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 Heart Disease

Causes of Obesity and Overweight

Obesity and Periodontitis

Obesity and Respiratory Disorders

Obesity and Blood Pressure

Obesity and Hormones

Dieting for Obese Children

Obesity and Genetics

Obesity and Depression

Obesity and Cancer

Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene (FTO)

See more featured articles »

Obesity Epidemiology

Obesity and Anesthesia

Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

Obesity and Arthritis

Obesity in Pregnancy

Obesity and Diabetes

Obesity and Sexual Health

Why is Visceral Fat Dangerous?

Obesity and Autism

Obesity and Exercise

Obesity and Fractures

Obesity, What Can be Done?

Obesity and Skin Problems

Obesity and Fast Food

What does Sleeve Gastrectomy Involve?

What is Obesity Paradox?

Abdominal Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity in Children

Obesity in Adults

Obesity and Sleep

Obesity and Stress

Obesity and Infertility

Obesity Management

Latest Obesity News and Research

Tiny blood particles help shuttle a hormone through the body

Researchers at Touro University Nevada have discovered that tiny particles in the blood, called extracellular vesicles (EVs), are a major player in how a group of hormones are shuttled through the body. Physical exercise can stimulate this process.

15 Dec 2025

A new trial investigates whether the MIND diet can be scaled for obesity management

This study protocol outlines a 12-week randomized trial testing whether a MIND diet intervention is feasible, acceptable, and sustainable for adults with obesity in Sweden. It will generate preliminary evidence on adherence, mental well-being, and gut microbiota changes to inform larger efficacy trials.

14 Dec 2025

Metabolic syndrome affects nearly four in ten US adults as rates climb in older and Black populations

A large NHANES analysis found that nearly four in ten US adults met criteria for metabolic syndrome between 2013 and 2023, with no statistically significant change in overall prevalence. However, prevalence rose significantly among adults aged 60 years and older and among non-Hispanic Black individuals, alongside a significant non-linear increase in hypertriglyceridemia.

14 Dec 2025

Single-cell RNA-seq reveals FBLN7's role in adipose tissue fibrosis

Fibrosis, resulting from excess extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, is a feature of adipose tissue (AT) dysfunction and obesity-related insulin resistance.

13 Dec 2025

Exclusive licensing agreement accelerates PHD inhibitor development for anemia in CKD patients

Insilico Medicine ("Insilico"), a clinical-stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, and TaiGen Biotechnology, a listed discovery-based and market-focused pharmaceutical company, as well as TaiGen Biopharmaceuticals, its wholly-owned Beijing subsidiary (both referred to as "TaiGen"), today announced an exclusive pipeline out-licensing collaboration.

12 Dec 2025

AI-guided discovery of selective DGKα inhibitors to overcome checkpoint resistance in solid cancers

Insilico Medicine has developed a new class of small molecule inhibitors targeting diacylglycerol kinase alpha (DGKα) designed to restore T cell function and overcome resistance to immune checkpoint blockades in solid cancers.

12 Dec 2025

What happens to your body when you eat takeaway food too often?

This study of 8,556 US adults shows that frequent takeaway food consumption is associated with a higher energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index and adverse cardiometabolic markers. The findings suggest that reducing takeaway intake and lowering dietary inflammatory potential may improve long-term cardiometabolic health.

11 Dec 2025

Study offers insight into how coffee and tea intake may influence bone health in older women

A new study from Flinders University offers insight into how two of the world's most popular beverages, coffee and tea, may influence bone health in older women.

11 Dec 2025

Teenagers with body image issues may develop eating disorders and depression later

Teenagers who are unhappy with their bodies are more likely to develop symptoms of eating disorders and depression in early adulthood, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

11 Dec 2025

Frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption influence cancer risk

As Americans gear up for the holiday season, new research offers a timely reminder to reflect on the long-term health effects of raising a celebratory glass – or two.

11 Dec 2025

Study elucidates novel mitochondrial mechanisms underlying anti-aging and longevity

As life expectancy continues to climb globally, the focus of many people has moved from longevity alone to living in good health.

10 Dec 2025

Family history of cardiometabolic disease linked to early heart damage in adolescents

A new study among more than 1,500 British adolescents is the first in the world to assess the association between familial cardiometabolic diseases and the offspring's risk of premature heart damage by early adulthood.

10 Dec 2025

Uterine fibroids linked to higher long-term heart disease risk in women

Long-term heart disease risk in women diagnosed with uterine fibroids was more than 80% higher than in women without fibroids, according to new independent research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

10 Dec 2025

Surprising new function of immune cells uncovered: Excess weight loss prevention

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have uncovered a surprising new function for immune cells: preventing excess weight loss.

10 Dec 2025

Sterilized fermented beverage targets obesity and type 2 diabetes pathways in computational study

Researchers profiled a terminally sterilized probiotic-fermented MFH beverage and identified aporphine alkaloids and flavonoids with favorable predicted ADMET properties. Integrated network pharmacology, molecular docking, and 100-ns MD simulations suggest multi-target engagement of metabolic-inflammatory pathways relevant to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

9 Dec 2025

Doctors warn about cardiovascular dangers from excessive energy drink use

Downing several strong energy drinks every day may pose a serious stroke risk, doctors have warned in the journal BMJ Case Reports, after treating an otherwise fit and healthy man in his 50s with a daily 8-can habit and exceedingly high blood pressure.

9 Dec 2025

Gut microbe metabolite TMA improves blood sugar by shutting down a key inflammatory switch

Researchers identified trimethylamine (TMA) as a gut microbe–derived metabolite that directly inhibits IRAK4 to reduce metabolic inflammation and improve glycaemic control in high-fat-diet-fed mice. Choline-driven increases in TMA production replicated these benefits, revealing a host–microbe signaling axis with therapeutic potential for obesity-associated insulin resistance.

9 Dec 2025

High BMI and poor physical fitness in adolescence linked to severe bacterial infections in adulthood

High BMI and poor physical fitness during later adolescence increase the risk of both contracting and dying from sepsis and other severe bacterial infections in adulthood, according to a study from the University of Gothenburg.

9 Dec 2025

Supportive marriages may shape appetite control through oxytocin and the brain–gut axis

Supportive marital relationships are associated with lower BMI, fewer food addiction symptoms, higher oxytocin, stronger frontal brain responses to food cues, and favorable gut tryptophan metabolites. These coordinated social, neural, hormonal, and gut pathways suggest a plausible biological link between emotional support and healthier eating regulation.

8 Dec 2025

Hotter days and nights are already stealing sleep across the U.S.

Rising nighttime and daytime temperatures are associated with reduced sleep duration, poorer sleep continuity, delayed sleep onset, and altered sleep stages in a large U.S. cohort tracked with wearable devices. Vulnerability is greatest among adults aged 40–50 years, females, people with lower socioeconomic status, chronic conditions, and those living in marine climate zones, with climate change projected to further magnify sleep loss.

8 Dec 2025