Males with obesity suffering from hypogonadism who have testosterone injections lost weight and saw improvement in a wide range of other metabolic parameters, according to research led by Dr Farid Saad, Consultant, Medical Affairs Andrology, Bayer AG, Berlin, Germany, and Gulf Medical University School of Medicine, Ajman, UAE, and colleagues. The study was presented at the European and International Congress on Obesity (ECOICO 2020).

Individuals whose overweight or obesity is diagnosed in hospital are 60% more likely to die compared to the general population, according to a nationwide Danish study that followed over 1.9 million people for up to 40 years, presented at The European and International Congress on Obesity. The risk of dying was highest within the first year of diagnosis but remained markedly higher for individuals with hospital-diagnosed overweight or obesity over the whole study period.

Data presented in a special COVID-19 session at the European and International Congress on Obesity (ECOICO 2020) suggests that there are overlaps between the immunological disturbances found in both COVID-19 disease and patients with obesity, which could explain the increased disease severity and mortality risk faced by patients with obesity and COVID-19. Since fat mass generally increases with ageing, this might also partly explain the increased death risk in older patients.

An online survey of nearly 3,000 UK adults suggests that people would prefer health professionals to use the words "weight", "unhealthy weight", and "overweight" when discussing weight status, and reveals parents' desire to avoid their children being referred to as "fat", "extra-large", or "plus size".

More than half of adults have found it difficult to manage their weight during the COVID-19 lockdown, according to the results of an online survey involving over 800 UK adults, presented at The European and International Congress on Obesity. Most of the respondents said their difficulties stemmed from increased snacking, not exercising as much as usual, increased anxiety or stress and not being able get hold of healthier food.