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.

Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity and Skin Problems

Obesity and Blood Pressure

Obesity and Exercise

Obesity in Adults

Why is Visceral Fat Dangerous?

Obesity Management

Obesity and Depression

Obesity and Respiratory Disorders

Obesity, What Can be Done?

Obesity and Sleep

See more featured articles »

Obesity in Children

Obesity in Pregnancy

Obesity and Heart Disease

Obesity and Diabetes

Obesity and Autism

Obesity and Genetics

Obesity and Periodontitis

What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

Abdominal Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome

Causes of Obesity and Overweight

Obesity and Infertility

Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene (FTO)

Obesity and Fractures

Obesity and Cancer

Obesity and Hormones

Obesity and Fast Food

What is Obesity Paradox?

Obesity and Anesthesia

Dieting for Obese Children

What does Sleeve Gastrectomy Involve?

Obesity and Arthritis

Obesity Epidemiology

Obesity and Stress

Obesity and Sexual Health

Latest Obesity News and Research

New guideline offers recommendations for testosterone replacement therapy use

The Society's Clinical Practice Guideline on testosterone replacement therapy in men with hypogonadism offers recommendations on appropriate testing and prescribing practices.

16 Jul 2026

Scientists show how sweeteners slow the growth of certain gut bacteria

Cambridge researchers have shown how commonly-used sweeteners slow the growth of certain gut bacteria.

16 Jul 2026

Evening chronotype links later eating with higher body fat

Research shows evening chronotypes in women consume more energy later, leading to higher body fat and metabolic issues, highlighting chrono-nutrition's role.

16 Jul 2026

Blood ketone threshold may help predict weight loss success

Achieving and sustaining a blood ketone level of 0.5 mmol/L is crucial for weight loss in ketogenic diets, offering a new approach to dietary monitoring.

16 Jul 2026

New body mass index could overcome limitations of BMI

The Consistent Body Mass Index (CBMI) offers a promising alternative to traditional BMI, aligning with waist-to-height ratio for better body size assessment.

16 Jul 2026

Fractyl Health reports positive randomized data from REMAIN-1 Midpoint Cohort demonstrating durable weight maintenance one year after GLP-1 discontinuation

Fractyl Health, Inc. (Fractyl), a clinical-stage metabolic therapeutics company focused on pioneering novel approaches to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D), today announced positive one-year results from its REMAIN-1 Midpoint Cohort (“Midpoint Cohort”).

16 Jul 2026

Weight loss drugs may reduce binge eating disorder symptoms

Drugs commonly used for weight loss, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, have been found to reduce the key symptoms of binge eating disorder, in a new review of evidence led by University College London (UCL) researchers.

15 Jul 2026

Foreign-born Black adults show lower stroke risk than Americans

For Black individuals in the United States, being born in another country was associated with a lower risk of stroke, according to a study published July 15, 2026, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

15 Jul 2026

Why dementia prevention should be tailored by country

An international study reveals common clusters of dementia risk factors, highlighting the need for tailored prevention strategies across diverse populations.

15 Jul 2026

GLP-1 receptor activation linked to lower depression and bipolar disorder odds

Genetic analyses linked BMI-related GLP-1 receptor activation to better mental well-being and lower odds of major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. The findings do not prove that GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs treat psychiatric conditions, and randomized clinical trials are still needed.

15 Jul 2026

Breast and prostate cancer survival worsens with metabolic syndrome

A SEER-Medicare analysis of more than 200,000 adults aged 66 and older found that metabolic syndrome was associated with about twice the adjusted hazard of death from any cause after breast or prostate cancer. The condition was also linked to higher cancer-specific, cardiovascular-specific, and liver-failure-specific mortality, although the observational design prevents causal conclusions.

14 Jul 2026

Experts urge Mexico to integrate liver disease into chronic care

Liver disease may affect close to half of adults in Mexico, yet the country tracks it far less closely than the diabetes and obesity to which it is linked, according to a new paper by Jeffrey Lazarus, professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy Professor (CUNY SPH), and colleagues, and released to coincide with the International Congress on Obesity taking place in Mexico City this week.

14 Jul 2026