Weight related health conditions: causes, risks and treatment options

Struggling with your weight isn’t always about diet or exercise. For many people, medical and psychological conditions can play a major role in why the body gains or holds onto weight or why losing it feels impossible. This guide explains the most common health conditions linked to weight and body composition, with links to explore each in more depth.

On this page, we’ll explore the conditions most commonly linked to appetite, weight gain, and difficulty losing weight. We’ll also look at how modern treatments, including GLP-1 medications like Mounjaro, may be able to help.

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Written by

Medicspot Staff Author

Medicspot Staff Author

Author

Reviewed by

Jackir Hussain

Jackir Hussain

Doctor

Last Updated:

Next Review: Jul 31, 2027

Guide contents

01

Core weight definitions

02

2. Metabolism and Hormone Factors

Core weight definitions

Before exploring conditions, it helps to understand how weight is assessed medically.

  • Obesity: What it means, how it’s diagnosed, and the health risks involved.
  • Overweight and BMI: How BMI works, when it matters, and when it doesn’t.
  • Healthy Weight Loss: What sustainable weight loss looks like medically.

2. Metabolism and hormone Factors

Hormones and metabolic health play a big role in weight regulation.

  • Metabolic Syndrome: A group of interconnected health problems including high blood pressure, insulin resistance and abdominal fat.
  • PCOS and Weight Gain: How polycystic ovary syndrome affects weight, hunger, and insulin.
  • Diabetes and Weight Gain: The complex link between insulin, blood sugar, and weight.
  • Pre-diabetes and Weight Gain: Early warning signs and how weight fits into the picture.
  • Weight Loss Resistance: When your body doesn’t respond to healthy changes.
  • Unexplained Weight Gain: What to consider when weight increases without obvious cause.

Mental health and eating disorders

Emotional and psychological patterns often influence appetite and body weight.

  • Emotional Eating: eating in response to mood rather than hunger.
  • Depression and Appetite: how low mood can affect eating patterns and body weight.
  • Anxiety and Appetite: why stress can cause appetite to increase or disappear.
  • Body Dysmorphic Disorder: when perceptions of body shape or weight become distorted.

Disordered and compulsive eating patterns

Certain behaviours go beyond habit and into clinical diagnoses.

  • Compulsive Eating: Feeling out of control around food.
  • Binge Eating Disorder: A recognised eating disorder with clear diagnostic criteria.
  • Night Eating Syndrome: A cycle of disrupted eating and sleeping.
  • Food Addiction: Craving and loss of control, often linked to sugar or high-fat foods.

Weight challenges at different stages in life

Medical weight concerns can also emerge in specific contexts.

  • Obesity in Children: Causes, risks, and early support strategies.
  • Weight Issues During Pregnancy: How weight affects pregnancy and what support is available.
  • Medical Weight Loss Treatments: Options such as GLP-1s, and when they may be suitable.
tip

Understanding the health reasons behind weight changes is a vital step toward change.

Explore the pages above to learn more or take our online eligibility assessment to find out if medical support might be appropriate.

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