JnJ The Obesity Podcast

Professor Lena Carlsson Ekander recounts the origins and evolution of the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) Study – the world’s longest prospective investigation into the effects of intentional weight loss on survival and metabolic health. She reflects on the vision of the study’s founder, Prof. Lars Sjöström, and how the team built a nationwide cohort across 25 hospitals and 480 primary-care centres....

This episode features Francesco Rubino (King’s College London) and  Dr. Riccardo Cohen (President of IFSO) discussing their leadership of the Lancet Commission on Obesity Diagnosis. They explain why obesity has historically been treated as a risk factor rather than a disease, and how their work has established the first formal diagnostic framework. The Commission, comprising 56 global experts, dis...

Joined by Professor David Cummings (University of Washington, Seattle), Paulina and Marco explore the revolutionary impact of new incretin-based medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide. Cummings explains their origins in metabolic surgery research, how GLP-1 and GIP mechanisms work, and why the field has shifted dramatically after decades of weak pharmacological options. He addresses surge...

Hosts Professor Paulina Salminen (Finland) and Professor Marco Bueter (Switzerland) introduce the new Obesity Podcast, setting the stage for open, stigma-free discussions around obesity as a chronic disease. They share personal backgrounds as bariatric surgeons and researchers, reflecting on their work in metabolic surgery, clinical trials, and eating-behavior research. Both emphasize that the pod...