April 30, 2026

expert reaction to OBSCORE – a tool to identify individuals at highest risk of obesity-related complications

A study published in Nature Medicine looks at a new tool (OBSCORE) to prioritise individuals at high risk of obesity-related complications for weight loss interventions.  

Prof Naveed Sattar, Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine/Honorary Consultant, University of Glasgow, said:

“This well‑executed study makes a modest contribution to the existing literature. It shows that combining self‑reported disease and medication histories with circulating biomarkers and genetic information can modestly improve prediction of future risk across a range of obesity‑related conditions.

“However, many of these outcomes are highly interrelated, and for some – particularly cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes – well‑established and more easily deployable risk scores are already in use. Although the incremental improvements appear more substantial for certain outcomes, such as chronic kidney disease, they are relatively limited for others, including joint disease. An additional limitation is that several of the variables incorporated into the models are not routinely accessible within the NHS, at least as of now.

“Overall, this study represents a considered step towards more integrated risk prediction across multiple obesity‑related conditions, but considerable further refinement and validation will be needed before such an approach is suitable for routine clinical implementation.  It is also worth noting that effective weight‑loss interventions are increasingly being evaluated across many obesity‑related conditions, and as treatment costs decline, the reliance on such risk scores may diminish over the coming decade. For the present, however, a tool of this nature could still offer clinical value, but this is only the first step of likely many needed to translate to care.”

‘Data-driven prioritization of high-risk individuals for weight loss interventions’ by Langenberg et al. was published in Nature Medicine at 10:00 UK time on Thursday 30th April. 

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04353-2

Declared interests

Prof Naveed Sattar: “NS has consulted for and/or received speaker honoraria from Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie, Afimmune, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Carmot Therapeutics, Eli Lilly, Gan & Lee, GlaxoSmithKline, Hanmi Pharmaceuticals, Janssen, Kailera, Mass Medicines, Menarini-Ricerche, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Metsera, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi, UCB Pharma and Verdiva Bio; and received grant support paid to his University from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, and Roche.  No shares in any medical areas.”

This Roundup was accompanied by an SMC Briefing.