Study Summary
Nutritional and lifestyle supportive care recommendations for management of obesity with GLP-1 - based therapies: An expert consensus statement using a modified Delphi approach
Sievenpiper, J.L. Ard, J. Blüher, M. et al
Obesity Pillars, Volume 17, 2026, 100228, ISSN 26.
Access Full Publication here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12768930/
Background:
GLP-1-based therapies (GBT) have revolutionized obesity management by significantly reducing caloric intake and achieving substantial weight loss, though real-world results are often less dramatic than clinical trials.
Common side effects of GBTs are gastrointestinal in nature, typically mild and transient, but there are concerns about long-term impacts on muscle health and micronutrient deficiencies, especially in those with poor baseline nutrition.
Many patients do not receive adequate dietary or physical activity support, and discontinuation rates for GBTs are high — reaching 50% at 1 year of treatment, highlighting the need for practical recommendations for healthcare professionals managing obesity, particularly in primary care or non-obesity specialist settings.
Objective:
To develop clinical practice recommendations for healthcare professionals using a multidisciplinary, personalized approach that integrates GBT with tailored nutrition, lifestyle strategies, proactive monitoring and continuous support essential to guide patients through a healthy and sustainable weight loss journey before, during and after treatment.
Methods:
Results:
A total of 52 consensus statements were developed across 7 modules: nutrition, physical activity, pre-treatment, during treatment, weight-loss maintenance and discontinuation phases, as well as management of common adverse events.
Guidelines suggested a registered dietitian should be involved in the assessment, delivery, and evaluation of care wherever possible.
Importantly a personalized approach should be implemented to meet individual values, preferences and treatment goals focused on adequate nourishment and hydration, preserving lean muscle mass, and minimizing adverse effects.
A high level of consensus was noted within the nutrition and lifestyle consideration category. Recommendations are described.
Limitations:
The consensus is limited by a search window potentially excluding the most recent literature, poor reporting of lifestyle interventions in existing GBT trials, insufficient high-quality nutrition and physical activity data requiring reliance on adjacent guidelines and clinical experience, exclusion of next generation GBTs, and a lack of evidence from non-Western and underrepresented populations, reducing forward-looking insight and global applicability.
Conclusion:
These international consensus recommendations are intended to help support all healthcare professionals involved with obesity management to help patients achieve a healthy and sustained weight loss journey before, during and after treatment with a GBT.
Key clinical messaging from this paper:
This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Sievenpiper JL, Ard J, Blüher M et al. Obes Pillars. 2025 Nov 11;17:100228. doi: 10.1016/j.obpill.2025.100228
Nestlé Health Science provided logistical support and funding for this published review but had no voting rights or influence on evidence selection or final statements.
Study summary prepared by Nestlé Health Science.
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