Health Problems Associated With Adult Obesity

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Overview

How obesity affects your health depends on many things, including your age, your sex, where you carry your body fat, and how physically active you are.

Obesity raises your risk for many conditions, including:

In some people, fat builds up mostly around the stomach. (This is sometimes called central obesity.) Those people are at greater risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and coronary artery disease than people who are lean or people with fat around their hips or thighs.

With healthy habits and weight loss, you may be able to lower your risk for these conditions.

Credits

Current as of: May 13, 2023

Author: Healthwise Staff
Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.

The Health Encyclopedia contains general health information. Not all treatments or services described are covered benefits for Kaiser Permanente members or offered as services by Kaiser Permanente. For a list of covered benefits, please refer to your Evidence of Coverage or Summary Plan Description. For recommended treatments, please consult with your health care provider.