Obesity affects millions of people and is increasingly recognized as a complex chronic disease shaped by biology, genetics, environment and metabolism.

In this episode of the UB Medicine Podcast, host Allison Brashear, MD, MBA, is joined by Ajay Chaudhuri, MBBS, an internationally recognized expert in diabetes, obesity and metabolic disease, and Kathleen E. Bethin, MD, PhD, a pediatric endocrinologist and specialist in childhood metabolic health, for an in-depth discussion about the science transforming obesity care.

Together, they explore how our understanding of obesity has evolved, why stigma remains a barrier to treatment, and what patients and families should know about metabolic health.

The conversation also examines the rise of GLP-1 medications, explaining how these therapies work, why they represent a significant breakthrough in obesity and diabetes treatment, and the broader health benefits clinicians are seeing beyond weight loss.