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Review
. 2025 Apr 3;61(4):664.
doi: 10.3390/medicina61040664.

New Frontiers in Nutritional and Therapeutic Interventions for Obesity Phenotypes

Angelo Maria Patti  1 , Rosaria Vincenza Giglio  2   3 , Marcello Ciaccio  2   3 , Anca Pantea Stoian  4 , Teodor Salmen  5 , Ioana-Cristina Bica  5 , Imran Rangraze  6 , Mohamed El Tanani  6 , Manfredi Rizzo  6   7   8 , Ali Abbas Rizvi  9
Affiliations
Review

New Frontiers in Nutritional and Therapeutic Interventions for Obesity Phenotypes

Angelo Maria Patti et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

The heterogeneity among patients with obesity is particularly evident in the weight loss response to interventions such as diets, drugs, devices and surgery. Obesity can be "catalogued" into four phenotypes: hungry brain (abnormal satiety for alteration of gut-brain axis), emotional hunger (hedonic eating), hungry gut (abnormal duration of satiety for faster gastric emptying) and slow burning (slowing of the metabolic rate). Phenotypes are grafted onto this complexity, the recognition of which allows for personalized medicine and increasingly targeted therapies. Although there are no standardized treatment protocols, we present management options consisting of lifestyle modifications and pharmacologic therapies. Nutritional advice and encouragement of adequate physical activity lead to increased self-efficacy and promote a sense of well-being when coupled with psychological approaches involving mindful eating. In summary, obesity has a complex pathophysiology best addressed through a therapeutic process suited to the phenotype encountered and in synergy with multifactorial interventions.

Keywords: drugs; gut–brain axis; obesity phenotypes; personalized medicine; therapies.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the research strategy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Obesity phenotypes and treatments.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Hypothetical management approach for the 4 obesity phenotypes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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