Review of the potential value of treatment targets in obesity management

Introduction: Treatment targets can be considered the threshold where treatments generate optimal health outcomes while causing minimal complications. Treatment targets often uses a surrogate measure for the disease process, but are linked with an important outcome of disease management. Unlike chronic diseases such as type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, which have clear treatment targets, obesity management lacks defined therapeutic targets. Insights from other chronic diseases may improve patient outcomes. They guide care, assess therapy response, and reduce complications. Areas covered: This article explores how treatment targets for diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were developed, drawing on a narrative review of literature from 1950 to 2025 using PubMed and Embase. It examines how similar principles could inform obesity treatment, proposing early hypotheses like BMI ≤ 27 kg/m2 and WHtR < 0.53 that warrant future validation. Expert opinion: Targets in chronic disease care reduce complications. While not yet validated, BMI ≤ 27 kg/m2 and WHtR < 0.53 May serve as early anchors for structured obesity treatment strategies. Keywords: Obesity; bariatric surgery; body mass index (BMI); diabetes mellitus; pharmacotherapy; treatment targets; waist-to-height ratio (WHtR).