Gender Bias in Research: Obesity Medicine

Obesity is not a moral failure. It’s a complex health issue with biological, psychological, and social roots—and it deserves treatment that’s just as nuanced and respectful, no matter your gender. 

In my interview with Dr. Seema Chaudhary on my TV show, “Our World Today,” she acknowledged that many clinical studies on obesity medications, treatments, or surgeries either fail to consider gender differences or do not include enough women/nonbinary participants to draw meaningful conclusions. This leads to treatments that are often generalized when, in reality, hormones, metabolism, mental health, and lifestyle factors can impact how obesity should be treated differently across genders. 

Dr. Chaudhary also shared crucial advice on how to mitigate gender inequity in this growing field. First, we need to recognize that gender plays a huge role in how people experience their bodies and how they're treated. Second, she recognized that doctors and healthcare professionals need training in both the science and the social side of obesity. Compassion, not judgment, should be the baseline. And finally, she made a call to action, encouraging research that looks at how obesity affects people across all genders—not just cisgender men and women.