Obesity specialist versus dietitian: rivalry or collaboration? Essential professions in the era of metabolic disease epidemics
Lena Bauer
2026-03-17
4 min. read
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Epidemiological records from 2010 reveal that excess body weight and obesity were directly responsible for between 3 and 4 million fatalities globally. Forecasts for 2035 paint an even grimmer picture: the prevalence of obesity is projected to climb from the current 22 percent to 33 percent, while type 2 diabetes cases will surge from 6 percent to 12 percent, and hypertension will affect not 32 percent but a staggering 50 percent of the population. Particularly concerning is the projection for Poland, where by 2048, there may no longer be any individuals with a body mass index within the healthy range. In response to these alarming trends, medical professionals—including experts from the Polish Society for Obesity Research—are emphasizing the urgent necessity of establishing a dedicated medical specialization in obesitology. What, then, are the distinct competencies of an obesity specialist, how do they differ from the role of a clinical dietitian, and does the relationship between these professions revolve around competition for patients or synergistic collaboration in therapeutic interventions?
Obesity specialist
The idea of creating a medical specialty in the field of obesity treatment was born in 2014, the Foundation for People with Obesity OD-WAGA on the occasion of the World Day to Combat obesity (24 October) presented the Report entitled: Obesity and weightism global disease and social risk before the Parliamentary Committee on the Prevention of Obesities. The Foundation drew particular attention to the need to create in Poland such a specialty of a physician specialist.[1] It would be implemented by physicians: pediatricians, internal medicine practitioners, physical therapists and metabolic medicine specialists.
Obesitologist versus dietitian
According to Dr. Hab.. Mariusza Wyleżoł, a proponent of the new profession of Obesity Dietetologist, Olszanecka-Generally, one of the people involved in the creation of this specialisation has not been able to bring about the good of this situation. Where we have a lot of specialists in treating complications related to obesity, e.g. diabetes and hypertension, but we do not have doctors who could prevent the development of obesity disease.. This is a paradox and a huge problem, which requires an immediate solution.