Obesity and related health conditions
Obesity rarely arrives alone. This page takes the conditions most often linked to it one at a time: what the connection is, what research says about weight loss, and where on this site to read more about the one that concerns you.
Book a free consultationMedically reviewed by David G. Davtyan, MD, FACS, FICS, FASMBS · Last reviewed September 24, 2026
Obesity is a chronic disease
Obesity is no longer treated as a question of willpower. The CDC describes it as "a common, serious, and costly chronic disease" (CDC), and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery calls it a chronic, progressive disease that contributes to others, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis and depression (ASMBS). Like diabetes, it is managed over years rather than fixed once.
For the practice's overview of the disease itself, its causes and the ways it is treated, start with Obesity: causes, health risks and treatment options. For a single-page survey of the risks, read Health risks of obesity. This page is the index across conditions.
How weight loss affects these conditions is studied, not promised, and it differs by condition and by person. The 2022 ASMBS/IFSO guidelines recommend metabolic and bariatric surgery at a BMI of 35 or more whether or not related conditions are present, and say it should be considered at a BMI of 30 to 34.9 when metabolic disease is present, with lower thresholds for people of Asian descent (2022 ASMBS/IFSO guidelines). Insurers and some device labels still use older criteria, so your own eligibility is worked out case by case.
- Who is a candidate for weight loss surgery (with BMI calculator)
- Comparing procedures and medication
- Weight loss medications, including GLP-1s
- Health benefits of bariatric surgery
- The weight loss surgery journey, stage by stage
- Insurance and financing
- Recovery after surgery
- Nutrition after bariatric surgery
- The years after surgery
- Glossary of bariatric terms
- Frequently asked questions
Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome
Excess body fat, particularly around the abdomen, makes the body less responsive to insulin, and over time that can become type 2 diabetes. NIDDK notes that nearly 9 in 10 people with type 2 diabetes have overweight or obesity, and that people at risk may be able to prevent or delay diabetes by losing 5 to 7 percent of their starting weight. Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors including high blood pressure and high blood sugar, is closely linked to obesity too (NIDDK).
After bariatric surgery, some patients reach remission, meaning normal blood sugar without diabetes medication, and others need less medication. Neither is guaranteed. The 2022 guidelines single out metabolic disease as a reason to consider surgery at a lower BMI (2022 ASMBS/IFSO guidelines).
- Obesity and diabetes: how excess weight affects blood sugar
- Gastric bypass and diabetes: how it helps and what to expect
- Medical conditions Lap-Band surgery can help treat
- Bariatric surgery for diabetes, sleep apnea and blood pressure
- Long-term health benefits of gastric sleeve surgery
- Health improvements after Lap-Band surgery
Sleep apnea and acid reflux
Obstructive sleep apnea
Fat deposits in the neck can narrow the upper airway so that it collapses during sleep. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute lists obesity as a risk factor and notes that maintaining a healthy weight can help prevent or treat sleep apnea caused by obesity (NHLBI). If you use CPAP, keep using it until the doctor who manages your sleep apnea retests you and tells you otherwise.
- Obesity and sleep apnea: causes, risks and treatment
- Bariatric surgery for diabetes, sleep apnea and blood pressure
Acid reflux (GERD)
NIDDK lists overweight and obesity among the factors that can lead to gastroesophageal reflux disease (NIDDK), and losing weight is one of the lifestyle changes doctors may suggest for it (NIDDK). Reflux is also where the choice of procedure matters most. ASMBS notes that gastric bypass often helps reflux, while the gastric sleeve may worsen reflux or cause it for the first time (ASMBS). If you have reflux now, raise it early in any conversation about surgery.
Heart disease, blood pressure and atrial fibrillation
A larger body makes the heart pump harder, which can raise blood pressure, and high blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke. Losing excess weight may help lower these risk factors (NIDDK); NIDDK lists high blood pressure, heart disease and unhealthy cholesterol levels among the problems weight-loss surgery can improve (NIDDK). The NHLBI also lists overweight and obesity among the conditions that raise the risk of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm, and includes a healthy weight in the changes it recommends (NHLBI).
On surgery, the 2022 ASMBS/IFSO guidelines cite a large cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries in which people who had metabolic and bariatric surgery had a lower risk of new heart failure, heart attack and stroke than comparable people who did not (2022 ASMBS/IFSO guidelines). An association of that kind cannot promise the same result for any one person.
