Obesity has become an epidemic in many parts of the world. According to the World Health Organization, in 2016 over 1.9 billion adults were overweight and over 650 million were obese. Obesity does not discriminate – it affects people across all demographics and age groups. However, understanding the root causes of obesity is key to preventing and treating this condition. In this in-depth blog post, we will analyze the leading causes of obesity, the effects it has on one’s health, and the visible symptoms that often accompany it.
What is Obesity?
Before analyzing the causes of obesity, it is important to have a clear medical definition of what exactly obesity means.
Obesity is a condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body. It occurs when a person has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 30 kg/m2. BMI is calculated by dividing your weight (in kg) by your height squared (in meters). A BMI between 25-30 is classified as overweight. Obesity poses serious health risks like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, and certain types of cancers.
Major Causes of Obesity
Obesity is a complex multifaceted condition. There are many interrelated reasons why a person may be obese. Here are some of the major causes:
- Genetics and Family History
Your genetics and family history can determine, to some extent, your susceptibility towards obesity. People whose parents or siblings are obese have a much higher risk of being obese themselves. Your genes influence your body type, how your body produces and stores fat, and how your body regulates appetite.
However, family history alone does not doom you to a lifetime of obesity. Environmental and lifestyle factors still play a very significant role.
- Unhealthy Diet
Consuming too many calories from sugary, fried, processed, and junk foods and not getting enough nutrients from whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins leads to weight gain over time. Eating too much salty, high-fat food also increases obesity risk as these foods encourage overeating by tampering with hunger and fullness signals in the brain. Portion sizes have expanded too, further exacerbating this issue.
- Lack of Physical Activity
Insufficient physical activity is a key contributor to weight gain. Regular exercise helps burn calories and body fat. Unfortunately, a sedentary lifestyle is the norm these days – be it desk jobs, driving instead of walking short distances, increased screen time, etc. Work and lifestyle changes have made exercise and activity levels suffer for many people.
- Poor Sleep Habits
Chronic sleep deprivation often disrupts hormones regulating hunger and appetite. It may lead to late-night snacking, increased calorie intake, and reduced ability of the body to metabolize carbohydrates effectively – ultimately causing weight gain. Stress also leads to unhealthier food choices and overeating.
- Medical and Psychiatric Illness
Certain illnesses like hypothyroidism, depression, and PCOS directly cause weight gain or make weight management highly difficult. The medications used to treat illnesses like depression, diabetes, and high blood pressure may also list weight gain as a side effect. Eating as a coping mechanism for stress and trauma further compounds this issue.
- Built Environment and Socioeconomic Factors
Our genetics load the gun, but the environment pulls the trigger when it comes to obesity. Various aspects of the area people live in like limited access to healthy affordable whole foods, the ubiquity of cheap processed food, lack of sidewalks & parks have increased obesity levels, especially in low-income neighborhoods. Stress related to poverty, discrimination, or occupational instability also indirectly promotes unhealthy eating.
In summary, obesity tends to be the cumulative effect of genetics interacting with behavioral, socioeconomic, and cultural factors leading to an energy imbalance where people take in more calories than they burn off.
Effects and Health Risks of Obesity
Being excessively overweight or obese severely threatens one’s physical health as well as mental well-being:
- Cardiovascular Disease
Excess visceral fat leads to elevated LDL cholesterol, high triglyceride levels, and lowered HDL cholesterol. This damages blood vessels and makes one highly vulnerable to atherosclerosis, heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and other cardiovascular complications. Obesity may also lead to high blood pressure.
- Diabetes
Obesity causes insulin resistance which can eventually progress to Type 2 diabetes. Elevated blood sugars then imperil the entire body – organs, nerves, blood vessels, and so on. Managing diabetes is challenging and the medications also come with side effects.
- Cancer
Being obese heightens the risk for various types of cancer like breast, colorectal, prostate, uterine, pancreatic, and kidney to name a few. Fat cells and associated chronic inflammation create an environment conducive to tumor growth. The modified hormones also promote malignancies.
- Hepatic Disorders
Excess fat accumulation in the liver causes inflammation called Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. This damages liver tissue over time and may progress to cirrhosis or liver failure. These liver conditions also raise the chance of liver cancer.
- Reproductive Issues
Obesity leads to hormonal changes in women that may cause menstrual irregularities, infertility, complications in pregnancy, and increased infant mortality. Obesity may lower testosterone in men causing erectile dysfunction and poor sperm quality as well.
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
The excessive weight on joints – especially of the hip, knee, and lower back leads to pain, swelling, decreased functionality, and mobility issues over time. It raises susceptibility to injuries as well as accelerated cartilage degeneration (osteoarthritis).
- Decreased Life Expectancy
Obesity takes a huge toll on longevity. It is estimated to lower life expectancy by 5 to 20 years depending on severity. Premature death often occurs due to heart disease, cancer, or diabetes complications.
- Mental Health Issues
Obesity subjects people to considerable appearance-based discrimination, prejudice, and social isolation – all of which spawn psychological distress and disorders like depression, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, low self-esteem, distorted self-image, and so on.
Obesity must be addressed promptly through diet and lifestyle interventions to prevent the onset of these unwanted medical problems.
Visible Signs and Symptoms
Here are some of the most noticeable manifestations of obesity:
- Rapid or gradual weight gain resulting in being considerably overweight
- BMI over 30 kg/m2
- Excess or enlarged abdominal fat (visceral obesity)
- Round, apple-shaped body with more weight concentrated around the belly area
- Circumference around the waist more than 35 inches for women and more than 40 inches for men
- Poor stamina and tendency to get tired easily from physical activity
- Joint pain and back pain
- Skin conditions like acanthosis nigricans – black, velvety folds on the neck, armpits & skin tags
- Frequent perspiration
- Breathlessness especially when lying down
- Snoring
- Swelling of feet
- High blood pressure
- High fasting blood sugar and cholesterol levels
- Menstrual irregularities and reduced fertility
Do keep in mind that rapid unexplained weight loss also warrants medical investigation as it may signal an underlying chronic condition. The location where fat accumulates, accompanying symptoms, and related lab markers provide more specific clues regarding obesity-associated health problems brewing within.
Takeaway
Obesity is the outcome of a long-drawn-out energy imbalance influenced by the modern lifestyle. While obesity treatment becomes more intricate as one age, much of it can indeed be prevented by inculcating wholesome nutrition and activity habits early on. Creating social and infrastructural support for vulnerable communities is also vital for reducing obesity prevalence. Since obesity seldom occurs overnight, it is certainly possible to preemptively catch the creeping weight gain early through periodic weight and health monitoring. Slower weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week through diet modifications and exercise also boosts the odds of keeping lost weight off for good.
