Skip to main content

Johns Hopkins UniversityEst. 1876

America’s First Research University
Archived articles

Obesity

A pill can provide all the benefits of bariatric surgery
Health
Diabetes treatment sans surgery
Published Fall 2025
A Hopkins gastroenterologist develops a pill that mimics the health benefits of bariatric surgery / Johns Hopkins Magazine
Photography of a toddler, slightly out of focus, eating from a plate of blueberries and peach slices
Q+A
Can texts about healthier eating help prevent childhood obesity?
Published July 25, 2025
Study led by a Johns Hopkins researcher shows that personalized, digital guidance helps parents teach healthier eating habits to their young children
Johns Hopkins Family Spirit program
Health
Home-visiting program shows promise of reducing risk of obesity
Published Nov 16, 2020
Lessons on healthy feeding practices delivered by Native American home visitors put Navajo infants on a healthier growth trajectory, lowering their risks for obesity, according to a study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health at the Bloomberg School of Public Health
Bottle full of infant formula
Pediatric health
Infants in households with very low food security may have greater obesity risk
Published Aug 28, 2020
Diet and weight gain in infancy are believed to factor into future obesity and health concerns; low food security is now widespread in the U.S. due to the COVID-19 crisis, researchers say
Colored visualization of electron microscopy photo of the coronavirus COVID-19
Q+A
Obesity increases COVID-19 risks
Published June 1, 2020
Hopkins cardiologist David Kass discusses a recent study that links higher body mass index to more severe cases of COVID-19 and points to obesity as a significant pre-existing condition in younger patients in particular
Fat cells
Public health
Weight-loss surgery may release toxins into bloodstream
Published Nov 15, 2019
Study finds that toxic, man-made chemicals that are stored in fat cells may be released into the bloodstream after bariatric surgery
Overweight child
COMMENTARY
Obesity and hunger often go hand in hand
Published July 18, 2019
Hopkins bioethicist Jessica Fanzo argues that the U.S. must do more to address issues of food insecurity / Bloomberg
Ellipticals and treadmills in a gym
Heart health
Most women with cardiovascular disease don't get enough exercise
Published April 23, 2019
Physical activity is a known prevention strategy for heart disease and can advance recovery from heart attack or stroke
Fat cells
Cell biology
Low copper levels linked to fatter fat cells
Published Oct 19, 2018
Low levels of cellular copper appear to make fat cells fatter by altering how they process their main metabolic fuels, such as fat and sugar, study finds
Man holding chocolate donut behind his back
Nutrition
Cheating on your diet? This blood test can tell
Published Sept 4, 2018
Blood metabolites differed strongly between treatment and control groups in clinical trial of popular DASH diet