Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Obesity is most commonly caused by a combination of excessive food energy intake, lack of physical activity, and genetic susceptibility, although a few cases are caused primarily by genes, endocrine disorders, medications or psychiatric illness. Evidence to support the view that some obese people eat little yet gain weight due to a slow metabolism is limited; on average obese people have a greater energy expenditure than their thin counterparts due to the energy required to maintain an increased body mass.

Dieting and physical exercise are the mainstays of treatment for obesity. Moreover, it is important to improve diet quality by reducing the consumption of energy-dense foods such as those high in fat and sugars, and by increasing the intake of dietary fiber. To supplement this, or in case of failure, anti-obesity drugs may be taken to reduce appetite or inhibit fat absorption. In severe cases, surgery is performed or an intragastric balloon is placed to reduce stomach volume and/or bowel length, leading to earlier satiation and reduced ability to absorb nutrients from food.

Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalence in adults and children, and authorities view it as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century. Obesity is stigmatized in much of the modern world (particularly in the Western world), though it was widely perceived as a symbol of wealth and fertility at other times in history, and still is in some parts of the world.

Adjective

tubby (comparative tubbier, superlative tubbiest)

1. stout, rotund

• tubbiness

• Anorexia@ (17)
• Binge Eating@ (8)
• Bulimia@ (10)
• Cholesterol and Other Fats (73)
• Diabetes@ (205)
• Inherited (171)

• Malnutrition (5)
• Obesity (46)
• Pica@ (3)
• Urea Cycle (1)
• Vitamins and Minerals (152)
• Water Balance (7)

• Organizations (8)

• Health: Child Health: Nutrition (14)
• Health: Conditions and Diseases: Endocrine Disorders (558)
• Health: Nutrition (489)

• Medical Foods
  fda.gov
  FDA/CFSAN Office of Special Nutritionals: Explanation as to what these are, how the FDA over sees them and how to get more information.
• Specialty Diets, Inc.
  specialtydiets.com
  Provides information, peer communication, specialty diets products, tools, and services to assist and support the management of medical diets such as Juvenile Diabetes and metabolic disorders.
• Suf1 - Hyperinsulinism
  sur1.org
  A parent built site for parents with children with PHHI. Find personal stories and links.