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

A potential treatment to prevent obesity-related liver damage

One of the especially dangerous health risks of being extremely overweight occurs when an obese person begins to accumulate fat in their liver.

18 May 2021

Researchers receive $4.5 million grant to improve quality of care for people with cardiovascular disease

Researchers from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center have received a $4.5 million grant over three years from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to lead a statewide network of primary care providers, health systems, and academic centers to identify, develop, and implement patient-centered approaches to improve quality of care and outcomes for people with cardiovascular disease.

18 May 2021

New focus on adverse impact of male factors in assisted reproductive treatments

The adverse impact of male factors in assisted reproductive treatments was brought into a clear and disturbing focus at the 10th Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction.

17 May 2021

Delaying second dose of covid-19 vaccine could result in lower mortality under certain conditions

Delaying the second dose of covid-19 vaccines, at least for people aged under 65, could result in up to 20% lower mortality, but only under certain conditions, finds a US study published by The BMJ today.

17 May 2021

A leading group of scientists working in universities, research centres, and innovative companies across Belgium, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland just initiated a groundbreaking project hoping to treat stroke once and for all. The project, given the code name “ANGIE”, is backed by EU funding. "European scientists started developin

17 May 2021

Scientists initiate a groundbreaking project to treat stroke once and for all

A leading group of scientists working in universities, research centers, and innovative companies across Belgium, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland just initiated a groundbreaking project hoping to treat stroke once and for all.

17 May 2021

Study highlights the need for more personalized approach to measuring BMI

The results of an extensive new study funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Ethnic-specific BMI cut-off points for obesity based on type 2 diabetes mellitus risk: a cohort study of 1.5 million people in England, presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) and published simultaneously in the leading journal, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology reveal that inaccurate and outdated interpretations of the standard Body Mass Index (BMI) values for patients from BAME backgrounds in England could potentially be putting their health at risk.

17 May 2021

Survey: 40% of people with liver disease have been worried about mental health impact of the pandemic

A survey by the British Liver Trust in March 2021 has revealed that 40% of people with liver disease have been worried about their mental health during the pandemic.

17 May 2021

New way to detect a diverse range of bacteria that cause diarrheal disease in informal settlements

Monash University researchers have validated a way to successfully detect a diverse range of bacteria (pathogens) that cause diarrheal disease in informal settlements.

17 May 2021

Older heart failure patients significantly benefit from tailored cardiac rehab program

Older patients hospitalized with acute heart failure who participated in a novel 12-week physical rehabilitation (rehab) program tailored to address their specific physical impairments had significant gains not only in physical functioning but also quality of life and depression compared with those receiving usual care, regardless of their heart's ejection fraction, according to a new study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session.

17 May 2021

Study suggests potential role for probiotics in preventing respiratory infections

Daily probiotic use was associated with fewer upper respiratory symptoms in overweight and older people, according to a study that suggests a potential role for probiotics in preventing respiratory infections.

14 May 2021

Minorities substantially underrepresented in pancreatic cancer clinical trials

Despite the fact that certain racial and ethnic minorities get pancreatic cancer more often, are diagnosed at a younger age and die sooner, clinical trials fail to include representative proportions of non-White patients at every phase of study, according to research that was selected for presentation at Digestive Disease Week 2021.

14 May 2021

A look at how coronavirus disease (COVID-19) affects Parkinson's

Earlier, herpes simplex virus (HSV), influenza virus A, measles virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), and mumps virus have all been associated with after-effects of the virus that includes Parkinson's disease (PD). This list may now include SARS-CoV-2.

14 May 2021

Higher fruit and vegetable intake associated with less stress

Eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables is associated with less stress, according to new research from Edith Cowan University.

13 May 2021

Obesity-related cancer deaths are declining at a slower pace, shows study

Cancer death rates have fallen dramatically in the United States, but factor in obesity, as researchers did at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, and the picture changes.

13 May 2021

Huge healthcare burden of post-COVID-19 symptoms likely, suggests new study

How well do patients who had COVID-19 recover after the virus is cleared from their systems? A new preprint reports on symptom profiles over the first nine months of the illness.

13 May 2021

Comprehensive blood atlas of COVID-19 identifies hallmarks of disease severity

Researchers in the UK have presented a multi-omics integrated blood atlas that delineates the host immune response in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) of varying severity, providing a unique reference resource for the interpretation of datasets generated from interventional trials.

13 May 2021