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

Pioneering regulatory measures in China prove effective in reducing children's sedentary behavior

Pioneering measures to tackle sedentary behavior among children in China have proved effective, according to new research.

13 May 2024

Semaglutide improves heart failure symptoms and reduces loop diuretic dose

Semaglutide reduces the need for loop diuretic use and dose, and has positive effects on symptoms, physical limitations, and body weight in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) regardless of diuretic use, according to late breaking research presented today at Heart Failure 2024, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology.

13 May 2024

Understanding the role of sugar sources in development of childhood obesity

New research being presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice, Italy (12-15 May) suggests that the source of sugar is more important than the amount of sugar when it comes to the development of obesity in children.

13 May 2024

Study underscores the importance of providing nutritional and weight management support to smokers

New research being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice, Italy (12-15 May), suggests that smokers tend to eat less and have less healthy eating habits than non-smokers, which could help explain why smokers often gain weight when they quit.

13 May 2024

Aerobic exercise proves most effective for combating obesity-related inflammation

New research being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice, Italy (12-15 May), reveals the anti-inflammatory power of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise in adults living with the low-grade inflammation of obesity, shedding light on its potential to help prevent multiple metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis (clogged arteries).

13 May 2024

Food marketing on Twitch influences adolescent food preferences and purchases

Food and drink advertisements on videogame livestreaming platforms (VGLSPs) like Twitch are associated with more positive attitudes towards, and purchases and intake of, unhealthy foods that are high in fat, salt and/or sugar (HFSS) like energy drinks among adolescents aged 18 or younger, according to new research being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice, Italy (12-15 May).

13 May 2024

Understanding the impact of blood glucose levels on birth complications in gestational diabetes

The higher the blood sugar level in pregnant women when first diagnosed with diabetes, the higher the risk of complications around and after birth, according to research presented at the 26th European Congress of Endocrinology in Stockholm.

13 May 2024

Questions about childhood weight can help identify increased mortality risk in adults with obesity

Being asked whether you considered yourself a normal weight, plumper or thinner as a child when attending a doctor's appointment as an adult might appear like a very strange question to ask, but new research being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Venice, Italy (12-15 May) suggests that such questions can help identify increased mortality risk in adults living with obesity.

13 May 2024

Enhanced weight loss outcomes with GLP-1 analogues and bupropion/naltrexone combination

A study explores the additive effects of combining GLP-1 analog with bupropion/naltrexone on weight loss, finding potential benefits even for those initially unresponsive to monotherapy.

13 May 2024

New study reveals key cells regulating fat tissue formation

Understanding how fat tissue forms and functions is crucial for addressing obesity and related metabolic diseases. However, adipose tissue, or body fat, behaves differently based on its location in the body.

9 May 2024

Prenatal exposure to bisphenol and phthalate linked to increased child obesity, study finds

Researchers found links between higher prenatal exposure to bisphenols and high-molecular-weight phthalates with increased child weight and BMI from birth to age four in a New York cohort study.

9 May 2024

Mouse-rat chimeras offer functional liver cells for transplantation

Liver disease, due to viral infections, alcohol abuse, obesity, or cancer, accounts for 1 in every 25 deaths worldwide.

9 May 2024

Innovative endoscopic treatment targets hunger hormone for weight loss

A new weight-loss treatment could be on the horizon with an innovative endoscopic procedure that ablates (burns) the stomach lining to reduce production of ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger, resulting in decreased appetite and significant weight loss, according to a first-in-human trial to be presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2024.

9 May 2024

Study shows steep rise in colorectal cancer among younger populations

Colorectal cancer incidence has steadily increased among younger people in the U.S. over the last two decades, with the youngest seeing the most dramatic jumps, according to a study scheduled for presentation at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2024.

9 May 2024

Study reveals altered protein rhythms linked to metabolic disorders in night shift workers

Just a few days on a night shift schedule throws off protein rhythms related to blood glucose regulation, energy metabolism and inflammation, processes that can influence the development of chronic metabolic conditions.

9 May 2024

Increase in sedentary time from childhood causes progressing heart enlargement, new study shows

A recent study investigated whether sedentary time (ST), light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) during childhood and young adulthood influence cardiac structure and function.

9 May 2024

Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods linked to elevated mortality risk

The relationship between ultra-processed food (UPF) intake and all-cause and cause-specific death.

9 May 2024

Ultra-processed foods linked to higher risk of death in long-term study

Higher consumption of most ultra-processed foods is linked to a slightly higher risk of death, with ready-to-eat meat, poultry, and seafood based products, sugary drinks, dairy based desserts, and highly processed breakfast foods showing the strongest associations, finds a 30-year US study in The BMJ today.

8 May 2024

Youth-onset diabetes linked to higher Alzheimer's risk

Young people with diabetes may have a significantly higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life, according to a new study by researchers in the Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

8 May 2024