Tools Pharmacists Can Use to Identify, Address Metabolic Roadblocks to Weight Loss | NCPA 2024
Melody Hartzler, PharmD, discusses common metabolic roadblocks to weight loss and what tools pharmacy teams can use to identify and address them.
The prevalence of obesity remains high in the United States and is considered a significant public health issue. According to data from the CDC, over 40% of adults aged 20 and older and approximately 1 in 5 children and adolescents in the country have obesity.1,2 Metabolic issues, including obesity and insulin resistance, can often make it harder for people to lose weight and also increases the risk for heart attack and stroke.3
At the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) 2024 Annual Convention and Expo, held October 26 to 29 in Columbus, Ohio, Drug Topics sat down with Melody Hartzler, PharmD, clinical pharmacist and CEO of PharmToTable and an adjunct faculty member at the University of Findlay College of Pharmacy, to discuss some common metabolic roadblocks to weight loss that patients may face and what tools pharmacy teams can use to identify and address them.
“So much of the messaging surrounding nutrition depends on who you talk to,” Hartzler said. “’Which one is the best for me? Which exercise pattern should I use?’ People get really confused. I think that’s really where pharmacists can step in and just really help patients understand what core things [they] can do. If you’re the pharmacist in the center of your community and you’re serving these patients, [you] want them to be well, [you] want them to be thriving.”
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