Younan Nowzaradan ( fa, یونان نوذرادان; born October 11, 1944), also known as Dr. Now, is an Iranian doctor, TV personality, and author. He specializes in vascular surgery and bariatric surgery. He is known for helping

morbidly obese Obesity is a risk factor for many chronic physical and mental illnesses. The health effects of being overweight but not obese are controversial, with some studies showing that the mortality rate for individuals who are classified as overweight ( ...

people lose weight on ''

My 600-lb Life ''My 600-lb Life'' is an American reality television series that has aired on the TLC television network since 2012, Each episode follows a year in the life of morbidly obese individuals, who usually begin the episode weighing at least , and ...

'' (2012–present).

Education and medical career

Nowzaradan was born and raised in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

, Iran, and is an Assyrian. In 1970, he graduated from the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

with a

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

degree. He then moved to the United States. He participated in the Medical Orientation Program at Saint Louis University in 1971 and completed a Rotating Surgical Internship at St. John Hospital (operated by St. John Providence Health System) in Detroit, Michigan. Nowzaradan is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Nowzaradan is currently affiliated with Houston Obesity Surgery in Houston, TX, and practices at several local hospitals. He is the author of several scholarly publications on

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's ...

and

laparoscopy Laparoscopy () is an operation performed in the abdomen or pelvis using small incisions (usually 0.5–1.5 cm) with the aid of a camera. The laparoscope aids diagnosis or therapeutic interventions with a few small cuts in the abdomen.Medlin ...

Media appearances

He has been on ''

'' since 2012. He has also appeared on installments of ''

Body Shock ''Body Shock'' (also: Bodyshock) is a British medical documentary series about the conditions or lives of extraordinary people. It was originally produced by redback for Channel 4 in the UK, but in September 2006, it was taken over by ArkMedia. ...

'', including the episodes "Half Ton Dad", "Half Ton Teen", and "Half Ton Mum". He also published two books titled ''Last Chance to Live'' (2017) and ''The Scale Does Not Lie, People Do'' (2019). Dr. Now made several appearances at Texas theme parks such as Six Flags AstroWorld to promote health awareness in the early 2000s, reaching out to youth and encouraging them to make good dietary choices.

Personal life

He was married to Delores McRedmond for 31 years; they divorced in 2004. The couple had three children together. His son, Jonathan Nowzaradan (b. 1978), works as a director and producer for ''My 600-lb Life''.

Publications

Books

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Articles

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nowzaradan, Younan Bariatrics American surgeons American people of Iranian-Assyrian descent University of Tehran alumni Living people 1944 births Iranian emigrants to the United States Participants in American reality television series People from Tehran Iranian surgeons 20th-century Iranian people 21st-century Iranian people 20th-century American people 21st-century American people