Etiology
Weight is largely determined by how you balance your intake of calories from food with the
energy you use in everyday activities. If you consume more calories than you burn, you gain
weight. Your body stores calories that you don't need for energy as fat.
Overeating and lack of physical activity are the main causes of obesity, especially in
combination. But many factors contribute to obesity.
Risk Factors
Factors that increase your risk of carrying more weight than is healthy include:
• Diet. Regular consumption of high-fat foods, such as fast foods, contributes to weight
gain. High-fat foods are dense in calories. Loading up on soft drinks, candy and desserts also
promotes weight gain. Foods and beverages like these are high in sugar and calories.
• Inactivity. Sedentary people are more likely to gain weight because they don't burn
calories through physical activities.
• Psychological factors. Some people overeat to cope with problems or deal with difficult
emotions.
• Genetics. If one or both of your parents are obese, your chances of being overweight
increase by 25 percent to 30 percent. Your genes may affect the amount of body fat you store
and where that fat is distributed. But, your genetic makeup doesn't guarantee that you'll be
obese.
• Sex. Men have more muscle than women do, and because muscle burns a greater
number of calories than fat burns, men expend up to 20 percent more calories than women do
even at rest. So for women, achieving a healthy weight may be a tougher challenge.
• Age. As you get older, the amount of muscle in your body tends to decrease and fat
accounts for a greater percentage of your weight. This lower muscle mass leads to a decrease
in metabolism. Your metabolism also slows naturally with age. Together, these changes reduce
calorie needs. If you don't decrease your caloric intake with age, you likely will gain weight.
• Cigarette smoking. Smokers tend to gain weight after quitting. A 6- to 8-pound weight
gain isn't uncommon. This weight gain may be partially due to nicotine's ability to raise the rate
at which your body burns calories (metabolic rate). When smokers stop, they burn fewer
calories. Smoking also affects taste. Former smokers often gain weight because they eat more
after they quit. Their food tastes and smells better.
• Pregnancy. After each pregnancy, a woman's weight increases an average of 4 to 6
pounds over her pre-pregnancy weight. This weight gain may contribute to the development of
obesity in women.
• Medications. Corticosteroids and tricyclic antidepressants, in particular, can lead to
weight gain.
• Illnesses. Medical problems that lead to decreased activity can result in weight gain.
• Medical problems. Less than 2 percent of all cases of obesity can be traced to a medical
cause such as low thyroid function , Cushing's syndrome (excess production of hormones by
the adrenal glands) or other hormonal imbalances. A low metabolic rate is rarely a cause of
obesity.
Weight is largely determined by how you balance your intake of calories from food with the
energy you use in everyday activities. If you consume more calories than you burn, you gain
weight. Your body stores calories that you don't need for energy as fat.
Overeating and lack of physical activity are the main causes of obesity, especially in
combination. But many factors contribute to obesity.
Risk Factors
Factors that increase your risk of carrying more weight than is healthy include:
• Diet. Regular consumption of high-fat foods, such as fast foods, contributes to weight
gain. High-fat foods are dense in calories. Loading up on soft drinks, candy and desserts also
promotes weight gain. Foods and beverages like these are high in sugar and calories.
• Inactivity. Sedentary people are more likely to gain weight because they don't burn
calories through physical activities.
• Psychological factors. Some people overeat to cope with problems or deal with difficult
emotions.
• Genetics. If one or both of your parents are obese, your chances of being overweight
increase by 25 percent to 30 percent. Your genes may affect the amount of body fat you store
and where that fat is distributed. But, your genetic makeup doesn't guarantee that you'll be
obese.
• Sex. Men have more muscle than women do, and because muscle burns a greater
number of calories than fat burns, men expend up to 20 percent more calories than women do
even at rest. So for women, achieving a healthy weight may be a tougher challenge.
• Age. As you get older, the amount of muscle in your body tends to decrease and fat
accounts for a greater percentage of your weight. This lower muscle mass leads to a decrease
in metabolism. Your metabolism also slows naturally with age. Together, these changes reduce
calorie needs. If you don't decrease your caloric intake with age, you likely will gain weight.
• Cigarette smoking. Smokers tend to gain weight after quitting. A 6- to 8-pound weight
gain isn't uncommon. This weight gain may be partially due to nicotine's ability to raise the rate
at which your body burns calories (metabolic rate). When smokers stop, they burn fewer
calories. Smoking also affects taste. Former smokers often gain weight because they eat more
after they quit. Their food tastes and smells better.
• Pregnancy. After each pregnancy, a woman's weight increases an average of 4 to 6
pounds over her pre-pregnancy weight. This weight gain may contribute to the development of
obesity in women.
• Medications. Corticosteroids and tricyclic antidepressants, in particular, can lead to
weight gain.
• Illnesses. Medical problems that lead to decreased activity can result in weight gain.
• Medical problems. Less than 2 percent of all cases of obesity can be traced to a medical
cause such as low thyroid function , Cushing's syndrome (excess production of hormones by
the adrenal glands) or other hormonal imbalances. A low metabolic rate is rarely a cause of
obesity.
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- Obesity
Read more about obesity
Classification of Obesity
Basic Methods for
Measurement of Obesity
Epidemiology of Obesity
Etiology of Obesity
Behavioral Change
Classification of Obesity
Basic Methods for
Measurement of Obesity
Epidemiology of Obesity
Etiology of Obesity
Behavioral Change
Proactol
Lipocerin
Chitosan
Biosculpt Night
Time Weight
Loss Formula
Conjugated
linoleic acid
(CLA)
Pyruvate
Lipocerin
Chitosan
Biosculpt Night
Time Weight
Loss Formula
Conjugated
linoleic acid
(CLA)
Pyruvate
Fat Burn