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Physicians Committee Recommends Human-Centered Research Strategies for Addressing Obesity Variability at the NIH
The Physicians Committee submitted recommendations to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) on future opportunities and considerations for obesity research. Specifically, we recommend that NIDDK prioritize a human-centered research framework to better understand obesity variability in humans.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 20% of U.S. children and 42% of U.S. adults have obesity, including 9% with severe obesity. There is a growing understanding that obesity is a heterogeneous disease with inter-individual variability. Genes and other biological factors, including age, sex, behavioral and psychosocial factors, environmental exposures, and social determinants of health, all play a role in the development of obesity. Moreover, there is variability among individuals in their susceptibility to obesity-related health conditions, which cannot yet be reliably predicted with current assessments, as well as variability in the clinical manifestations of obesity, creating challenges in patient management.
Animals used in obesity research often fail to accurately replicate human physiology and the intricate interactions that drive obesity heterogeneity. Animals are poor models to study disease mechanisms due to inherent species differences. For example, despite ongoing efforts to develop new anti-obesity medications, most fail to deliver consistent, sustainable weight loss at safe doses. While animals are often used to study obesity causes and therapeutics, they have several limitations because no animal can fully replicate the complexity of human obesity.
Alternatively, human-specific research methods provide more relevant insights into metabolic processes, genetic variations, and individual responses to dietary and lifestyle interventions. Research that focuses on human-specific methods has greater potential for translation into clinical practice because it directly reflects the biological and genetic characteristics of humans, ensuring that findings are relevant and applicable to real-world health outcomes and treatments.
To promote this research, the Physicians Committee recommended that NIDDK employ human-centered research strategies, including the prioritization of new approach methods such as the ObaCell Obesity-on-a-Chip platform; human genomic approaches; advanced human imaging techniques; longitudinal patient cohort studies; data sharing and integration strategies; personalized risk prediction models; and community-centered research methods.
The Physicians Committee will remain consistent in its engagement with NIDDK and the National Institutes of Health more broadly to advocate for human-centered research that prioritizes the replacement of ineffective animal methods and promotes public health.
