How do genetics affect my child's risk for obesity?

Armin Brott

Pediatrics

If the branches of your family tree are sagging under the weight of a lot of obese relatives, your child may be predisposed to put on excess weight. A little extra effort can counterbalance this, both in diet and in physical activity.

Continue Learning about Obesity

How Your Growing Waistline Can Shrink Your Brain

In Japan, most Sumo wrestlers weigh three to four hundred pounds. While they’re professionally active, they follow a diet and workout routine that hel...

Anthony L. Komaroff, MD

We all have a fair amount of fatty tissue in our abdominal cavities that surgeons must deal with...

4 Things Overweight People Are Tired of Hearing

Don't make someone feel small just because they're a bit bigger.

How Does Stress Affect Our Self-Control When It Comes to Eating?

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