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Overweight and obesity

The World Health Organization calls it an epidemic. But overweight and obesity can be prevented by eating fewer fats and sugars and more fruit, vegetables, whole grains and nuts and with regular exercise.

Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

male bellies

The obesity-cancer link

A new global study - the first of its kind - suggests obesity leads to cancer to the tune of half a million cases per year. The International Agency for Research on Cancer's Dr Melina Arnold, a co-lead author, walks us through the figures.
ScienceDecember 1, 201406:01 min
Overweight Chinese men check their weight on scales Photo: MARK RALSTON/AFP/GettyImages

Supersize China

The fast-food market in China is expanding - and so are the population's waistlines, says DW columnist Frank Sieren.
November 28, 2014
Overweight men holding their tummies and smiling on a sunny day

The obesity-cancer link

Obesity leads to cancer, suggests a global study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
November 26, 2014
Drought on the Horn of Africa

Permanent famine

The UN food conference in Rome spoke of the problem but not the solution, says DW's Bernd Riegert.
November 22, 2014
Obese man measuring his waist.

Dangerous obesity enzyme

Obese people with high HO-1 levels are more likely to get sick.
July 7, 2014

Obesity - why fat cells may cause cancer

Fat cells from specific kinds of fat in the body release cancer-enhancing messenger chemicals. The more ‘visceral fat’ you have, the greater the risk you’ll develop carcinoma. New studies have show that obese people are around twice as likely to develop intestinal or breast cancer as people who have normal weight.
ScienceJune 2, 201405:30 min
Symbolbild Übergewicht

Eating ourselves to death?

Overweight people make up almost a third of the world's population or two billion, according to a study in the medical journal The Lancet. Since 1980, obesity has soared in all countries, especially among children.
May 29, 2014

What Causes a Fatty Liver

If the liver becomes fatty, a person runs the risk of contracting a liver disease like cirrhosis or cancer. Overweight people usually have fatty livers, but slims ones can be affected as well.
ScienceApril 10, 201402:37 min
Mann mit Übergewicht

Nanny state

Britain debates how much state interference is needed in health issues.
April 4, 2014

The Trouble with Crash Diets

Many people embark on crash diets in hopes of losing weight quickly. Usually they end up gaining it all back and then some - what’s called the yo-yo effect. And crash diets can also lead to nutritional deficiencies, put a strain on the cardiovascular system, and exacerbate kidney problems.
ScienceApril 3, 201403:42 min

Good Tip, or Gimmick?

It’s often said that chewing gum can reduce hunger. Low carb diets are touted as a good way to burn fat. Others swear by skipping dinner entirely. But many of these tips aren’t actually all that helpful when it comes to permanent weight loss.
ScienceApril 3, 201403:19 min
Symbolbild Menschen auf der Sonnenbank

12 ways to prevent cancer

What triggers tumors and how can you decrease the risk of getting them?
February 4, 201412 images
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Preventing Diabetes

Interview mit Dr. Christian Bernecker
LifestyleJanuary 16, 201404:13 min

Lowering Blood Sugar the Natural Way

In the past, type 2 diabetes was believed to be a chronic condition that could only be treated with insulin therapy. But these days, many patients are opting to stabilize their blood sugar levels by changing their lifestyles.
LifestyleJanuary 16, 201401:27 min

A healthy winter lifestyle

With big family meals, office parties, and cookies around the corner, staying healthy will be tough.
November 21, 20137 images
Two workers at a Bayer plant in Germany

Shift work a health problem?

A nationwide study by a German labor market think tank has shown that shift work has increased among people above 50 years of age. And about half of those affected suffered massive health problems.
November 11, 2013
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A third of Mexicans are overweight

Soft drinks are more common than tap water in Mexico. Big demand means good business for international beverage companies. But the sugary beverages are dangerously high in calories.
August 8, 201301:34 min
Olio e pasta italiana © Comugnero Silvana #14128943

Healthy is as healthy does

Do Italians really eat the perfect Mediterranean diet or do we just think they do?
August 6, 2013

Try the Mediterranean diet instead

You may well want to steer clear of meat altogether. As well as reducing the risk of heart disease and obesity, the Mediterranean diet has been found to lower blood sugar, promote weight loss in type 2 diabetics, and improve brain power.
ScienceAugust 5, 201309:29 min
12.2012 DW Shift Ranking

Shift Ranking of July 29: The most obese countries in the world

1. Mexico (32,8% of the population are considered obese)│ 2. USA (31,8%)│ 3. Syria (31,6%)│ 4. Venezuela (30,8%)│ 4. Libya (30,8%)│ Source: UN
July 29, 2013

Britain tops the obesity charts once again

May 18th marks European Obesity Day. It's designed to highlight the growing problem that Europe faces from our growing girths. The cost to personal and public health from obesity and related conditions like heart disease, diabetes and cancer is rising. Nowhere in Europe is obesity a bigger problem than in the UK. Lars Bevanger has more.
May 19, 201305:04 min
An overweight woman sits on a beach on a dark English seashore (Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

EU obesity

High-risk obesity is on the rise in the European Union, and the EU Commission wants to stop it.
May 18, 2013
An overweight young woman Foto: Waltraud Grubitzsch dpa (zu dpa 0150 vom 10.06.2012) +++(c) dpa - Bildfunk+++

