What are the Causes of Obesity?

There are many different factors that combine to cause obesity.

Diet. The lack of well-balanced meals with proper portion sizes can lead to poor nutrition and overeating. Many still rely on fast food, and the prevalence of convenient, packaged food in supermarkets promotes bad eating habits. Eating this way means you take in more calories than you need, and you may have a higher percentage of carbohydrates than your body requires. Binge eating – eating more than 5,000 calories at one sitting – if done more than twice a week, can lead to weight problems. Saving up calories and eating late at night is not nutritionally wise, and the body doesn’t have time to burn off fat before going to bed.

Illness. Those who suffer from a physical illness may eat more, because of medication or depression. Those with physical disabilities with limited exercise options, may also be prone to obesity.

Genetics. Many people are predisposed to have obesity if their parents or grandparents also had the condition. In this situation, they may develop obesity in childhood and remain obese in adulthood.

Eating disorders. Anorexia is regarded as a mental illness where the individual has an abnormal perception of their body type, and has a fear of looking and feeling fat. Bulimia is an off-shoot of anorexia, where a person would binge eat and then vomit as a way of losing weight.

Lifestyle. A sedentary lifestyle with little or no exercise is not conducive to good health. Many office jobs require sitting behind a desk all day, and with an affluent society we drive to work rather than, walk, run or bike. Night shift workers find it hard to fit in exercise, and they may snack more to keep up their energy levels up.

Former smokers. Those who are cutting back smoking or who have given up the habit may suffer cravings and withdrawal symptoms, and turn to food as a comfort. Despite million dollar health initiatives to help alleviate the problem, the number of people with obesity shows little sign of waning.

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