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.

Dieting for Obese Children

Why is Visceral Fat Dangerous?

Obesity and Arthritis

Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene (FTO)

Obesity, What Can be Done?

Obesity in Adults

Obesity and Genetics

What does Sleeve Gastrectomy Involve?

What is Obesity Paradox?

What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

Obesity and Diabetes

See more featured articles »

Obesity and Anesthesia

Obesity and Hormones

Obesity in Pregnancy

Obesity and Respiratory Disorders

Causes of Obesity and Overweight

Obesity and Sexual Health

Obesity in Children

Obesity and Exercise

Obesity Management

Obesity and Blood Pressure

Obesity and Depression

Obesity and Stress

Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity Epidemiology

Obesity and Cancer

Obesity and Skin Problems

Obesity and Heart Disease

Obesity and Periodontitis

Obesity and Infertility

Obesity and Fractures

Abdominal Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity and Sleep

Obesity and Fast Food

Obesity and Autism

Latest Obesity News and Research

What children eat may leave a measurable signature in their blood

Researchers analyzed 236 blood metabolites in 421 children to examine metabolic signatures associated with three dietary patterns characterized by core foods, animal protein sources, or poor-quality fats and sugars. The results identified distinct, biologically plausible metabolite patterns across dietary exposures, although most individual associations did not survive multiple-testing correction and require validation in independent cohorts.

15 Sep 2026

Cardiovascular disease surpasses cancer as top killer of Hispanic populations in the U.S.

Cardiovascular disease has surpassed cancer as the leading cause of death among Hispanic adults in the U.S., driven by rising rates of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and other risk factors that often begin earlier in life for Hispanic people.

15 Sep 2026

Insilico Medicine launches AI initiative to develop longevity vaccines

Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, today announced Longevity Vaccines, a research initiative developing treatments that direct a patient's own immune cells to eliminate the earliest cellular drivers of age-related disease.

15 Sep 2026

A study of more than 21,000 adults found an unusual link between psilocybin and diet

Using data from more than 21,800 adults in two UK birth cohorts, researchers found that lifetime psilocybin and LSD use was associated with stronger pro-environmental attitudes and a greater likelihood of following a vegetarian diet, with psilocybin showing the clearer dietary pattern. Mediation analyses suggested that environmental attitudes statistically accounted for the psilocybin-vegetarianism association and part of the association with lower red meat consumption, but the observational design cannot establish causation.

15 Sep 2026

Ultra-processed foods enter babies’ diets early. What comes with them?

In a Denver cohort of 114 healthy infants, higher ultra-processed food intake during complementary feeding was associated with greater added sugar and sodium intake at 9 and 12 months. UPF intake showed no consistent relationship with growth through 12 months, while dietary diversity was not reduced among infants consuming more UPFs.

14 Sep 2026

Tirzepatide vs semaglutide for asthma: the difference was smaller than researchers expected

In a US multicenter electronic health record study, researchers compared tirzepatide with semaglutide in adults with asthma and type 2 diabetes, matching 8,176 patients in each treatment group. Asthma exacerbation risk was similar between treatments, while tirzepatide was associated with a lower likelihood of receiving a short-acting beta-agonist prescription.

14 Sep 2026

Cockroaches have a reputation for surviving almost anything, but this diet proved deadly

A laboratory study tested how ultra-processed, unprocessed, and mixed diets affected survival in 127 lobster cockroaches, Nauphoeta cinerea. Cockroaches fed only ultra-processed foods had higher mortality than those given unprocessed or mixed diets, although the study could not determine whether processing, ingredients, nutrition, or differences in food intake caused the effect.

13 Sep 2026

Obesity suppresses natural protection against breast cancer growth

A research team at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) has found that obesity prevents a biological process that kills cancerous cells, revealing a possible reason why obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer.

11 Sep 2026

Risk factors for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease can be identified in young children

Risk factors for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease, a health condition made up of heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and obesity, can be identified in children as young as 8, UTHealth Houston researchers discovered.

