Weight & Metabolic Health

A1C is a blood test that measures your average blood glucose level over the past 3 months, based on glucose attaching to hemoglobin in red blood cells.

Anti-obesity medication refers to prescription drugs used, along with diet and physical activity, to treat obesity, or overweight together with a weight-related health condition.

Basal metabolic rate is the energy the body uses at complete rest to keep basic functions running, the largest component of daily energy demand in Western societies.

BMI (body mass index) is a measurement that uses weight and height to estimate overweight and obesity, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.

Body composition refers to the proportions of fat, muscle, bone, and other tissue that make up a person's body weight.

Caloric deficit is a state in which the body uses more calories than it takes in from food and beverages.

Comorbidity is the condition of having two or more diseases at the same time.

Food noise is an informal term for a preoccupation with food that can feel persistent, intrusive, and unwanted, not a medical diagnosis.

Gastric emptying is the process by which the stomach releases its contents into the small intestine after a meal.

Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body's cells do not respond to insulin the way they should.

Lean body mass is the weight of everything in the body other than fat, including muscle, organs, bone, and fluid.

MASLD is excess fat buildup in the liver, not caused by heavy alcohol use, in a person with at least one cardiometabolic risk factor.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that together raise the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other serious health problems.

Obesity is a common, chronic disease marked by an abnormally high, unhealthy amount of body fat, generally defined in adults as a BMI of 30 or higher.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which the upper airway becomes blocked many times during sleep, reducing or completely stopping airflow.

PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) is a set of symptoms related to a hormonal imbalance.

Prediabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.

Sarcopenia is a muscle disease marked by a loss of muscle strength, quantity, and quality that builds up over a lifetime.

Satiety is the inhibition of eating that follows the end of a meal.

Set point theory is the idea that body weight is defended within a stable range by the body's own feedback systems.

Type 2 diabetes is a disease that occurs when blood glucose is too high because the body does not make enough insulin or does not use it well.

Visceral fat is fat stored deep inside the abdomen, around the internal organs, rather than just under the skin.