Practical Actions, Reducing Stigma: What Providers Should Know About Obesity

Obesity is recognized by experts as a complex, chronic condition or disease involving the brain and hormones secreted by the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, and adipose tissue itself — as well as a host of contributing factors, from genetics and epigenetics to environmental toxins and other environmental pressures, in-utero programming, the gut microbiome, medical and behavioral factors, and socioeconomics. Obesity is a risk factor for a variety of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, and diabetes.