Obesity

Overweight and obesity are defined by the WHO as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to an individuals health.

Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer and while it was once an issue only in high income countries, overweight and obesity has now dramatically risen in low- and middle-income countries.Such countries are now facing a "double burden" of disease, for while they continue to deal with the problems of infectious disease and under-nutrition, they are also experiencing a rapid upsurge in chronic disease risk factors such as obesity and overweight, particularly in urban settings.

What is Obesity?

Obesity and overweight have in the last decade become a global problem - according to the World Health Organization (WHO) back in 2005 approximately 1.6 billion adults over the of age 15+ were overweight, at least 400 million adults were obese and at least 20 million children under the age of 5 years were overweight.

Causes of Obesity and Overweight

Obesity, What Can be Done?

What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

Obesity and Fast Food

Obesity and Exercise

Obesity Management

Obesity and Blood Pressure

Obesity and Diabetes

Obesity and Cancer

Obesity and Depression

Obesity and Autism

See more featured articles »

Obesity and Sleep

Obesity and Hormones

Obesity and Genetics

Obesity in Adults

Obesity in Pregnancy

Obesity and Infertility

Obesity and Sexual Health

Obesity and Stress

Obesity and Fractures

Obesity and Arthritis

Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity Epidemiology

What is Obesity Paradox?

Obesity and Periodontitis

Obesity in Children

Obesity and Respiratory Disorders

Obesity and Heart Disease

Obesity and Anesthesia

Obesity and Skin Problems

Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene (FTO)

What does Sleeve Gastrectomy Involve?

Dieting for Obese Children

Abdominal Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome

Why is Visceral Fat Dangerous?

Latest Obesity News and Research

Key immune cells required for tissue repair following liver injury

Our livers contain many different types of immune cells. New research by the team of Prof. Charlotte Scott (VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research) and colleagues now reveals that a specific activation state of one of these cell types is required for tissue repair following injury.

24 Jan 2025

Dapagliflozin plus calorie restriction boosts remission rates in adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity

Findings indicate that dapagliflozin and calorie restriction together improve weight loss and metabolic health, increasing the likelihood of diabetes remission.

24 Jan 2025

Study reveals new mechanism behind gene expression regulation in animal cells

A research team at KAIST has identified the core gene expression networks regulated by key proteins that fundamentally drive phenomena such as cancer development, metastasis, tissue differentiation from stem cells, and neural activation processes.

24 Jan 2025

Healthy habits take longer to form than expected

We're nearly one month into 2025, but if you're struggling to hold onto your New Year's resolution, stay strong, as University of South Australia research shows that forming a healthy habit can take longer than you expect.

24 Jan 2025

Study finds successful treatment of childhood obesity lowers long-term health risks

Effective treatment of childhood obesity significantly lowers long-term health risks, including type 2 diabetes and hypertension, promoting better adult health.

24 Jan 2025

Study shows how physical activity can enhance brain function and prevent dementia

A study led by scientists at Rutgers University-New Brunswick has shown that specialized cells involved in how the body responds to insulin are activated in the brain after exercise, suggesting that physical activity may directly improve brain function.

23 Jan 2025

Two-thirds of people with post-COVID-19 syndrome experience long-term effects

Two-thirds of people with post-COVID-19 syndrome have persistent, objective symptoms – including reduced physical exercise capacity and reduced cognitive test performances – for a year or more, with no major changes in symptom clusters during the second year of their illness, according to a new study published January 23rd in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Winfried Kern of Freiburg University, Germany, and colleagues.

23 Jan 2025

Non-industrialized diet improves health and reduces disease risk

Researchers have found that a newly developed diet inspired by the eating habits of non-industrialised societies can significantly reduce the risk of a number of chronic diseases – and are to share recipes with the public.

23 Jan 2025

What causes behavioral side effects in popular weight loss drugs?

The study of GLP1R variants shows associations with cardiometabolic traits and behavioral changes, highlighting indirect effects of GLP1RA on mental health.

23 Jan 2025

Trump’s early health moves signal intent to erase Biden’s legacy. What’s next is unclear.

President Donald Trump's early actions on health care signal his likely intention to wipe away some Biden-era programs to lower drug costs and expand coverage under public insurance programs.

23 Jan 2025

Dapagliflozin and calorie restriction show higher remission rates in type 2 diabetes

Adults with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes who are given the sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor drug dapagliflozin alongside moderate calorie restriction achieve much higher rates of remission compared with calorie restriction alone, finds a trial published by The BMJ today.

23 Jan 2025

Maternal vitamin D deficiency may accelerate fetal aging and impact newborn health

Maternal vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is linked to accelerated epigenetic gestational age in infants at birth, suggesting improper fetal development influenced by low vitamin D levels. The study also found associations between maternal age, birth height, and epigenetic aging, though cord blood vitamin D showed no significant impact.

22 Jan 2025

Strong heart, strong bones: How cardiovascular health influences bone density

Higher cardiovascular health (Life’s Essential 8 scores) is linked to greater bone mineral density in adults aged 20–59, with stronger associations in younger individuals, women, and those with normal BMI, suggesting heart-healthy habits may protect bone strength.

22 Jan 2025

Why do people with obesity, but without diabetes, start taking semaglutide?

Research identifies key factors affecting semaglutide initiation among obese individuals without diabetes, revealing significant insurance coverage disparities.

22 Jan 2025

GLP1RA medications linked to behavioral side effects in type 2 diabetes and obesity

Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP1RA)-medications for type 2 diabetes and obesity that have recently been making headlines due to a rise in popularity as weight loss agents-have been linked with behavioral side effects.

22 Jan 2025

The growing inequality in life expectancy among Americans

The life expectancy among Native Americans in the western United States has dropped below 64 years, close to life expectancies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti.

22 Jan 2025

How gut microbiota impacts childhood obesity

Gut microbiota plays a critical role in childhood obesity by influencing energy metabolism, inflammation, and appetite regulation, with emerging therapeutic strategies like probiotics, dietary interventions, and fecal microbiota transplantation showing promise.

21 Jan 2025

Muscle fat infiltration predicts heart disease risk better than BMI, study finds

Skeletal muscle fat infiltration (IMAT) is linked to coronary microvascular dysfunction and increased cardiovascular risk, independent of BMI and traditional risk factors.

21 Jan 2025

Childhood obesity treatment reduces long-term health risks but not depression

When children with obesity undergo weight-loss treatment, the effects have repercussions later in life and the risk of serious health problems and premature death is lower as they reach young adulthood.

21 Jan 2025

Research shows epigenetic aging in the blood as potential breast cancer marker

A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) on December 5, 2024, Volume 16, Issue 22, titled "DNA-methylation age and accelerated epigenetic aging in blood as a tumor marker for predicting breast cancer susceptibility."

21 Jan 2025