What are the health risks of excessive body fat?

Discovery Health

Dr. Pam Peeke describes the relationship between body fat and health risks. Keep measuring!

Continue Learning about Obesity

Could You Have Prediabetes Without Knowing It?

In Tom Cruise’s 2013 Jack Harper movie, Oblivion, it’s hard to know who was less hip to what was going on—Earth’s beleaguered inhabitants or their sup...

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

People with obesity incur higher medical costs after heart surgery because obese people tend to requ...

Anthony Cirillo

Citizens of the world's richest countries are getting fatter and fatter, and the Americans are leadi...

Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.

Obesity

If you have too much body fat, you are obese, just like over 70 million other Americans. It happens because you eat more calories than you use, and your body converts the excess to fat. There are lots of reasons that this can happen. Our lifestyle may lack exercise, we are given portions that are too big and too caloric when we eat, and some of us are just more efficient genetically at converting food into fat.

Learn More