Leading healthcare organizations publish guidelines on nutritional support for GLP-1 obesity therapies

Leading healthcare organizations publish guidelines on nutritional support for GLP-1 obesity therapies

Four leading organizations in Lifestyle Medicine, Obesity Medicine and Nutrition - The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), the American Society for Nutrition (ASN), the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) and the Obesity Society (TOS) - have jointly published a clinical advisory entitled "Nutritional Priorities in Support of GLP-1 Therapy for Obstesity." “This consensus-based guideline, published in four peer-reviewed journals, reflects an interdisciplinary collaboration to help clinicians support patients receiving GLP-1 receptor agonists for obesity care with evidence-based nutritional and behavioral strategies.

GLP-1 therapies, including single and combination agents, have emerged as powerful tools in the treatment of obesity, demonstrating average placebo-adjusted weight reductions of 5-18% as well as improvements in metabolic, functional and cardiovascular outcomes in clinical trials. However, maintaining these benefits over time and maximizing patient outcomes requires comprehensive care that integrates lifestyle intervention treatment plan.

“GLP-1s represent an important advance in obesity care,” said Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DRPH, of Tufts University, said Dariush Mozaffarian, DRPH. "However, these medications can present challenges including gastrointestinal side effects, risk of micronutrient deficiencies, muscle and bone loss, poor long-term outcomes with subsequent weight regain. The health care system."

The advisory describes eight key nutritional priorities to support patients on GLP-1 medications and emphasizes the importance of (1) patient-centered initiation of therapy, (2) careful baseline nutritional assessment, (3) management of gastrointestinal effects, (4) personalized, personalized, nutrient-dense minimally processed diets (5). MEAN-MASS, (7) utilizing a good diet to maximize weight loss, and (8) promoting other lifestyle changes related to activity, sleep, mental stress, substance use, and social connections to maximize long-term success.

Recent evidence supports this integrative model. In studies evaluating combined pharmacologic and lifestyle interventions, patients who received both GLP-1 therapy and structured dietary instruction achieved greater weight loss, better adherence, and were more likely to regain weight loss after medication discontinuation than those who received pharmacotherapy alone (Wadden et al., 2021; Kusher et al., 2022).

Despite the known benefits, most people prescribed GLP-1s are not currently receiving appropriate nutritional counseling or behavioral support. This advisor seeks to bridge this gap with practical, interdisciplinary guidelines for implementation in clinical practice.

GLP-1s are reshaping the landscape of obesity treatment, but it is clear that drugs alone are not a complete solution. This consensus-based guidance highlights the critical role of nutrition in supporting patients on GLP-1 therapy, with clear recommendations for healthcare providers to optimize outcomes, reduce risks, and fill urgent gaps in care through practical, evidence-informed, informed nutritional strategies. “

John E. Courtney, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of the American Society for Nutrition

While certain considerations such as GI tolerance and micronutrient balance are important for clinicians, the advisory emphasizes that a proactive lifestyle-based approach can mitigate risks and optimize outcomes. As the prevalence of obesity continues to rise worldwide, integrating nutritional therapy into GLP-1-based care provides a scalable strategy to extend the clinical and economic value of these therapies.

Clinicians are encouraged to use the tools and framework of counseling to help patients translate nutritional guidance into sustainable behaviors, making lifestyle medicine an active ingredient in any obesity treatment “prescription.”

The joint advice will be published simultaneously in theAmerican Journal of Lifestyle Medicine(ACLM),The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition(ASN),,Obesity columns® (Grandma) andobesity(TOS). Leading researchers will discuss the advisory and its implications during two sessions at Nutrition 2025, the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, held May 31-June 3 in Orlando, Florida:

• Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, wird am Samstag, den 31. Mai während der Ernährung in der klinischen Praxis, um 7:45-8:15 Uhr EDT EDT EDT mit dem langfristigen Einsatz von GLP-1RA um 7:45-8:15 Uhr sprechen.
• Monica Agarwal, MD, wird über Nährprioritäten sprechen, um die GLP-1-Therapie für Gewichtsverlust zu unterstützen: eine gemeinsame Beratung des American College of Lifestyle Medicine, der American Society for Nutrition, der Adipositas Medicine Association und der Adipositas Society am Sonntag, dem 1. Juni, am 1. Juni. Medikamente: Was ist neu?

Reporters can register to attend Nutrition 2025 or receive select recorded sessions online with free access.

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