Obesity hits men, women differently
New research finds obesity produces different internal risks in men versus women — men were more likely to develop harmful abdominal fat and show signs of liver stress, while women showed higher inflammation and raised cholesterol levels (sciencedaily.com). The authors say these sex-based differences could help explain why obesity-related problems present differently across people (sciencedaily.com).
Obesity does not strain the body the same way in men and women: men in a new study showed more belly fat and liver stress, while women showed more inflammation and higher cholesterol. (eurekalert.org) The findings come from researchers at Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey, who analyzed 1,134 adults with obesity treated at a university clinic between 2024 and 2025. The group included 886 women with an average age of 45 and 248 men with an average age of 41. (eurekalert.org) All participants had physical exams and blood tests measuring body mass index, blood pressure, blood sugar, blood fats, liver enzymes, and inflammatory markers. The results are due to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul on May 12-15, 2026. (eurekalert.org; eco2026.org) A basic idea behind the study is that fat stored under the skin and fat packed around organs do different kinds of damage. Visceral fat, the kind around the organs, is more tightly linked to heart and metabolic disease than fat stored elsewhere. (sciencedaily.com) In this group, men had larger waist measurements and higher systolic blood pressure than women. Men also had higher triglycerides and higher levels of the liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyl transferase, markers doctors use as signs of liver strain. (insideprecisionmedicine.com) Women in the study had higher total cholesterol and higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, often called “bad” cholesterol. They also had higher C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and platelet counts, all markers linked to inflammation. (insideprecisionmedicine.com) The researchers said those split patterns may help explain why obesity-related illness does not look identical from patient to patient. Biological sex affects where fat is stored, how the liver handles nutrients, and how the immune system responds. (sciencedaily.com; eurekalert.org) The backdrop is large: the researchers cited a 2023 estimate that 1.54 billion adults worldwide were living with metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risks that includes abdominal obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and raised fasting glucose. They reported that the burden was about 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men. (eurekalert.org) Lead author Zeynep Pekel said the results still need confirmation in other patient groups. But the study adds to a growing push to assess obesity by the pattern of internal damage, not only by a number on the scale. (insideprecisionmedicine.com; sciencedaily.com)
