Pennington Biomedical Researchers Serve on Global Commission on Clinical Obesity – PR.com

Baton
Rouge,
LA,
January
18,
2025
–(PR.com)– Three
researchers
from
Pennington
Biomedical
Research
Center
served
on
the
Lancet
Commission
on
Clinical
Obesity,
a
global
group
that
generated
a
new
approach
to
diagnosing
clinical
obesity.
The
diagnosis
is
based
on
evaluations
in
addition
to
body
mass
index,
or
BMI,
such
as
measures
of
excess
body
fat
and
objective
signs
and
symptoms
of
ill
health
at
the
individual
level.

“I’m
very
proud
this
is
taking
place
at
the
Pennington
Biomedical
Research
Center
in
my
hometown
of
Baton
Rouge,
Louisiana.
Pennington
has
been
at
the
forefront
of
cutting-edge
biomedical
research,
which
of
course
saves
lives
and
improves
public
health
around
the
world,”
U.S.
Sen.
Bill
Cassidy
said.
“The
Lancet
Commission’s
crucial
work
will
help
immensely
–
it
will
help
us
to
better
understand
obesity
and
that
will,
in
turn,
inform
policy
making
in
Washington,
D.C.”

The
Lancet
Commission
on
Clinical
Obesity
was
made
up
of
56
individuals
from
around
the
world,
including
Dr.
John
Kirwan,
Executive
Director
and
George
A.
Bray,
Jr.
Endowed
Super
Chair
in
Nutrition;
Dr.
Eric
Ravussin,
LSU
Boyd
Professor
and
Douglas
L.
Gordon
Chair
in
Diabetes
and
Metabolism;
and
Dr.
Philip
Schauer,
Director
of
the
Metamor
Institute
and
United
Companies
Life
Insurance
Co./Mary
Kay
and
Terrell
Brown
Chair.

“We
are
honored
and
excited
to
be
part
of
this
global
consensus
–
defining
and
diagnosing
clinical
obesity,”
Dr.
Kiwan
said.
“Pennington
Biomedical
has
been
a
leader
in
obesity
research
for
decades
now.
We’ve
been
involved
in
the
development
of
most
of
the
current
obesity
behavioral
and
treatment
programs,
and
we
continue
to
research
new
approaches.
We
have
been
part
of
all
the
drugs
that
have
been
developed
and
are
currently
being
used
to
treat
obesity,
and
lastly,
we
have
been
pioneers
in
the
bariatric
surgery
space
in
finding
new
ways
to
treat
patients
who
have
extreme
obesity.”

By
providing
a
medically
coherent
framework
for
obesity
diagnosis,
the
Commission
aimed
to
settle
the
ongoing
dispute
around
the
idea
of
obesity
as
a
disease,
which
has
been
at
the
center
of
one
of
the
most
controversial
and
polarizing
debates
in
modern
medicine.

“We
now
have
a
disease,
which
is
called
clinical
obesity,
and
it
should
be
taken
seriously.
It
should
be
managed,”
Dr.
Ravussin
said.
“Finally,
we
have
efficacious
and
safe
pharmacological
approaches
to
obesity,
which
has
not
been
the
case
in
the
history
of
the
treatment
of
obesity.
I
think
that
it
was
important
to
have
new
definitions,
as
well
as
new
diagnoses,
to
make
it
easier
for
clinicians
to
treat
people
with
obesity.”

The
Commission
provides
a
new
model
for
disease
diagnosis
in
obesity
based
on
objective
measures
of
illness
at
the
individual
level:

Clinical
obesity
is
defined
as
a
condition
of
obesity
associated
with
objective
signs
and/or
symptoms
of
reduced
organ
function,
or
significantly
reduced
ability
to
conduct
standard
day-to-day
activities,
such
as
bathing,
dressing,
eating
and
continence,
directly
due
to
excess
body
fat.
People
with
clinical
obesity
should
be
considered
as
having
an
ongoing
chronic
disease
and
receive
appropriate
management
and
treatments.

Pre-Clinical
obesity
is
a
condition
of
obesity
with
normal
organ
function.
People
living
with
pre-clinical
obesity
therefore
do
not
have
ongoing
illness,
although
they
have
a
variable
but
generally
increased
risk
of
developing
clinical
obesity
and
several
other
non-communicable
diseases
in
the
future,
including
type
2
diabetes,
cardiovascular
disease,
certain
types
of
cancer
and
mental
illness,
among
others.
As
such,
they
should
be
supported
to
reduce
the
risk
of
potential
disease.

The
Commission’s
reframing
of
obesity
is
designed
to
ensure
that
all
people
living
with
obesity
receive
appropriate
health
advice
and
evidence-based
care
when
needed,
with
different
strategies
for
clinical
obesity
and
pre-clinical
obesity.

“We
have
all
these
great
tools
now,”
Dr.
Schauer
said.
“We
have
this
much
more
precise,
accurate,
clinically
relevant
diagnosis,
so
now,
nothing
should
hold
us
back
from
an
international
perspective,
to
really
hone
in
on
this
disease
–
obesity
–
and
provide
those
who
need
it
the
most
–
those
with
clinical
obesity
–
provide
them
with
the
tools
to
improve
their
lives,
and
for
many
of
them
to
extend
their
lives”

The
proposal,
endorsed
by
more
than
75
medical
organizations
around
the
world
and
published
in
The
Lancet
Diabetes
&
Endocrinology,
is
designed
to
address
limitations
in
the
traditional
definition
and
diagnosis
of
obesity
that
hinder
clinical
practice
and
healthcare
policies,
resulting
in
individuals
with
obesity
not
receiving
the
care
they
need.

“I
think
it’s
an
honor,
out
of
56
commissioners,
to
have
three
coming
from
Pennington
Biomedical,
which
is
recognition
that
this
Center
is
at
the
forefront
when
it
comes
to
obesity
diagnosis,
as
well
as
obesity
treatment,”
Dr.
Ravussin
said.

Dr.
Schauer
said,
“Pennington
Biomedical
was
the
most
represented
of
all
the
institutions
on
the
globe,
and
we’re
also
very
pleased
to
be
one
of
the
sites
chosen
to
launch
the
information
released
by
the
Commission.”

In
addition
to
the
three
commissioners,
Pennington
Biomedical’s
Dr.
Steven
Heymsfield,
Professor
of
Metabolism
&
Body
Composition,
consulted
with
the
commission
on
the
latest
tools
and
technologies
for
measuring
body
composition.
Dr.
Heymsfield
is
a
world
leader
in
body
composition
assessment,
metabolism
and
a
physician
scientist,
GLP-1
agonists,
which
are
used
to
treat
type
2
diabetes
and
can
help
with
weight
loss.

“Dr.
Heymsfield
has
been
a
pioneer
in
the
development
of
tools
like
DEXA,
and
he
is
a
leading
investigator
in
the
discovery
of
these
3D
optical
imaging
systems,
which
allow
you
to
assess
body
composition
using
your
cell
phone,”
Dr.
Kirwan
said.
“This
is
a
very
convenient
tool,
widely
available
through
software
download
to
physicians
and
practitioners,
and
holds
the
potential
of
being
a
widely
used
tools
for
diagnosing
clinical
obesity.”