Fatty liver disease and cirrhosis
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), now also called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is fat buildup in the liver. It is more common in people with obesity. In its inflammatory form (NASH) it can scar the liver, and scarring can progress to cirrhosis and, in some people, liver cancer (NIDDK).
NIDDK notes that losing at least 3 to 5 percent of body weight may reduce fat in the liver (NIDDK), and the 2022 surgical guidelines report that bariatric surgery has been associated with improvement of NASH on biopsy and regression of early scarring (2022 ASMBS/IFSO guidelines). With cirrhosis, surgery is a decision for a hepatologist and surgeon together.
Cancer risk, including breast and colon cancer
The National Cancer Institute links obesity to a higher risk of thirteen cancers, among them postmenopausal breast, colorectal, endometrial, esophageal, liver, kidney and pancreatic cancer. Some studies found lower risks of several of these cancers in people who lost weight, and lower overall cancer risk after bariatric surgery, particularly in women. NCI cautions that such observational studies can be skewed by other differences between the groups, and that there is little evidence yet on whether losing weight after a breast cancer diagnosis lowers the risk of recurrence (NCI).
Joint pain and osteoarthritis
Obesity is a leading risk factor for osteoarthritis of the knees, hips and ankles, partly because of the extra pressure it puts on the joints. NIDDK notes that losing weight may decrease stress on the knees, hips and lower back and lessen inflammation (NIDDK), and lists knee, hip and other body pain among the problems weight-loss surgery can improve (NIDDK). Weight loss does not undo joint damage that is already there, and some people still need treatment from an orthopedic specialist.
Hormones, fertility, mood and the brain
Hormones and fertility
Obesity can disturb reproductive hormones in women and men. NIDDK links it to irregular ovulation, lower sperm quality and erectile dysfunction, and notes that women with obesity who lose 5 percent of their body weight may improve their chances of regular periods, ovulating and becoming pregnant (NIDDK). For polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), NICHD states that weight loss can restore ovulation and help regulate menstrual cycles (NICHD). Timing a pregnancy after surgery is a decision for your surgeon and obstetrician; the pregnancy and fertility hub covers it.
- Can bariatric surgery improve fertility?
- PCOS and infertility: what one early study of gastric bypass found
- Bariatric surgery and sexual health
- Pregnancy after bariatric surgery
Mood, migraines and thinking
NIDDK links obesity to long-term stress, low self-esteem, depression and eating disorders, and to the weight bias many people face; losing excess weight has been found to improve body image and reduce symptoms of depression (NIDDK). Migraines, memory and concentration have been studied less; the pages below summarize mostly small studies, best read as early findings rather than expected results.
Obesidad y enfermedades relacionadas — en español
La práctica atiende en español en las cuatro oficinas y publica información sobre estas condiciones en español:
Where Dr. Davtyan sees patients
Spanish is spoken at all four offices. The first consultation with Dr. Davtyan is free and commits you to nothing.
Talking it through with a physician
How much any of this applies to you depends on your own health history, which is exactly what a consultation is for. The first consultation with Dr. Davtyan is free and commits you to nothing. Keep your primary care doctor and any specialists involved in decisions about the conditions they manage.
Sources
- CDC — About Obesity
- ASMBS — Disease of Obesity
- NIDDK — Health Risks of Overweight & Obesity
- NIDDK — Weight-loss Surgery Health Benefits
- Eisenberg D, et al. 2022 ASMBS and IFSO Indications for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Obes Surg. 2023;33(1):3–14 (PMC full text)
- ASMBS — Bariatric Surgery Procedures
- NIDDK — Symptoms & Causes of GER & GERD
- NIDDK — Treatment for GER & GERD
- NHLBI — Sleep Apnea: Causes and Risk Factors
- NHLBI — Atrial Fibrillation: Causes and Risk Factors
- NIDDK — Definition & Facts of NAFLD & NASH
- National Cancer Institute — Obesity and Cancer
- NICHD — What are the treatments for PCOS?
This page is general information about how obesity is related to other health conditions and what published research and public health agencies say about weight loss. It is not medical advice, it is not a diagnosis, and it does not predict what any treatment will do for any individual. Do not stop or change a medication because of anything you read here; talk to the doctor who prescribes it.
