Obesity is a real disease that can be rooted in the brain.
Keeping weight off long term is difficult—and a lot of it is due to hormones.
Curbing carbohydrates can help with weight management.
Bariatric surgery can be a game-changer for certain patients.
There are other promising treatments for obesity on the horizon.
The microbiome could be the next weight-loss frontier.
At least 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Although once associated with high-income countries, obesity is also becoming prevalent in low- and middle-income countries
Globally, over 40 million preschool children were overweight in 2007
Obesity and overweight issues are linked to more deaths around the world than underweight issues.
Obesity is the abnormal accumulation of body fat, usually 20% or more over an individual’s ideal body weight. Obesity is associated with increased risk of illness, disability, and death.
Older mothers lend more chance of obesity to their children than young mothers.
On average, patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery keep off at least 50–60% of excess weight over 5–15 years.
If a child’s parents are overweight or obese, a child has an 80% chance of becoming overweight as well.
Obesity is linked to at least 15 medical conditions, including osteoarthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, joint-related pain, strokes, and impaired immune response.
Roughly half of all U.S. advertising directed at children and teens is for food.
Nearly 4 million Americans weigh more than 300 pounds.
According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, of the 7.5 million U.S. veterans who receive their health benefits from the agency, more than 70% are overweight and 20% have diabetes.
One way to combat obesity is to eat slowly. It takes the brain 20 minutes to sense that a person is full.
Women with post-traumatic stress disorder are more likely to be overweight or obese than women without the condition. One in nine women will have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point in her life, which is twice as often as men.
In 2013, Mexico overtook the United States as the most obese nation. Overall, 32.8% of Mexican adults are obese, compared to 31.8% of American adults.