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.

Why is Visceral Fat Dangerous?

Obesity and Infertility

Obesity and Sexual Health

Obesity and Heart Disease

Obesity and Cancer

Obesity and Skin Problems

Obesity Management

Obesity and Autism

Obesity and Blood Pressure

Obesity and Fast Food

Obesity Epidemiology

See more featured articles »

Obesity in Children

Obesity and Arthritis

Obesity and Periodontitis

Obesity and Genetics

Obesity and Fractures

What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

Obesity and Sleep

Dieting for Obese Children

Obesity and Hormones

Obesity and Anesthesia

Obesity, What Can be Done?

Obesity and Exercise

What does Sleeve Gastrectomy Involve?

Obesity in Adults

Causes of Obesity and Overweight

Obesity and Depression

Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene (FTO)

Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

Abdominal Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity and Respiratory Disorders

Obesity in Pregnancy

What is Obesity Paradox?

Obesity and Stress

Obesity and Diabetes

Latest Obesity News and Research

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

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

AI-powered chemistry accelerates discovery of selective cancer inhibitors

Recently, the Insilico team's research entitled "An Internal Sulfur-Lone Pair Interaction Enabled the Discovery of Potential and Sub-Family Selective PKMYT1 Inhibitors" was invited for publication as a cover Feature in ChemMedChem.

9 Apr 2026

Study shows long-term weight benefits for breastfeeding mothers

Breastfeeding does not only affect your weight while you are breastfeeding. Women gain up to 6.5 kilos less on average later in life if they breastfeed for at least three months, according to a new study.

9 Apr 2026

Fat-producing enzyme identified as key driver of damage in Parkinson’s disease

A fat-producing enzyme in brain cells may play a key role in driving damage in Parkinson's disease and could offer a new target for treatment, scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have found.

9 Apr 2026

Self-employment linked to lower heart disease risks in Hispanic women

Self-employed Hispanic women report less high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, poor health and binge drinking compared to Hispanic women working for salary or wages, new research suggests.

8 Apr 2026

Why early-onset cancers are rising and how researchers plan to stop them

Early-onset cancers are rising worldwide, and this Cell Perspective argues that cancer prevention must move beyond static risk-factor snapshots toward life-course exposure mapping, tissue-level biology, and dynamic estimates of preventability. The authors propose three linked frameworks to speed discovery of cancer causes and translate those findings into more precise prevention and interception strategies.

8 Apr 2026

Long-term excess weight is a stronger predictor of cardiovascular risk

Obesity is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but people's weights can shift over time, and little is known about the cumulative impact of excess weight.

8 Apr 2026

Insilico Medicine nominates AI-driven drug candidate for cancer, Cushing's syndrome and obesity

The NR3C1 (nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1) gene encodes the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a nuclear receptor vital for maintaining physiological homeostasis, and inhibition of NR3C1 could increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to standard chemotherapy, particularly in ovarian cancer.

8 Apr 2026

Study finds genetic basis for GLP-1 weight loss efficacy and side effects

23andMe Research Institute, a nonprofit medical research organization, announced the publication of a study that identifies genetic predictors for GLP-1 weight loss efficacy and side effects.

8 Apr 2026

Sugar intake may reduce effectiveness of relaxation exercises

How does sugar affect relaxation exercises? A new study carried out by researchers from the University of Konstanz provides revealing insights into the connection between blood glucose and the autonomic nervous system: The intake of sugar counteracts relaxation.

7 Apr 2026

Early genetic signals connect diabetes subgroups to heart disease risk

A growing body of research shows that diabetes can be stratified into five different subgroups. Researchers at Lund University have now investigated whether a person's genetic predisposition to different diabetes subgroups can help assess the risk of developing coronary artery disease.

7 Apr 2026

New obesity definition could delay treatment and widen health gaps

The Lancet obesity framework aims to improve risk assessment but risks delaying treatment and deepening health inequities, according to recent evaluations.

7 Apr 2026