Obesity Update in Women

The Clinical Update series is intended to help busy providers stay up to date with important and potentially practice changing articles that have been published on topics pertinent to the care of women. The rates of obesity and the resultant morbidities are rising worldwide, making it a high-priority health issue for the medical community. Moreover, the pathophysiology and management of obesity and visceral fat accumulation in women has important nuances, distinct from those in men. It is important to consider the effect of unique female-specific influences such as reproductive stage and pregnancy. Therefore, we have chosen to review six high-impact recent studies relating to obesity and its management in women. These include guidelines for management of obesity in pregnancy, risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer in overweight/obese women, the association of vascular fat and decline in physical function in midlife women, the predictors for weight gain in premenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer, dietary patterns and obesity in postmenopausal women, and finally, normal weight obesity and mortality risk in postmenopausal women.