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Summary
Obesity means having too much body fat. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. The weight may come from muscle, bone, fat, and/or body water. Both terms mean that a person's weight is greater than what's considered healthy for his or her height.
Obesity occurs over time when you eat more calories than you use. The balance between calories-in and calories-out differs for each person. Factors that might affect your weight include your genetic makeup, overeating, eating high-fat foods, and not being physically active.
Being obese increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and some cancers. If you are obese, losing even 5 to 10 percent of your weight can delay or prevent some of these diseases. For example, that means losing 10 to 20 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds.
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Latest News
- Could Obesity Undermine Memory Training in Older Adults? (01/23/2017, HealthDay)
- Can Parents' Weight Hinder Toddlers' Development? (01/03/2017, HealthDay)
- Smartphones, Tablets and Weight Gain in Teens (12/14/2016, HealthDay)
- More News on Obesity
Diagnosis and Tests
- Assessing Your Weight and Health Risk (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Body Mass Index Table (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- How Are Overweight and Obesity Diagnosed? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
- Screening for and Management of Obesity in Adults (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) - PDF
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Aim For a Healthy Weight (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Balance Food and Activity (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
- How Can Overweight and Obesity Be Prevented? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
- How Are Overweight and Obesity Treated? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
- Weight Control: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Weight Loss Surgery: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Active at Any Size (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Disability and Obesity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Hormones and Obesity (Hormone Health Network) Also in Spanish
- Normal Weight Obesity: A Hidden Health Risk? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Obesity and Anesthesia (American Society of Anesthesiologists)
- Obesity and Cancer Risk (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
- Obesity and Your Digestive Health (American College of Gastroenterology) - PDF
Specifics
- Adult Obesity Causes & Consequences (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Health Risks of Being Overweight? (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Mind/Body Health: Obesity (American Psychological Association) Also in Spanish
- Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
- Treating Obesity As a Disease (American Heart Association)
- Understanding Adult Overweight and Obesity (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- What Are the Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
- What Causes Overweight and Obesity? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Genetics
- Genetics Home Reference: Cohen syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
- Genetics Home Reference: congenital leptin deficiency (National Library of Medicine)
- Genetics Home Reference: leptin receptor deficiency (National Library of Medicine)
- Genetics Home Reference: proopiomelanocortin deficiency (National Library of Medicine)
Health Check Tools
- Calculate Your Body Mass Index (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
Statistics and Research
- Diabetes Interactive Atlas (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- FastStats: Obesity and Overweight (National Center for Health Statistics)
- Obesity Prevalence Maps (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Overweight and Obesity Statistics (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults and Youth: United States, 2011-2014 (National Center for Health Statistics)
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Obesity (National Institutes of Health)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Twelve weeks CLA supplementation decreases the hip circumference in overweight...
- Article: Direct infusion mass spectrometry for metabolomic phenotyping of diseases.
- Article: The effects of intermittent compared to continuous energy restriction on...
- Obesity -- see more articles
- Morbid obesity -- see more articles
Reference Desk
- Glossary of Terms Related to Healthy Eating, Obesity, Physical Activity, and Weight Control (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Weight Management and Obesity: General Information and Resources (Food and Nutrition Information Center) - PDF
Find an Expert
- Find a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Weight-Control Information Network (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Children
- Obesity in Children: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Teenagers
- Dealing With Feelings When You're Overweight (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Men
- Belly Fat in Men: Why Weight Loss Matters (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Women
- Belly Fat in Women: Taking --and Keeping-- It off (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Pregnancy and Obesity: Know the Risks (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Patient Handouts
- Body mass index (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Health risks of obesity (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Obesity (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Understanding Adult Overweight and Obesity (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)