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

New therapeutic approach offers hope to treat obesity and related metabolic disorders

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a new therapeutic approach to obesity and related metabolic disorders that in laboratory experiments demonstrated a significant reduction in body fat, body weight, and improvement in the blood markers that accompany these disorders.

25 Jan 2022

Lucky genes can help lower risk of diseases in people with obesity

Geneticists have revealed why some people with obesity remain relatively healthy, whilst others suffer from life-changing ailments such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

25 Jan 2022

Study suggests COVID-19 patient fatalities are decreasing unequally in vaccinated and unvaccinated countries

Researchers from the University of London have been exploring the case-fatality rate of COVID-19 in the top-vaccinated countries compared to the rest of the world.

25 Jan 2022

Low-cost test could open new avenues for earlier diagnosis, treatment of rare genetic disorders

A newly developed test to screen for three rare genetic disorders simultaneously in newborns was feasible, reliable and scalable, according to a new study.

24 Jan 2022

Attenuated tissue immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 in obese and non-obese patients

In a new study, researchers evaluated the single-cell transcriptomes from bronchiolar lavage in three adult cohorts comprising of obese and non-obese SARS-CoV-2 patients.

24 Jan 2022

Highly anxious men may be at greater risk for developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes

Middle-aged men who are anxious and worry more may be at greater biological risk for developing heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, also called cardiometabolic disease, as they get older, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

24 Jan 2022

Pilot survey provides data on the unique needs of new fathers

While federal legislation requires tracking and reporting data on maternal health behaviors around childbirth, fathers have been overlooked in these public health efforts to improve maternal and infant outcomes.

24 Jan 2022

Study explores whether gut bacteria profiles differ by race and insulin sensitivity status

In the present study published in PLOS ONE, researchers designed and undertook a unique study to investigate these interactions further.

21 Jan 2022

New MRI technology to expand imaging access for patients with implanted medical devices and obesity

New MRI technology, developed by Siemens in collaboration with researchers at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and College of Engineering, will expand imaging access for patients with implanted medical devices, severe obesity and claustrophobia.

21 Jan 2022

NIH-funded study will use machine learning to predict individual responses to diet

A new federally funded study will use machine learning to predict how an individual responds to a given diet, allowing physicians to offer patients personalized nutrition prescriptions to improve health and treat chronic diseases.

20 Jan 2022

CDC releases new state maps of adult physical inactivity prevalence in America

More than 1 in 5 adults is inactive in all but four states, according to new state maps of adult physical inactivity prevalence released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

20 Jan 2022

Is COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in children associated with subsequent multisystemic hyper-inflammatory syndrome?

Researchers assessed the possibility of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines causing multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children aged 12 to 17 years in France.

20 Jan 2022

Estrogen-activated neurocircuit in females provide anti-obesity benefits

Seeking to better understand the key role the female hormone estrogen plays in maintaining energy balance and weight control, a group led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine looked into estrogen interactions with specific brain regions that provide these anti-obesity benefits.

20 Jan 2022