Primary Therapy for Obesity as the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes

The ever-increasing prevalence of obesity has brought about new challenges for health care providers, as they must not only treat the existing conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, or heart disease but must also tailor these treatments to address excess weight. Many of the existing treatments for diabetes can lead to significant weight gain and would not be ideal as first-line therapy in an obese patient. Other treatment options such as metformin, DPP-4 inhibitors, GLP-1 agonists, diet, and exercise, have the dual benefit of both treating hyperglycemia and promoting weight loss and may be a better option in the obese diabetic. However, these agents may not be sufficient in producing the desired weight loss and additional therapies targeting excess weight such as Sibutramine, Orlistat, or bariatric surgery, may be necessary.