NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Noom, Inc. today announced a new program, Noom Med, dedicated to fighting the disease of obesity. Noom Med is a unique program that combines a suite of telehealth services with Noom's personalized psychological tools for lasting weight loss. Noom Med patients are paired with specialized clinicians and health coaches for a more comprehensive medical treatment for obesity and related diseases. The program is accessed through, and acts as a powerful enhancement to Noom Weight, the company’s popular consumer-facing offering, to empower patients to overcome the barriers to sustained weight loss with the help of psychology principles, human support, and technology. The overall program direction is shaped by Noom’s Chief of Medicine, Linda Anegawa, MD, MS, FACP, a physician board certified in Obesity Medicine and Internal Medicine.
Noom's long and proven track record of helping users achieve health and weight loss goals is rooted in its belief that treating obesity can prevent and reduce the risk of chronic disease at an individual and societal level. As a well-known and trusted digital health brand, Noom has empowered millions of users to achieve sustainable weight loss alongside diabetes prevention, stress & anxiety management, and quality of life improvements. Based on internal data, Noom Weight users lose an average of 15 pounds in 16 weeks, and when surveyed, 98% also say Noom helps change their habits for good. Another study showed that 42% of Noom users who had lost 10% of their weight on the program maintained that weight loss two years after program completion.1
The introduction of GLP-1s for obesity care has revolutionized the landscape for sustainable weight loss and associated health outcomes: clinical trials have shown that for one GLP-1 medication in particular, participants achieved an average of a 12.4% weight loss at 68 weeks of treatment vs. placebo.2 For the millions of Americans who are taking or who have taken GLP-1 medication, though, lasting success is not achievable without a comprehensive behavior change program. Noom Med is the only program built on top of a world-class, psychology-based behavior program, and combining Noom, Inc.’s industry-leading, psychology-based capabilities with Noom Med’s personalized clinical support makes for a powerful approach for battling the disease of obesity.
“Our goal isn't just to help people lose weight — it is to help them avoid chronic illness, increase their lifespan, and enhance their ability to enjoy their lives,” said Saeju Jeong, co-founder and CEO of Noom, Inc. “Studies have shown that managing weight is associated with increased life expectancy of three or more years in people with a high body mass index and those living with diabetes.3 When we think about the experiences and milestones – birthdays, weddings, and graduations – that a person can experience in those additional years of life, we are compelled to fight the disease of obesity harder than ever. Because of our proven track record of providing personalized and destigmatized weight loss solutions, we believe Noom is the best organization to help patients lose weight and potentially add years back to their lives.”
Noom Med is available for those with a BMI of 30 or higher, or greater than or equal to 27 accompanied by a weight-related medical condition. Patients receive a health evaluation by a board-certified physician or a physician-supervised nurse practitioner, and complete comprehensive lab work for the program. A clinician works with the patient to create an individualized plan of care specific to their concerns, biology, and overall health goals. Noom Med follows strict, clinician-created protocols, and only users who qualify are prescribed medication. The complete plan is then delivered through Noom's best-in-class mobile app, complete with interactive patient education, a psychologically-aware curriculum, and a suite of comprehensive nutrition & exercise tools. This combination is unique in the industry.
Noom Med is one of the few services of this kind that also offers patients the opportunity to connect via video with practitioners, enhancing safety and allowing people to develop personal relationships which can enhance the treatment experience and positively influence clinical outcomes. Video connectivity with clinicians trained in obesity care empowers patients in a stigma-free environment and lowers barriers to communication, which have been proven to increase a patient’s engagement in their own care.4 A strong patient-clinician connection is a critical component of Noom Med’s ability to create bespoke medical plans for its users and help them maintain progress on their journey to better health.
“Obesity isn’t a willpower problem or a personal failure. Our bodies’ biological imperative drives us to conserve our weight even if the weight is causing harm: for example, when we try eating less or moving more, over 100 hormones and signaling molecules kick in to block weight loss,” added Dr. Anegawa. “Our determination to lose weight or be healthier alone cannot simply override how evolution has altered the human body over thousands of years. The use of a comprehensive clinical approach, paired with psychological change education and support, is the best way to address these biological factors to achieve long-term health outcomes.”
To learn more about Noom Med, www.noom.com/med.
About Noom
Noom is a consumer-first digital health platform that empowers its users to achieve holistic health outcomes through behavior change and the latest in modern medicine. Founded in 2008, Noom’s mission is to help people everywhere lead healthier lives. Fueled by a powerful combination of technology, psychology, and human coaching, Noom is backed by more than a decade of user research and product development. Today, Noom’s platform includes four core programs: Noom Weight for weight management, Noom Med as an enhancement to Noom Weight for obesity care, Noom Mood for stress management, and Noom DPP for diabetes prevention. Noom’s programs are also available commercially via Noom for Work, delivering total population health benefits for employers and health plans. Headquartered in New York City, Noom has been named one of Inc.'s Best Places to Work and Fortune’s Best Workplaces in Technology. Learn more by visiting noom.com.
1May, C. N., Cox‐Martin, M., Ho, A. S., McCallum, M., Chan, C., Blessing, K., Behr, H., Blanco, P., Mitchell, E. S., & Michaelides, A. (2023). Weight loss maintenance after a digital commercial behavior change program (Noom Weight): Observational cross‐sectional survey study. Obesity Science & Practice. https://doi.org/10.1002/osp4.666
2Wilding, J. P. H., Batterham, R. L., Calanna, S., Davies, M., Van Gaal, L. F., Lingvay, I., McGowan, B. M., Rosenstock, J., Tran, M. T. D., Wadden, T. A., Wharton, S., Yokote, K., Zeuthen, N., Kushner, R. F., & STEP 1 Study Group. (2021). Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine, 384 (11). https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183
3Kianmehr, Hamed, et al. “Potential Gains in Life Expectancy Associated with Achieving Treatment Goals in US Adults with Type 2 Diabetes.” JAMA Network Open, vol. 5, no. 4, 18 Apr. 2022, p. e227705, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.7705 . Accessed 8 June 2022.
4Kahan, Scott, et al. “The Benefit of Telemedicine in Obesity Care.” Obesity, vol. 30, no. 3, 23 Feb. 2022, pp. 577–586, https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23382.
