Roche is widely recognised as one of the leading companies in obesity research, having been active in this area since the mid-1970's. Roche's commitment to metabolic research and development stems from recognition of obesity as a chronic disease, needing long-term therapy. As part of Roche's commitment to research in obesity, a dedicated metabolic research unit was set up in Nutley in 1994. Research at the unit focuses on unravelling the underlying causes of obesity at a molecular level. Collaboration with Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc has resulted in the isolation and identification of important genes, that may confer a predisposition to obesity in humans.
Obesity means different things to different people.
To most men and women, it means to be greatly overweight or to be larger than they wish to be. Obesity may be defined as the excess accumulation of body fat sufficient to endanger health. Overweight means only that a person carries more weight than normal for their height. A major contributor to the costs of Health Care Obesity results when there is an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. In simple terms, you consume more calories than you expend in normal daily activities.