The term “diabesity” reflects the increasingly inseparable relationship between obesity and type 2 diabetes—a dual epidemic driving metabolic dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, and rising healthcare costs worldwide. As prevalence continues to grow, clinicians are challenged not only to manage these conditions, but to detect early pathophysiologic shifts before irreversible damage occurs.
Traditional markers like fasting glucose, HbA1c, and insulin resistance remain foundational, but they often reflect late-stage metabolic dysregulation. New attention is now turning toward incretin hormones—specifically GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon—which play critical roles in glucose homeostasis, appetite regulation, and insulin secretion. Measuring these markers can offer a more dynamic and mechanistic view of metabolic health, especially as incretin-based therapies (e.g., GLP-1 receptor agonists) become standard in both obesity and diabetes treatment.
With the rapid rise in GLP-1–based medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide, clinicians increasingly need tools to personalize therapy, predict response, and understand hormonal imbalances that contribute to weight retention or hyperglycemia. A validated panel measuring GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon in plasma offers a promising new approach—shedding light on gut-pancreas axis dysfunction before overt disease develops.
Importantly, these tests could also guide decisions around therapeutic escalation or identify patients at risk of non-response to current treatments. As the field moves toward precision endocrinology, understanding individual hormonal profiles may soon become as routine as checking HbA1c.
For clinicians managing patients at the intersection of obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome, diabesity is no longer just a lifestyle issue—it’s a hormonal disorder that demands targeted insight and modern diagnostics.
References
Drucker, D. J. (2023). Mechanisms of action and therapeutic application of incretin-based drugs. The New England Journal of Medicine, 388(9), 853–866. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra2300963
Lean, M. E. J., & Leslie, W. S. (2021). Obesity and type 2 diabetes: Pathophysiology and reversibility. Diabetes Care, 44(1), 44–52. https://doi.org/10.2337/dci20-0026
Ravussin, E., & Ryan, D. H. (2022). Glucagon, GLP-1 and GIP—emerging biomarkers in diabesity management. Nature Metabolism, 4(5), 417–426. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-022-00568-2