[Trends in the treatment of obesity: from single modality to combination therapy]

The medical treatment of obesity includes pharmacotherapy, interventional therapy with medical devices, and metabolic and bariatric surgery. With the advancement in understanding of obesity and its treatment goals, the combined application of multiple therapeutic modalities-particularly the combination of bariatric surgery and pharmacotherapy based on a foundation of healthy lifestyle and behavioral management for severe and extreme obesity-represents an effective future solution. This includes the use of anti-obesity medications before bariatric surgery to reduce surgical difficulty and perioperative risks, and the use of anti-obesity medications as adjunctive therapy after bariatric surgery to further improve both short- and long-term treatment outcomes. However, specific combination regimens, including the timing of medication initiation, drug selection, and duration of treatment, await further clinical investigation. Targeted therapy and immunotherapy for obesity should be future research hotspots and hold promise as breakthrough points in the clinical management of obesity.