60 Minutes Reports on Recognizing and Treating Obesity as a Chronic Disease

Today, overweight and obesity impacts nearly 200 million Americans. Despite the number of people living with this chronic condition, many do not have access to effective treatment to improve their metabolic health. When Calibrate launched in 2020, educating consumers that their weight isn’t their fault and that a holistic program that combines medication with behavior change could actually change their biology was one of our biggest challenges. In the last year, we’ve seen a shift in consumer mindset, with interest in GLP-1 medication and consumer understanding about the link between metabolic health and obesity growing daily. 

Now, achieving our mission to change the way the world treats weight means more than education. It means delivering cost-effective and clinically significant obesity treatment sustainably: with results members can sustain and a cost equation our healthcare system can sustain for the long term.

As seen in recent mainstream media coverage, obesity as a chronic disease is finally getting the recognition it deserves. In light of recent GLP-1 drug shortages, CBS 60 Minutes focused one of their first segments of the year on recognizing and treating obesity as a chronic disease. Joining journalist Lesley Stahl for this topic was Calibrate Clinical Advisor Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA. Dr. Stanford is an obesity medicine physician scientist, educator, and policy maker at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and, at Calibrate, she advises on the latest evidence-based science and partners with us to destigmatize obesity. 

Here are our top four takeaways from the segment and how we’re working to address these as we change the way the world treats weight.

Obesity: A Deeply Misunderstood and Highly Stigmatized Disease

“Wait, are you saying that doctors don’t understand obesity? Doctors? - Stahl

“Doctors do not understand obesity.” - Dr. Stanford 

We know that weight bias is pervasive in our society––from insurance companies to medical professionals. Weight bias can lead to negative health outcomes, and a survey showed that among first year medical students, implicit and explicit weight bias is common. Medical students receive little training about obesity, although 74% of the population is living with overweight or obesity. 

At Calibrate, we know that weight is about biology, not willpower, and our doctors join our team because they want to effectively treat patients with obesity with a standard of care that works. Our doctors are experts in obesity treatment, and are all board-certified and trained in a variety of disciplines, including integrative and functional medicine, endocrinology, and cardiology.

Calibrate’s Standard of Care 

“That's where the stigma of obesity comes in, the idea that the patient can do it with diet and exercise. You would never do that to a patient with hypertension or heart disease or Type 2 diabetes, tell them that you "Just don't eat sugar, you'll be fine." - Dr. Caroline Apovian 

The underlying causes of obesity are complex and multivariate (genetics, environment, biology, and social determinants of health all play a role), and to effectively treat obesity, we need a more comprehensive approach that improves metabolic health. That’s why at Calibrate, we ensure the right members receive the right medication for the right length of time, and we couple this with our proprietary behavior change program––together they catalyze enduring physiological changes so members can sustain health improvements without relying on medication long term. And what’s more––Calibrate is proven to work, demonstrating average sustained weight loss results of 15% at 12, 18, and 24 months. Our newest Results Report validates our initial vision: that a comprehensive program is the standard of care for obesity treatment by improving metabolic health to produce sustained outcomes.

Obesity Medications ≠ Vanity Drugs 

“My insurance company told me that they consider it a ‘vanity drug.’” - Maya Cohen

“A ‘vanity drug?’ So that suggests that the insurance company does not consider obesity a disease––” - Stahl

Obesity is the root of all cardiometabolic disease––building from obesity to diabetes, liver disease, cardiac events, kidney disease, and ultimately premature death. With this in mind, it’s important to note that GLP-1 medications are just as important for people with obesity as they are for people with type 2 diabetes. Today, there are 37 million people in the U.S. living with diabetes, as compared to the 189 million people in America who meet clinical eligibility for obesity medications––the population of people eligible for obesity medication is more than 4x higher than the population of people living with type 2 Diabetes. 

GLP-1 medications target our underlying biology that is most critical for weight loss, improve how the body handles insulin and glucose, and regulate digestion. These medications also work to improve metabolic health, reducing inflammation and the risk of cardiovascular disease. At Calibrate, our aim is to increase access to cardiometabolic disease treatment, and that’s not just access to medication, but also comprehensive, ongoing care to complement medication and to help members sustain results after medication.  

But Medication Alone Won’t Solve the Obesity Crisis We Face Today

“[Maya Cohen] does have to continue dieting and exercising and, like most patients, will be taking the drug indefinitely to maintain her weight.” - Dr. Apovian

While medication is top of mind for the industry and patients alike, GLP-1 medications are not a “magic pill.” These medications are only effective as long as we pair them with a comprehensive behavior change program that can work alongside medication. This is why we intentionally designed Calibrate differently: rather than promising indefinite access to medication, we promise lasting results.

GLP-1 medication is an important tool, it is not a holistic treatment. Research shows that when we leverage lifestyle changes and incorporate them as part of the treatment for obesity, patients sustain health improvements more than with medication alone. This type of behavior change program and additional guidance has been limited due to scale, but by leveraging telemedicine, we are scaling our program to meet the nearly 200 million Americans in need of effective treatment and we are making weight loss sustainable long-term after medication. 

Watch the full interview here: CBS News