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

Obesity in Adults

Obesity and Hormones

Obesity and Blood Pressure

Dieting for Obese Children

Obesity and Periodontitis

Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity Management

Obesity and Diabetes

Obesity and Infertility

Obesity Epidemiology

See more featured articles »

Abdominal Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity and Fast Food

Why is Visceral Fat Dangerous?

Obesity and Fractures

What is Obesity Paradox?

Obesity and Skin Problems

Obesity in Pregnancy

Obesity and Sexual Health

Obesity and Cancer

Obesity in Children

What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

Obesity, What Can be Done?

Obesity and Anesthesia

Obesity and Stress

Obesity and Genetics

Obesity and Sleep

Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene (FTO)

Obesity and Arthritis

Causes of Obesity and Overweight

Obesity and Exercise

Obesity and Respiratory Disorders

What does Sleeve Gastrectomy Involve?

Obesity and Depression

Obesity and Autism

Latest Obesity News and Research

Calorie labels on menus may benefit people with binge eating disorders

Food calorie labels on menus in cafes and restaurants can be helpful for people with binge eating disorders, even aiding their recovery, finds new research from UCL and King's College London.

15 Apr 2026

Loneliness is linked to higher risk of degenerative heart valve disease

Adults who reported feeling lonely had a higher risk of developing degenerative heart valve disease, even after accounting for traditional heart disease risk factors and genetics, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

15 Apr 2026

“Natural” and “healthy” labels may confuse shoppers more than help

Study reveals that front-of-pack labels alone can't ensure healthy choices, as perceptions of naturalness and processing shape consumer behavior.

15 Apr 2026

Gaining weight before age 30 tied to higher mortality

The study reveals that weight gain before 30 years is associated with increased mortality risk, underscoring the need for early obesity intervention strategies.

15 Apr 2026

Metabolic syndrome doubles worldwide over two decades

A global study reveals a sharp rise in metabolic syndrome prevalence from 2000 to 2023, highlighting urgent public health challenges and regional disparities.

15 Apr 2026

Waist-to-height ratio outperforms BMI in predicting hypertension risk

New waist-to-height cut-offs to assess fat mass and obesity predicted the risk of hypertension better than body mass index, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland and the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University in the US.

14 Apr 2026

Study shows why an apple a day may work differently for different people

A 12-week single-blind trial in 38 Japanese adults found that daily Fuji apple intake did not significantly change overall host metabolic markers, but responses differed by baseline gut enterotype. Participants in the Bacteroidaceae-dominant enterotype showed significant increases in fecal short-chain fatty acids after apple consumption, suggesting that gut microbiota structure may shape functional dietary responses.

13 Apr 2026

Study explains why vaccines underperform in people living with obesity

New findings reveal that obesity significantly impaired the quality and longevity of antibody responses to a Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine in a mouse model.

13 Apr 2026

Obesity health risks differ significantly between men and women

New research being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May), reveals distinct patterns of heart, metabolic, and inflammatory health risks between men and women living with obesity, providing an insight into how clinicians may be able to tailor management approaches.

13 Apr 2026

Higher mortality risk in IBS patients using antidepressants

Research indicates that antidepressant use in IBS is linked to a 35% higher risk of all-cause mortality, highlighting safety issues with long-term treatment.

13 Apr 2026

Genetic variants may reduce effectiveness of popular diabetes drugs

More than a quarter of people with Type 2 diabetes take GLP-1 receptor agonists, but the popular diabetes drugs might not work as well for people who have certain genetic variants, according to a new study by Stanford Medicine scientists and their collaborators.

12 Apr 2026

Weight gain timing affects long-term health outcomes

When in life we gain weight can have a significant impact on our health many years later. In a study involving over 600,000 people, researchers at Lund University in Sweden have investigated how changes in weight between the ages of 17 and 60 are linked to the risk of dying from various diseases

11 Apr 2026

Insilico Medicine launches Pharma AI Spring Kickoff 2026 webinar

As the AI era becomes increasingly shaped by foundation models, the pharmaceutical industry is entering a new phase of opportunity for discovery, design, and decision-making driven by AI for science.

10 Apr 2026

Extracellular vesicles from menstrual blood cells show potential to stimulate cartilage repair

New research by an interdisciplinary team in Lithuania has revealed a promising and unconventional approach to cartilage regeneration.

10 Apr 2026

Popular sweeteners may impact metabolism across generations

When you choose a diet version of your favorite fizzy drink, you consume non-nutritive sweeteners, which taste sweet but - unlike sugar - contain no calories.

10 Apr 2026

GLP-1 and dual GLP-1 / GIP drugs help lose body fat while preserving lean mass

New research to be presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025, Malaga, Spain, 11-14 May) shows that patients using GLP-1 or combined GLP-1 / GIP receptor agonist therapy for weight loss experienced minimal lean muscle mass loss as they lost weight across 6 months of treatment.

10 Apr 2026

More steps cut chronic disease risk but cannot fully undo long sitting

Research shows higher daily step counts can mitigate risks of chronic diseases linked to prolonged sitting, emphasizing the need to reduce sedentary time.

10 Apr 2026

Study finds nutritional risks in users of GLP-1 drugs

Adults with overweight or obesity taking the new generation of weight loss drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide tend to eat significantly less, leaving them vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies, according to one of the first real-world studies to examine dietary behavior in people using glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and dual GLP-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) dual agonists RAs (collectively referred to as GLP-1 RAs) with the help of an AI-powered nutritional tracking app.

9 Apr 2026

Experts call for expanded Medicaid coverage to improve children’s health

As states reassess Medicaid coverage following recent federal policy changes and the end of pandemic-era protections, researchers are advocating for evidence-based health care policy reform and expanded Medicaid coverage for children.

9 Apr 2026

Genetic variants may help explain who loses more weight and who gets side effects on GLP-1 drugs

A large 23andMe-based GWAS found that common variants in GLP1R and GIPR help explain why some people lose more weight or experience more nausea and vomiting on GLP-1 drugs. The findings suggest genetics may eventually help predict who responds best to semaglutide or tirzepatide and who is more likely to develop side effects.

9 Apr 2026