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.
What are the health risks of obesity?
Health risks of obesity include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, liver disease, sleep apnea, and certain cancers.
How is obesity diagnosed?
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.
What lifestyle changes help with obesity?
Lifestyle changes like a balanced diet, regular physical activity, prioritizing sleep, and managing stress can help with obesity.
Can medication treat 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).
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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...
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...
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,...
Melissa Sleight, RDN, is a board-certified lifestyle medicine dietitian with over 15 years of experience. She has a passion for educating her clients about improving their health t...
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...
Dr. Joseph Hribick is a clinical assistant professor of physical therapy at Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania. He's an alumnus of Lebanon Valley College and received his bache...
Lynn Grieger is a registered dietitian-nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, certified personal trainer, and certified health and wellness coach. She comp...
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...
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...
Dr. Jane Yoo is an internationally recognized Korean American dual board-certified cosmetic dermatologist and Mohs surgeon practicing in New York City. She graduated with a bachelo...
Dr. Thomas Rutledge is a staff psychologist at the VA San Diego Healthcare System. He provides clinical services to help patients manage chronic health conditions such as chronic p...
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 ...
Natalia Johnsen, MD, is a triple board-certified physician in internal medicine, lifestyle medicine, and obesity medicine, practicing as an internist and consultant at the Vancouve...
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...
Deepa Sannidhi, MD, is board-certified in family medicine, obesity medicine, and lifestyle medicine. She is an associate clinical professor in the department of family medicine at ...
Sylvia Klinger, DBA, MS, RD, CPT, is an internationally recognized nutrition expert who is relentlessly passionate about helping people fall in love with creating and enjoying deli...
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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