Advances in the Management of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Recent Studies of Non-Medicinal Agents

The prevalence of obesity and related metabolic disorders, particularly type 2 diabetes mellitus, is rising worldwide at an alarming rate. These used to mainly affect adults and older adults and were more prevalent in certain geographic regions; however, recent data confirm that a significant number of children and adolescents across the globe are also affected. Modern medicine has significantly improved in offering either medicinal and/or medical procedures to combat these health threats. At the same time, alternative and traditional medicine have also generously helped in the management of such disorders. In this paper, we summarize advances from the past 5 years in the applications of non-medicinal agents for the treatment and/or prevention of obesity and related metabolic disorders (particularly type 2 diabetes mellitus). In particular, the roles of anti-inflammatory, whole-food, and plant-based food diets, along with selected phytochemicals, certain gut bacterial species, and others are discussed.