AACE/ACE Framework to Combat Obesity Released

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and the American College of Endocrinology (ACE) have released an evidence-based, multi-dimensional, comprehensive framework for fighting obesity. These findings were the results of the recent AACE/ACE Consensus Conference of Obesity: Building an Evidence Base for Comprehensive Action in which the goal was to set the issues surrounding, and steps needed for creating an action plan against obesity.

Five core questions guided the development of the framework:

What is obesity?
What options are available for obesity management?
What is the optimal use of therapeutic modalities?
Can the framework be cost-effective?
What are the knowledge gaps and how can they be filled?

Stakeholders from biomedical, government and regulatory, health industry and economics, and society, education, and research sectors participated in the creation of the consensus and contributed evidence for a composite biomedical and public health disease model of obesity care. The key findings from the writing committee from the conference are the following:

Obesity is a chronic disease, and once diagnosed, should be managed using the AACE/ACE algorithm, which includes structured lifestyle intervention, meal replacements, pharmaceuticals, and surgery based on a complications-centric risk stratification model
A preventive medicine paradigm is necessary to improve outcomes in overweight/obesity and consists of structured lifestyle intervention, behavior change, and alterations in the built environment
Comprehensive overweight/obesity interventions producing improved outcomes require demonstration of value in a combined biomedical and public health model

The framework statement emphasizes that participation from all four areas, or “pillars,” is necessary for the comprehensive anti-obesity action plan. The AACE plans to develop actionable recommendations to benefits individuals requiring anti-obesity management.

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