Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Insitute
Overweight and obesity are common conditions in the United States that are defined as the increase in size and amount of fat cells in the body. Overweight and obesity are caused by many factors including behaviors like eating patterns, lack of sleep or physical activity, and some medicines, as well as genetics and family history. Obesity is a chronic health condition that raises the risk for heart disease — the leading cause of death in the United States — and is linked to many other health problems, including type 2 diabetes and cancer.