Spotlight on overweight and obesity
Due to an excess of quick calories and too little physical activity, we have created the global obesity epidemic. At the same time, the human body is very unwilling to let go of the fat that it has stored. Fighting overweight and obesity is thus essentially a battle against ourselves.
Appetite suppressants are reshaping the landscape
A minority of Swedes are within the normal weight range, while one in five is obese. New, effective drugs have drastically changed the possibilities for treatment. This may lead to a better understanding of the disease, perhaps even among patients themselves.
More children are receiving obesity medication
For several years, the curve for childhood obesity has been fairly stable. However, the use of new drugs is increasing.
Fredrik Bolte had a gastric bypass
When Fredrik Bolte weighed 160 kilos, he felt it was time to find out more about what a gastric bypass actually involves. This led to a life-changing journey and an acclaimed documentary.
Nikki Svärdsén: “Overweight is not a personal failure"
Nikki Svärdsén began to question why she was so rarely satisfied with her body. Through her Instagram account, she found a new way of looking at herself.
Jenny Vinglid: ”People with obesity are denied health care”
Jenny Vinglid has been General Secretary of HOBS, a Swedish patient association for people living with overweight and obesity, since 2013. According to her, people with obesity are discriminated in the healthcare system.
Photo: Getty ImagesFacts about fat
Brown fat, white fat – or in between? There are different types of fat. And did you know that obesity is defined as a disease in itself?
Photo: Martin StenmarkBored at work? Fat chance
Who cares about the fate of an annoying fat cell? Kirsty Spalding, PI at KI's Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, has taken on the task with a great deal of energy and a genuine thirst for knowledge.
Photo: IstockCurious about eating habits
Through our eating habits, we can influence both our own health and the health of the planet. More plant-based food and less meat would be beneficial for our well-being and the environment according to most researchers. But can we acquire a taste for just about anything?
Photo: Martin StenmarkShe receives Sweden's only professorship in prevention
A new donation professorship in prevention has been established at Karolinska Institutet. It is named Prince Daniel's Professorship in Cardiovascular Prevention and is awarded to researcher and obstetrician Ylva Trolle Lagerros. The aim is to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases in Sweden.
Photo: Mikael WallerstedtChildhood obesity: “There is no one correct method”
Do you have a child who suffers from obesity? As a parent, helping your child lose weight can seem difficult. But effective help is available, say researchers at Karolinska Institutet.
Study gives insights into how human fat cells are affected by age
Knowledge of how human fat tissue is affected by age has long been defined by numerous mouse-based studies. Researchers have now, for the first time, been able to conduct a prospective study on humans providing insights into how our fat cells reduce lipid metabolism with age.
Photo: Getty Images"Energy crisis" in fat cells behind inflammation associated with obesity
In a new study published in Nature Metabolism, KI researchers show how disturbances in the energy metabolism in human fat cells, can lead to the development of inflammation and insulin resistance.
Why some people become obese
Weight gain can, in some cases, be attributed to a reduced ability to metabolise fat, according to Professor Mikael Rydén and colleagues. The researchers are now developing means of measuring the ability to break down fat.
Photo: Ulf SirborneHealth tools against overweight in children and pregnant women
Marie Löf’s research covers ways of improving health and reducing overweight and obesity in pregnant women and children. She develops apps that help individuals and families to make vital changes in their dietary and exercise habits.
Photo: Kate GaborHow bariatric surgery affects pregnancy and delivery
The use of surgery for weight loss has increased dramatically in recent decades. Martin Neovius is studying the impact of bariatric surgery on pregnancy and delivery.