Ruth Abeles, MD
- Obesity and Lifestyle Medicine Physician
- Associate Professor of Medicine
Ruth Abeles, MD, is a board-certified physician specializing in obesity medicine, with a particular focus on menopause-related weight gain and geriatric sarcopenia obesity. She provides personalized, comprehensive care aimed at addressing the unique challenges these populations face in managing weight and improving overall health. Through intensive lifestyle counseling, Dr. Abeles empowers her patients to make sustainable changes that promote weight loss, muscle preservation and overall wellness.
Dr. Abeles recognizes that menopause can lead to significant metabolic changes that contribute to weight gain, and she offers targeted strategies to help women manage these changes through diet, exercise and behavioral modifications. In parallel, she specializes in the treatment of geriatric sarcopenia obesity, a condition in which the loss of muscle mass coincides with excess body fat in older adults. This condition is often associated with frailty, decreased mobility and increased risk of chronic diseases, and Dr. Abeles focuses on preventing and managing these complications to help her patients maintain independence and quality of life.
Her approach to obesity medicine is rooted in a holistic, multidisciplinary strategy that combines nutritional counseling, exercise recommendations, and behavioral therapy - with a strong emphasis on long-term lifestyle changes. She works closely with patients to create individualized plans that not only support weight management but also optimize overall health and manage obesity-related conditions like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
She completed her residency at Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was named chief medical resident and received the David Weeks Memorial Award as Resident of the Year. Dr. Abeles earned her medical degree from St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies, and is board certified in both internal medicine and obesity medicine.
As an active member of the American College of Physicians and the Society of General Internal Medicine, Dr. Abeles stays at the forefront of obesity medicine and lifestyle interventions.
Outside of her clinical work, she enjoys yoga, hiking, half-marathons, and traveling. Fluent in Mandarin, she values the cultural diversity of her patients and strives to provide compassionate care tailored to their unique needs.
UC San Diego Health Links
For more information, see Weight Management Program.
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