her presenting the ENDO 2025 plenary session in San Francisco in July entitled, “Changing the Game of Obesity Care Across Lifespan: Policies, Diets, and Drug Innovation.” Her talk will offer attendees a comprehensive overview of obesity care’s evolving landscape from addressing disparities in diets to challenging the status quo, which, as of late, has been somewhat fluid. One of the changes Stanford will discuss is the reliance on body mass index (BMI) as an accurate measure of obesity. “Our goal is also not to define someone by just one number and recognize that one number for one person is not the same for everyone,” she says of the BMI measurement. “If you look at someone, let’s say who weighs 150 pounds; that is one height versus another height [but with the same BMI]. They make it look very, very different. I think that this BMI number, which we’ve become fixated on, has led us astray from really looking at disease and how it shows up in individual.”
As you can see, Endocrine News and the Endocrine Society are both focused on doing our part to conquer the worldwide epidemic of obesity. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any future story ideas on obesity-related topics or other topics that would be of interest to our readers. You can reach me at: [email protected]g.
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