Obesity and Women's health across the lifespan: A clinical review of life Stage-Specific challenges and treatment considerations
Abstract
Background: Obesity prevalence among females in the United States continues to rise across the lifespan, imposing a substantial burden on individuals and the health care system through an increasing number of preventable, excess weight-attributable disabling diseases and mortality. A clearer understanding of the impact of obesity and treatment interventions on outcomes for reproduction, cardiometabolic risk, musculoskeletal health, and mental health at various life stages is critical to optimizing management strategies for women with obesity.
Methods: This narrative clinical review synthesizes published literature and expert perspectives regarding obesity-related risk factors, health outcomes, and treatment considerations related to obesity in women, including the impact of obesity medications across the lifespan.
Results: Adiposity influences reproductive, cardiometabolic, musculoskeletal, and mental health outcomes across the female lifespan. During adolescence, early pubertal onset and metabolic dysfunction are common. In reproductive years, infertility, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, and pregnancy complications are prominent. Perimenopause is associated with vasomotor symptoms, sleep disruption, and increased cardiovascular risk. In older age, risks for cancer, functional decline, and frailty increase. Pharmacologic therapies, including incretin-based agents, demonstrate efficacy in weight reduction and cardiometabolic improvement, although life stage-specific…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Metformin as an adjuvant in breast cancer treatment
- Metformin Lysosomal Targeting: A Novel Aspect to Be Investigated for Metformin Repurposing in Neurodegenerative Diseases?
- Aberrant HSF1 signaling activation underlies metformin amelioration of myocardial infarction in mice
- Metformin induces ZFP36 by mTORC1 inhibition in cervical cancer-derived cell lines
- Protein Interaction Network for Identifying Vascular Response of Metformin (Oral Antidiabetic)
- Preventing Long COVID With Metformin
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.