Alternative Names
Overweight; excessive body fat
Symptoms & Characteristics
Obesity means having too much body fat and is defined by the World Health Organization as having a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m².
Obesity can increase (even double) a person's risk of developing serious health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, arthritis, skeletal problems, and some cancers. It can also increase the risk of sleep abnormalities, early puberty (in children), and psychological problems such as depression and low self esteem.
Treatment
Reduction in body mass index may alleviate or prevent the health conditions caused by obesity. Treatment options for obesity should always be discussed with a physician but may include diet and behavior modifications, exercise, medications, and surgery.
How Common Is It?
An estimated 30% of adults in the United States are obese.
Genetics & Inheritance
Obesity is most likely a multifactorial condition, which means it involves a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors.
- Risk factors for obesity can include lack of exercise, high calorie intake, and living a sedentary lifestyle.
It is currently well established that obesity also runs in some families. Researchers believe that there are probably a number of genes that affect the development of obesity.
- Single nucleotide polymorphisms (or SNPs) are small variations in a single "letter" of DNA that can be found throughout our entire genetic make-up. Some researchers have proposed that specific SNPs may influence the risk of developing obesity in some individuals. To date, over 10 SNPs have been associated with susceptibility to obesity, however, further research is needed to clearly establish associations.
- In rare cases, obesity is the primary or only feature of an inherited genetic condition. Most of these conditions cause severe obesity beginning in childhood. Some of these genetic conditions include Prader-Willi syndrome, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, Cohen syndrome, leptin deficiency, leptin receptor deficiency, prohormone convertase-1 deficiency, proopiomelanocortin deficiency and mutations in the melanocortin-4 receptor gene (MC4R) gene.
- Other yet to be identified or adequately classified genes may also contribute to obesity.
Genetic Testing
Clinical genetic testing for some of genetic conditions associated with obesity may be available through an in person genetic consultation for people who are considered at risk. For more information on the genetics of obesity, the benefits and limitations of genetic testing, accurate diagnosis, and recurrence risk; use our find a genetic professional directory to locate a trained genetic professional in your area.
Informational genetic testing for susceptibility to obesity is available online (over the internet) as part of a whole genome scan. Whole genome scanning involves analyzing thousands of SNPs at once related to a number of different health conditions.
- At this point, many genetic professionals do not consider this testing clinically useful or medically relevant, but for informational purposes only. Go to the Tests tab to link to providers, compare providers and read provider reviews.
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