11 Sep 2026

Proteomic signatures reveal early signs of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease in children

Researchers at Vanderbilt Health, UTHealth Houston and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have identified early signs of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic disease (CKMD) in children as young as 8 years old that potentially can be reversed with a new class of weight loss drugs used widely by adults

11 Sep 2026

Refined starch activates immune pathways after low-carb weight loss

After substantial weight loss on a very-low-carbohydrate diet, participants who switched to a diet rich in refined starch showed greater activation of circulating immune and metabolic pathways than those who continued the low-carbohydrate diet or consumed a high-carbohydrate diet rich in added sugar. Mouse experiments suggested that activation of the complement immune pathway may help explain the inflammatory response associated with starch intake.

10 Sep 2026

Biolife granted U.S. patent for novel effervescent oral peptide delivery technology

BioLife today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted U.S. Patent 12,667,605 B2 for its novel effervescent oral peptide delivery technology, designed to support current and future peptide therapeutics for obesity, diabetes and metabolic disease.

10 Sep 2026

New economic tool helps planners consider urban public health impacts

Senior urban development decision-makers have revealed there is currently little incentive to consider public health impacts when shaping towns and cities, according to a new study that highlights the potential of an innovative economic valuation tool to address the problem.

10 Sep 2026

Symptomless liver condition linked to heart and kidney disease

A common liver condition thought to be harmless could be dramatically increasing the risk of heart disease, kidney failure and premature death, according to a new review led by University of Manchester and Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust researchers.

10 Sep 2026

Generative AI-driven drug Rentosertib enters Phase III trial for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage biotechnology company powered by generative AI, today announced that it has dosed the first patient with Rentosertib (known as ISM001-055 / INS018_055) in GENESIS-IPF-3, a Phase III clinical trial (NCT07687459, CTR20262475) at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, while Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital has also enrolled its first patient on the same day.

10 Sep 2026

Gut microbiome may reveal inflammation and future disease risk better than age

Gut microbiota composition explained more variation than chronological age in nearly all inflammatory cytokines and most physiological measures examined, with specific microbial profiles linked to markedly different patterns of inflammation across adulthood. People with the Bacteroides 2 enterotype showed an inflammaging-like profile decades earlier than other groups and had a higher risk of subsequent disease, while a high-diversity microbiota profile was associated with lower inflammation and reduced disease incidence.

9 Sep 2026

The link between PM2.5 and ADHD held up after researchers tested other explanations

Using two decades of U.S. county-level data, researchers found that long-term PM2.5 exposure was robustly associated with higher childhood ADHD prevalence, while associations with low birth weight and diabetes weakened after accounting for county-specific temporal trends. The ADHD association persisted after socioeconomic, demographic, state-level, exposure-period, and spatial adjustments, although the ecological study cannot establish an individual-level causal relationship.

9 Sep 2026

The link between fish and pregnancy hypertension may start before conception

In a nationwide Japanese cohort of more than 86,000 women, higher fish intake before pregnancy was associated with lower odds of early-onset hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, while fish intake during pregnancy showed different associations with late-onset disease, particularly among women who had not previously given birth. Total dietary omega-3 and omega-6 PUFA intake showed much less consistent associations, suggesting that the relationship with fish consumption may not be explained by total PUFA intake alone.

9 Sep 2026

Why a shorter eating window may not mean better metabolic health

In a nationally representative cross-sectional study of 16,973 Korean adults, researchers identified three distinct eating patterns based on the timing and distribution of daily energy intake. Eating later within a shorter daily window was associated with higher odds of metabolic syndrome, elevated blood pressure, triglycerides, and fasting glucose, while frequent grazing showed a mixed metabolic profile.

8 Sep 2026

Integrated mental health care could transform Canada's primary care

As Prime Minister Mark Carney prepares to host the inaugural Canada Investment Summit in Toronto this September, a new review co-led by researchers at UBC argues that the country is leaving one of its largest economic and health-care system opportunities untouched: the integration of psychological care into primary care.

8 Sep 2026