Severe obesity — a condition of being 100 pounds or more overweight — has doubled in the United States over the past two decades to 9.2%, with the greatest increases among women and Latino populations.

An observational study found that bariatric surgery was associated with 63% reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Daniel Drucker, MD, a pioneering scientist whose research contributed to the development of the blockbuster GLP-1 medicines used to treat diabetes and obesity, was listed by TIME magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2024.

Researchers examined if childhood obesity could be prevented by leveraging a combination of health behavior counseling offered by pediatric primary care clinicians and modern digital health literacy tools.

The report supports previous clinical trials that found the GLP-1 receptor agonist drug semaglutide reduced kidney disease progression in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

The study reported in the journal Nature provides a mechanistic explanation for the “obesity paradox” — that obesity can contribute to cancer progression but also improve response to immunotherapy.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System have demonstrated in a small clinical study that “turning up the heat” on fat may help people lose weight and reduce their risk of obesity-related cardiovascular and metabolic disease.