Causes Of Obesity
Obesity can result if you are consuming more calories that you can burn with your daily activities. If it happens over a long period of time results in accumulation of unwanted calories which will ultimately lead to weight gain.
- Eating a diet comprising of foods high in unhealthy fats, carbohydrates.
- Having a predominant sedentary lifestyle.
- Having less sleep, which can lead to hormonal changes that make you feel hungrier and crave certain high-calorie foods.
- Genetics, which determines how fast or slow you, can burn the food.
- Getting older, which can lead to less muscle mass and a slower metabolic rate, making it easier to gain weight
- Pregnancy (weight that is gained during pregnancy can be difficult to lose and may eventually lead to obesity)
As per WHO review, factors like insufficient sleep, deviated sleep time patterns, endocrine disruptors (environmental pollutants that interfere with lipid (fat) metabolism) and chronic stress are also contributors to the phenomenon called Obesity.
Obesity can result if you are consuming more calories that you can burn with your daily activities. If it happens over a long period of time results in accumulation of unwanted calories which will ultimately lead to weight gain.
Certain medical conditions may also cause weight gain. They are as follows :
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): a condition that causes an imbalance of female reproductive hormones leading to accumulation of weight.
- Prader-Willi syndrome: A rare condition that an individual is born with which causes excessive hunger which results in more intake of food.
- Cushing syndrome: A condition caused by having an excessive amount of the hormone cortisol in your system that leads to weight gain over a period of time
- Hypothyroidism: A condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of certain important hormones.
How Obesity Is Measured
Obesity can be measured by various techniques, but the most common methods being used are Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist Circumference.
Body Mass Index
BMI is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by height in square meter (BMI = kg/m2). It is important to understand what a “healthy weight” is. Healthy weight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 19 and less than 25 among people above 20 years of age.
