Obesity Prevention Guidelines
© ©World Obesity
Obesity Prevention Guidelines
Globally, the prevalence of obesity among adults has more than doubled since 1990, and is projected to continue rising worldwide. Obesity increases the risk of several other chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, arthrosis, depression, and certain cancers. Treatment options for obesity have advanced, most notably through the introduction of GLP-1 receptor agonists, but is resource-intensive and inaccessible for most patients. Preventing obesity is therefore a key public health challenge.
As part of the 2024 update to Germany’s evidence- and consensus-based obesity guideline, we led work on a dedicated section on obesity prevention, including 24 recommendations for the general public, patients, healthcare professionals, and policymakers. The guideline covers diet, physical activity and sleep patterns, weight counselling in primary care, weight gain associated with medication use and smoking cessation, plant-based diets, extremely restricted diets, ultra-processed foods, non-nutritive sweeteners, alcoholic beverages, dietary supplements, macronutrient distributions, temporal eating patterns, and self-monitoring strategies. It is among the most comprehensive evidence- and consensus-based guidelines on obesity prevention published to date.
Funder: German Obesity Association (Deutsche Adipositas-Gesellschaft, DAG)
Project period: 2021-2024
Selected publications
- von Philipsborn P, Bahlke M, Breidenassel C, Holzapfel C, Joisten C, Plachta-Danielzik S, Nothacker M, Rubin D, Rung-Friebe M, de Zwaan M, Hauner H: Prevention of Obesity among Adults: Evidence- and Consensus-based Guideline. Obesity Facts 2025, 18 (6): 656–674. https://doi.org/10.1159/000546415
- Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften (AWMF): S3-Leitlinie Prävention und Therapie der Adipositas. Online: https://register.awmf.org/de/leitlinien/detail/050-001