Battling obesity

Record numbers of obese Brits go under the knife in their battle against weight gain.
May 18, 2013
An over-weight Indian man takes part in a rally at the Marina Beach, Chennai, India, 05 December 2009. Obesity Foundation India organized the rally to create awareness about the perils of severe obesity with the theme being 'Obesity is a health hazard'. World Health Organization (WHO) officially classified that 1.2 billion people around the world are overweight and in India itself more than 25 per cent of the Indian population is overweight with statistics continuing to rise due to the changing lifestyle. EPA/NATHAN G. Verwendung nur in Deutschland, usage Germany only

Obesity in India

As obesity spreads in India, weight-loss surgery is gaining in popularity among the affluent.
May 16, 2013
PEMBROKE PINES, FL - JULY 18: Big Gulp, Super Big Gulp and Double Big Gulp cups sit in there dispensers at a 7-Eleven store on July 18, 2002 in Pembroke Pines, Florida. 7-Eleven, Inc., the premiere name and largest chain in the convenience retailing industry, is observing its 75th anniversary in 2002. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

No ban on XXL Sodas

A New York judge has overturned a ban on big soft drinks, just hours before it was to come into effect. Critics had argued that Mayor Bloomberg’s latest anti-obesity health drive was arbitrary and ineffective.
March 12, 2013

Fighting the fat - The Mexican government tackles obesity

Obesity has long been a global problem. But the numbers of obese people are growing not only in industrialized countries but also many threshold nations as well. Around a third of Mexico’s population is considered obese.
BusinessJanuary 28, 201304:39 min
Obese children exercising (Photo: Waltraud Grubitzsch/dpa/lsn)

Fast food and asthma

Scientists say fast food can raise a teen's risk of developing asthma by 39 percent.
January 16, 2013

Fat Distribution

Overweight people have a higher risk of contracting a range of different illnesses. It’s not just the quantity of fat that matters, however - it’s also about where it accumulates in the body. More stomach fat tends to mean more fat in the internal organs, and that can cause an imbalance in the flow of hormones.
LifestyleJanuary 3, 201302:36 min
A man standing in front of his stall, from which a row of plucked chickens are hanging, at a market in Bangalore. (Photo: Jan Woitas/dpa)

Lapsed vegetarians

The Indian middle classes are modeling their consumer lifestyle on the West.
January 2, 2013
A woodcut showing bloodletting

Old medical practice given new life

Ancient medical practices are making a comeback - this time with scientific backing.
December 24, 2012
Meat, sausages and wine

Less meat, more veg

Many Germans need to change their unhealthy diet of too much meat and alcohol.
December 17, 2012

Obesity - Medications for an underestimated global threat

Researchers from Munich are trying to find out how the molecular transfer between fat cells, the pancreas and the brain works. That is important in understanding why this communication goes wrong in cases of obesity and diabetes. In addition, the scientists are interested in changes in the brain that occur in obese patients. They hope to discover which genes are responsible for obesity in mice. An important aim is to develop medications that influence metabolism.
ScienceOctober 15, 201204:34 min

Brown fat - the secret to curing obesity?

Scientists are focusing a type of body tissue known as brown fat in hopes it may hold the cure to some types of obesity. Normally found in babies and animals that hibernate, brown fat burns energy to create warmth.
ScienceAugust 6, 201205:29 min

Fat Germans

A study by the Robert Koch Institute says Germans are getting fatter.
July 5, 2012
BMI aicraft lined up at an airport

Airline agreement

A deal between Lufthansa and IAG could see bmi join British Airways to dominate Heathrow.
November 4, 2011
Fat bellies

Fat tax

More EU states consider adopting a Danish tax on fatty foods to trim citizens' bulging waistlines.
October 10, 2011
Jens Claus Brüning

Tissues and hormones

Diabetes, obesity and the links between them keep Jens Claus Brüning researching in the lab.
September 11, 2011

The secret to successful dieting - part 1 of our interview with Daniel Buchholz

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LifestyleAugust 25, 201103:25 min
A study has found that body fat is more dangerous for South Asians

Overweight

A Canada-based study has found that fat is more harmful to South Asians than Caucasians.
July 29, 2011

Recognizing and Preventing Diabetes - In the Studio, Dr. Joachim Spranger

LifestyleJuly 14, 201103:26 min
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Interview Part 2 with Dr. Frank Jochum – preventing obesity in children

LifestyleApril 28, 201103:40 min

Interview Part 1 with Dr. Frank Jochum – the causes and consequences of child obesity

LifestyleApril 28, 201103:17 min
Woman looking in a mirror

Bombshell to babushka

The hefty expectation for Russian women to look like supermodels can have the opposite effect.
April 1, 2011
An overweight man

Obesity warning

More than half a billion people worldwide are overweight, a new health report cautions.
February 4, 2011
Overweight lady wearing a bikini poolside

Obesity warning

The OECD says obesity has risen by an alarming rate among its 33 member states.
September 23, 2010

Health – Episode 5 – Malnutrition and Obesity

Simo, Steve and Manuel have a very heavy breakfast. This causes a big discussion. The little money they have makes finding healthy food difficult. We’ll take a look at another problem: obesity.
July 2, 2010
Western-style fast food is gaining popularity in China

Diabetes has reached pandemic proportions in China

According to a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, China has the largest number of diabetics worldwide, with over 92 million people, nearly 10 percent of adults, affected.
April 2, 2010

Air France to give obese passengers spare seats

Air France is offering the excessively overweight a free second seat, if there is space on the flight. Recently the airline was given a bumpy ride over plans for a 'fat tax'.
April 1, 2010
A kebab sandwich

Fast-food tax

Romania's efforts to introduce fast-food legislation have not seen an encouraging start.
March 25, 2010
A woman measures her waist with a tape measure

Flying while fat

Overweight air travelers may be asked to buy two seats in the future.
January 22, 2010