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

Youth-onset type 2 diabetes is more aggressive and difficult to control, study shows

People with type 2 diabetes diagnosed during youth have a high risk of developing complications at early ages and have a greater chance of multiple complications within 15 years after diagnosis.

28 Jul 2021

Weight loss not given sufficient priority in the management of heart patients

Weight loss is given insufficient priority in the management of heart patients despite the benefits, according to a study published today in European Heart Journal - Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology.

27 Jul 2021

Global prevalence of dementia estimated to increase to more than 152 million by 2050

Positive trends in global education access are expected to decrease dementia prevalence worldwide by 6.2 million cases by the year 2050.

27 Jul 2021

Excessive body fat can increase the risk of dementia

It's the global epidemic that affects two in every five adults, but as obesity continues to expand waistlines worldwide, researchers at the University of South Australia are warning that harmful body fat can also increase the risk of dementia and stroke.

26 Jul 2021

Nasal swabs reveal muted antiviral response in patients who developed severe COVID-19

Over the past 18 months, researchers have learned much about COVID-19 and its viral cause, SARS-CoV-2. They know how the virus enters the body, coming in through the nose and mouth and beginning its infection in the mucus layers of the nasal passageway.

26 Jul 2021

Clinical trials during a pandemic – lessons from COVID-19

In this interview, Dr. Benedicte Roquebert, Dr. Stephanie Haim-Boukobza and Dr. Souad Mehlal discuss how COVID-19 has resulted in new ways to think about clinical trials during a pandemic.

From Cerba Research 23 Jul 2021

Study identifies food insecurity at a local authority scale across the UK

In one out of every six local authorities, rates of hunger are more than 150 per cent (one and a half times) the national average. Shockingly, in one in 10 local authorities, the rate is almost double, according to new research by the University of Sheffield.

23 Jul 2021

Experts call for immediate action to ensure physical activity is built into everyday lives

Not enough progress has been made to address physical inactivity worldwide, with adolescents and people living with disabilities (PLWD) among the least likely populations to have the support needed to meet the World Health Organization (WHO)'s physical activity guidelines.

22 Jul 2021

Scientists identify gut microbiota dysbiosis as a potential risk factor for long COVID

A study in Norway has recently highlighted a significant association between gut microbiota alteration and persistent respiratory dysfunction in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.

21 Jul 2021

Study shows strong relationship between women's heart health and pregnancy outcomes

A study of more than 18 million pregnancies has shown a strong and graded relationship between women's heart health and pregnancy outcomes.

21 Jul 2021

Children of obese mothers at increased risk of fatty liver disease

Children and young people whose mothers had a BMI greater than 30 during early pregnancy are at an increased risk of fatty liver disease.

19 Jul 2021

Occasional breastfeeding shown to improve cardiac and vascular health in babies, with long-lasting benefits

New research shows that 3-year-old toddlers had lower blood pressure when they were breastfed as babies in comparison to ones that weren’t.

19 Jul 2021

Patient's case report reveals link between Bell’s palsy and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

The case of a patient who experienced two facial palsies – one after the first and another after the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine – strongly suggests that Bell’s palsy (facial nerve palsy of unknown cause) is linked to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, doctors write in the journal BMJ Case Reports.

19 Jul 2021