Obesity (original) (raw)

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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 happens 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.

Obesity increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and some cancers. If you have obesity, losing even 5 to 10% 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

Start Here

• About Obesity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Healthy Weight (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)

• Obesity (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

• What Are Overweight and Obesity? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

• Staying Active at Any Size (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

• Disability and Obesity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

• Obesity (American Society of Anesthesiologists)

• Obesity (Endocrine Society)

• Obesity and Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

• Obesity and Your Digestive Health (American College of Gastroenterology) - PDF

• Calculate Your Body Mass Index (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

• Diabetes Interactive Atlas (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• FastStats: Obesity and Overweight (National Center for Health Statistics)

• Obesity and Cancer (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

• Overweight and Obesity Statistics (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Obesity (National Institutes of Health)

• Obesity in Children: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

• Belly Fat in Men: Why Weight Loss Matters (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

• Belly Fat in Women: Taking -- and Keeping -- It off (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

• Pregnancy and Obesity: Know the Risks (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

• 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