Multidisciplinary Team–Based Obesity Treatment in Patients With Diabetes: Current Practices and the State of the Science

IN BRIEF Rates of obesity and diabetes are growing, as are their costs. Because the two diseases share many key determinants, the paradigms for their treatment overlap. For both, optimal treatment involves a multidisciplinary team following the Chronic Care Model of health care delivery. Combined treatment programs that include 1) a low-calorie diet individualized to patients’ preferences, 2) structured exercise that is also tailored to each patient, and 3) psychotherapy induce the largest weight changes in patients with diabetes. Although diet alone can achieve weight loss, exercise and cognitive behavioral therapy components can enhance the effects of dietary modification. A multidisciplinary team that includes a physician with expertise in pharmacotherapy, a nurse and/or nurse practitioner, a dietitian, an exercise physiologist, and a psychologist can provide a comprehensive weight loss program combining the most effective interventions from each discipline.