Obesity Resource Center
Health ConditionsObesity

Obesity

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Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by excessive body fat accumulation, posing significant health risks, including heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer. Obesity can cause shortness of breath, fatigue, joint and back pain, difficulty with physical activity, and low self-esteem. Treatments for obesity involve lifestyle changes like following a healthy diet, exercise, managing stress, and prioritizing sleep. Sometimes medication or surgery may be needed.

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FAQ

What causes obesity?
A number of factors can cause obesity, including genetics, an unhealthy diet, hormonal imbalance, and lack of exercise. Chronic stress, poor sleep, certain medications, and health conditions like metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome can also contribute to weight gain.
Health risks of obesity include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, liver disease, sleep apnea, and certain cancers.

Obesity is diagnosed by calculating body mass index (BMI) — a measure of weight relative to height. Waist circumference, muscle mass, fat distribution, and other health factors may also be considered.

Lifestyle changes like a balanced diet, regular physical activity, prioritizing sleep, and managing stress can help with obesity.
Some medications can treat obesity, though they are typically used when lifestyle changes haven’t worked. The FDA has approved six drugs for long-term weight management: orlistat (Xenical, Alli), phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia), naltrexone-bupropion (Contrave), liraglutide (Saxenda), semaglutide (Wegovy), and tirzepatide (Zepbound).
Meet Our Experts In Obesity
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Everyday Health’s team of board-certified physicians and health professionals contribute to the creation and review of content, ensuring that the information is useful, up to date, and accurate.

Diala Alatassi, MD, FACP

Medical Reviewer

Diala Alatassi, MD, is a board-certified obesity medicine specialist who is committed to providing comprehensive, compassionate, and personalized care. By integrating medical exper...

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Robert Jasmer, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Robert Jasmer, MD, is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease, and critical care medicine. He is in private practice in Burlingame, California, where he specializin...

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Sandy Bassin, MD

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Sandy Bassin, MD, is an endocrinology fellow at Mount Sinai in New York City. She is passionate about incorporating lifestyle medicine and plant-based nutrition into endocrinology,...

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Allison Buttarazzi, MD

Allison Buttarazzi, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor, Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Allison Buttarazzi, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine and lifestyle medicine, and is a certified health and well-being coach. In her primary care practice, Dr. Buttarazzi...

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Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDCES

Medical Reviewer

Lynn Grieger is a registered dietitian-nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, certified personal trainer, and certified health and wellness coach. She comp...

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Ira Daniel Breite, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Ira Daniel Breite, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He is an associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he also sees patien...

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Abhinav Singh

Abhinav Singh, MD

Medical Reviewer

Abhinav Singh, MD, is a board-certified sleep medicine specialist and the medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center. He is also an associate clinical professor at Marian Univers...

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Rohan Mankikar, MD

Medical Reviewer

Rohan Mankikar, MD, is the chief of pulmonary medicine at Huntington Hospital and practices on Long Island. Originally from New Jersey, Dr. Mankikar studied medicine at The Medical...

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Sean Hashmi, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor, Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Sean Hashmi, MD, is an experienced nephrologist and obesity medicine specialist based in Southern California. As the regional director for clinical nutrition and weight management ...

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Adam Gilden, MD, MSCE

Medical Reviewer
Diplomate of American Board of Obesity Medicine Foundation

Adam Gilden, MD, MSCE, is an associate director of the Obesity Medicine Fellowship at University of Colorado School of Medicine and associate director of the Colorado University Me...

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Kayli Anderson, RDN

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainabl...

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Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Obesity. Cleveland Clinic. September 10, 2024.