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 Hormones

Obesity and Respiratory Disorders

Obesity and Exercise

Causes of Obesity and Overweight

Obesity Epidemiology

What does Sleeve Gastrectomy Involve?

Obesity and Skin Problems

Why is Visceral Fat Dangerous?

Obesity and Cancer

Obesity and Stress

Obesity and Anesthesia

See more featured articles »

What is Obesity Paradox?

Abdominal Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity and Sleep

Obesity and Arthritis

What is Body Mass Index (BMI)?

Obesity and Autism

Obesity and Genetics

Obesity and Sexual Health

Obesity and Fractures

Obesity and Heart Disease

Obesity in Adults

Obesity and Fast Food

Obesity Management

Obesity and Blood Pressure

Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity in Pregnancy

Obesity and Diabetes

Obesity, What Can be Done?

Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene (FTO)

Obesity and Infertility

Obesity and Depression

Dieting for Obese Children

Obesity in Children

Obesity and Periodontitis

Latest Obesity News and Research

NIH funds smartphone platform to improve driving safety for teens

Dr. Jeffrey Keller, Hibernia National Bank/Edward G. Schleider Endowed Chair at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and Sara Seifert, president of Minnesota HealthSolutions, have received a new National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award to develop an innovative digital health platform that will help parents support teenagers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as they learn to drive.

4 Aug 2026

$GLP-1 therapy may help reduce fracture risk among adults with type 2 diabetes$

GLP-1 therapy may help reduce fracture risk among adults with type 2 diabetes

New research by UCLA Health found GLP-1 medications may reduce the risk of serious fractures for adults with type 2 diabetes.

4 Aug 2026

Tadalafil may increase glaucoma risk in men with enlarged prostates

An erectile dysfunction drug that is also used to treat symptoms like sudden urgency and frequency, which are associated with an enlarged prostate in men, may heighten the risk of the serious eye condition, glaucoma, finds a large comparative study published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

4 Aug 2026

Exercise helps protect Hispanic adults from late life cognitive decline

Previous studies have examined the associations between adherence to LS7 and cognitive outcomes, with findings suggesting that higher LS7 scores are associated with better cognitive performance, reduced dementia risk and improved brain health.

4 Aug 2026

High childhood body mass index linked to adult childlessness

A study of almost 61,000 women in Denmark, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, finds that women who had an overweight or obesity body mass index (BMI) trajectory during childhood were less likely to have children than women with a normal (average) BMI trajectory, and this effect on childlessness was already apparent in their mid-20s.

4 Aug 2026

Insilico Medicine highlights AI-powered biological target discovery for rare sinonasal cancer

Insilico Medicine ("Insilico"), a clinical-stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven biotechnology company, today announced the publication of a collaborative study in the journal npj Precision Oncology.

4 Aug 2026

Researchers suggest a potential therapeutic strategy for muscle loss associated with obesity

Obesity has been linked to skeletal muscle loss and deterioration. While M2 macrophages may play a role in regulating muscle function, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood.

4 Aug 2026

Food may taste different on GLP-1 drugs, but taste may not be the reason

The review suggests that patient-reported “taste changes” during GLP-1RA treatment may reflect reduced food enjoyment and motivation rather than consistent impairment of basic taste. The authors propose a sensory-liking-wanting framework while emphasizing that current human evidence remains heterogeneous and largely indirect.

4 Aug 2026

Restricting select amino acids may mimic protein restriction’s healthy aging benefits

A review finds that restricting protein, particularly methionine, isoleucine, and valine, may improve metabolism and influence key aging pathways, largely in experimental models. Short human studies suggest metabolic benefits, but effects on lifespan remain unknown and restriction may harm people with unmet or increased protein needs.

3 Aug 2026

Gestational diabetes cases surge across England, raising health concerns

One in eight mothers in England is now diagnosed with gestational diabetes, with diagnoses rising by 60 per cent in just five years, according to a major study.

3 Aug 2026

First consensus guidelines outline GLP-1 medication use during pregnancy

As the use of GLP-1 and other incretin-based medications for obesity continues to grow worldwide, researchers at Marshall University have contributed to an international effort to address one of medicine's most pressing unanswered questions: How should these medications be used by women before, during and after pregnancy?

3 Aug 2026

Daily tomatoes lowered a key marker of liver fat in MASLD trial

An exploratory randomized trial found that 200 g of raw tomatoes plus 50 g of tomato sauce daily for six weeks produced a greater reduction in CAP-defined hepatic steatosis than a tomato-free diet in adults with MASLD. The improvement occurred without major weight or metabolic changes, but larger and longer trials are needed to confirm its clinical significance.

2 Aug 2026

Traditional Japanese medicine for obesity may help reduce age-related tissue fibrosis

A traditional Japanese medicine used for obesity may do more than support weight loss. Researchers at the University of Osaka, working with Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. investigated whether Bofutsushosan could protect aging tissues from fibrosis - the excessive buildup of scar-like tissue that can make organs stiff and less functional.

2 Aug 2026

Study links higher body fat to lower sperm counts despite normal BMI

Among 1,058 Danish men, higher body fat percentage was associated with lower total sperm count and altered reproductive hormone levels, but not testicular volume. Body fat percentage showed stronger links with several semen measures than BMI or waist-to-height ratio, with the sperm-count association strengthening among men with normal BMI.

2 Aug 2026

AI-powered blood test detects liver cancer across distinct populations

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center validated an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered blood test that accurately detected liver cancer in people from two geographically and biologically distinct populations and also uncovered the underlying biological signals that make the test effective.

31 Jul 2026

Consuming less protein could have greater health benefits and extend lifespan

Protein-fortified foods are popping up everywhere, from cereal and coffee to even protein water. But a new review covering over 350 papers on protein restriction and aging-publishing July 31 in the Cell Press journal Cell Press Blue-suggests that consuming less protein could have greater health benefits and could, in some cases, extend lifespan.

31 Jul 2026

Researchers propose new framework to define clinical obesity

A new approach to defining obesity could help physicians better determine which patients need more intensive treatment by focusing on the effects of excess adiposity on organs and tissues rather than relying primarily on whether a person meets a set of metabolic risk thresholds.

31 Jul 2026

Ten-million-person study links semaglutide to lower COVID-19 mortality

Researchers analyzing claims from more than 10.1 million commercial insurance and Medicare Advantage enrollees found that semaglutide use was associated with a 49% lower adjusted hazard of COVID-19-related death. The observational findings corroborate earlier SELECT trial results but do not establish causation, making further prospective research essential.

30 Jul 2026

Insilico unveils standardized evaluation framework to validate AI-driven drug discovery models

As general-purpose and domain-specific AI models rapidly infiltrate drug discovery, one critical question looms over the pharmaceutical sector: Can these models actually discover drugs, or are they just good at taking tests?

30 Jul 2026

Jet lag may disrupt athletes' gut microbiome and slow recovery

The interplay between jet lag and gut microbiome affects athlete performance. Strategies to manage these disruptions are crucial but not yet fully established.

30 Jul 2026