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 Management

Obesity and Diabetes

Obesity in Children

Obesity and Fast Food

Obesity and Infertility

Causes of Obesity and Overweight

Obesity and Arthritis

Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity and Respiratory Disorders

Obesity in Pregnancy

Obesity and Depression

See more featured articles »

Obesity and Sexual Health

What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

Obesity and Anesthesia

Abdominal Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome

Why is Visceral Fat Dangerous?

Obesity and Fractures

Obesity and Blood Pressure

Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene (FTO)

Obesity and Stress

Obesity and Autism

Dieting for Obese Children

Obesity, What Can be Done?

Obesity and Skin Problems

Obesity Epidemiology

Obesity and Genetics

Obesity and Sleep

Obesity and Hormones

Obesity in Adults

Obesity and Periodontitis

Obesity and Exercise

What does Sleeve Gastrectomy Involve?

Obesity and Heart Disease

Obesity and Cancer

What is Obesity Paradox?

Latest Obesity News and Research

Exploring the link between underweight status and gut microbiota composition in Japanese women

Low body weight in young women has been linked to a range of health concerns, including disrupted menstrual cycles, infertility, weakened immune function, and a long-term decline in bone density.

31 Oct 2025

Obesity treatment in the UK could become a "two-tier system", experts warn

Treatment for obesity in the UK could become a "two-tier system" where the most vulnerable patients miss out altogether.

31 Oct 2025

Massive cross-ancestry study explains why obesity risks differ around the world

A massive cross-ancestry genetic study involving over 839,000 adults identified 13 genes linked to obesity, including five never before associated with the condition. The findings highlight how global genetic diversity can uncover new biological pathways and potential treatment targets for obesity.

31 Oct 2025

Understanding the role of m6A methylation in acute lung injury pathogenesis

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a critical clinical condition characterized by diffuse inflammation of the lung parenchyma and intractable hypoxemia, typically caused by factors, such as trauma, pneumonia, shock, and sepsis.

30 Oct 2025

New study sheds light on vision loss in idiopathic intracranial hypertension

If untreated, a disorder of high brain pressure called idiopathic intracranial hypertension can lead to vision loss. But this disorder can develop without noticeable symptoms, making it hard to catch.

30 Oct 2025

Refugees will be among the first to lose food stamps under federal changes

After fleeing the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, Antoinette landed in the Atlanta area last November and began to find her footing with federal help.

30 Oct 2025

Does fasting earlier in the day improve metabolism? This study says no

In a randomized crossover trial of 31 women with overweight, early and late time-restricted eating (TRE) produced no improvement in insulin sensitivity or cardiometabolic markers under isocaloric conditions. Both schedules, however, shifted internal circadian clocks, highlighting that meal timing affects biological rhythms more than metabolic outcomes.

30 Oct 2025

Stem cells show promise in preventing post-heart attack heart failure

Patients with weak heart function who receive stem cell therapy shortly after a heart attack are at lower risk of developing heart failure and related hospital stays compared with standard care, finds a clinical trial published by The BMJ today.

30 Oct 2025

WHO reviews highlight limited long-term data on GLP-1 drug safety

Three new Cochrane reviews find evidence that GLP-1 drugs result in clinically meaningful weight loss, but industry-funded studies raise questions. The reviews were commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) to inform upcoming guidelines on the use of these drugs to treat obesity.

30 Oct 2025

Aligning your body clock may protect your heart and metabolism, says AHA

A new American Heart Association scientific statement highlights how maintaining circadian health through regular sleep, light exposure, meal timing, and exercise may reduce cardiometabolic disease risk. Disrupting these daily rhythms can impair glucose regulation, blood pressure, and cardiovascular function.

29 Oct 2025

Study aims to examine the association between arsenic exposure and MASLD

While metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is associated with obesity, the cause of its rapidly rising prevalence is not well understood.

29 Oct 2025

Experimental compound reduces cell death, inflammation, and organ damage in diabetes

An experimental compound reduced the cell death, inflammation, and organ damage seen with diabetes.

29 Oct 2025

Four distinct subgroups of PCOS open up for more tailored treatments

Four distinct subgroups of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have been identified in an international study published in Nature Medicine by researchers from Karolinska Institutet, among others.

29 Oct 2025

Plant-based diets could curb climate change and infectious diseases, experts say

A new review in Open Forum Infectious Diseases links animal agriculture to climate change, antimicrobial resistance, and infectious disease spread. The authors urge healthcare providers to promote plant-based diets as a practical step to protect planetary and public health.

28 Oct 2025

AI-powered LifeClock forecasts diseases years before symptoms appear

Researchers have developed LifeClock, an AI-driven biological clock trained on over 24 million electronic health records to estimate biological age across the human lifespan. The model accurately predicts disease risk years in advance, revealing distinct developmental and aging processes.

28 Oct 2025

Circadian rhythm disruptions may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease

As modern lifestyles increasingly challenge the body's natural circadian rhythm, the American Heart Association is spotlighting the potential health consequences of regular disruptions to our body's internal clock with a new scientific statement published today in its flagship journal Circulation.

28 Oct 2025

Liver cirrhosis found to be more common in low-income households

Liver cirrhosis is significantly more common in low-income households than in high-income households. This is the result of a national study which, according to the researchers, calls for more preventive action in the most vulnerable groups.

28 Oct 2025

Obesity’s health risks shift with age and sex, new genetic study reveals

Using a new time-resolved Mendelian randomization approach in over 360,000 UK Biobank participants, Karlsson et al. revealed that the causal impact of obesity changes across life, with distinct age- and sex-specific risk patterns for diabetes, heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and osteoarthritis.

27 Oct 2025

Updated COVID-19 vaccines continue to offer strong protection, research shows

Updated COVID-19 vaccines are still providing effective protection against infection, emergency department visits, hospitalization and death, according to new research published today in JAMA Internal Medicine.

27 Oct 2025

TRF1 protein depletion linked to leaner mice and altered metabolism

A new research paper was published in Volume 17, Issue 9 of Aging-US on September 17, 2025, titled "Depletion of the TRF1 telomere-binding protein leads to leaner mice with altered metabolic profiles."

27 Oct 2025