
Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Weight gain overview
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Weight gain is an increase in body weight. It is generally caused by the intake of excess calories, little exercise, or may be caused by a medical condition. One exception is bodybuilding, in which muscle is gained by workout routines. With a large differential diagnosis, weight gain is a prevalent complaint among adult patients.
It may be intentional or unintentional, sometimes for muscle building, or for health reasons, i.e. increasing body fat percentage to a healthy amount. Intentional reasons may include gaining weight to get to a healthy weight, bodybuilding, and recovery for eating disorders like anorexia nervosa.
See obesity for a full discussion.
References
References
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
