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Risk factors for overweight and obesity include having unhealthy lifestyle habits such as lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating behaviors, not getting enough sleep, having high amounts of stress; being a certain age; living in unhealthy environments, having a family history; being a certain race or ethnicity; or being a certain sex.

Energy imbalances, some genetic or endocrine medical conditions, and medicines are known to cause overweight or obesity.

Autoimmune diseases result from a dysfunction of the immune system.

NIEHS funds a substantial portfolio of research in the field of environmental health sciences conducted by investigators in many disciplines from various organizations. These research activities span the range from basic mechanistic research to clinical and epidemiologic studies using human subjects. NIEHS-supported investigators are currently determining how environmental agents cause or exacerbate a variety of human diseases. NIEHS is also committed to developing the next generation of environmental health scientists by supporting a variety of interdisciplinary training programs.

The goal of the NHALES Study is to help scientists understand how bacteria and other factors in the environment affect people who have moderate to severe asthma.

Aloe is a succulent plant widely used in alternative medicine.

Many women develop irregular menstrual cycles which may make it difficult to become pregnant and increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Approximately 246,000 women in the United States, or 1 in 8, are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States, which translates to causing nearly one of every five deaths.

Acrylamide is a chemical widely used during the manufacturing of paper, dye, and other industrial products. It can also be formed when certain foods are cooked at high temperatures. Frying, baking, or roasting certain foods, such as potatoes or grains, can create acrylamide. French fries and potato chips, for example, may have measurable acrylamide levels. Acrylamide is also found in cigarette smoke.