Causes of Obesity

It is essential to understand the causes of obesity if you want to reach a healthy weight or ensure that you or your children do not become obese or morbidly obese.

Main Causes of Obesity

Although obesity can be caused by genetic factors, this is only the case in a very small percentage of people and should always be diagnosed by a doctor, who will then be able to refer patients to specialists so that they can receive the correct treatment.

In most cases,however, obesity is caused by overeating the wrong kinds of food and by inadequate exercise, both of which are by products of our “advanced” society.

Obesity statistics, both concerning obesity in adults and obesity in children are alarming and the long term effects of obesity are extremely serious, especially for children.

First let's answer the question: What is obesity? Obesity is defined by two measures, BMI calculation and waist measurement. BMI stands for Body Mass Index and is calculated based on height and weight.

 A BMI of over 30 is considered obese and over 40 is defined as morbidly obese. Overweight is the term used for someone with a BMI of over 25. These measurements should only be applied to adults. There is a special chart for children which is used to calculate BMI according to age and gender as well as height and weight. So children should always have their BMI assessed by a medical professional.

Waist measurement is a very important factor in determining obesity. For women, a waist measurement above 35 inches and men a waist measurement over 40 inches means a greater risk of health problems due to the distribution of fat in that area of the body.

There are many obesity health risks, ranging from heart disease to cancer and it is important to minimize these risks if you want to prevent long term illness or premature death.

Bad Nutrition as One of the Causes of Obesity

Eating junk foods or fast foods which are high in fat, sugar or salt content contributes to the increase in weight which can lead to obesity. This type of food not only piles of the pounds, but is also lacking in the vitamins and minerals your body needs and so can lead to disease as well as obesity.

Lack of Exercise and Obesity

Another contributory factor is lack of exercise and this is often due to the fact that we lead sedentary lives, sitting in an office all day and then driving home from work. We drive to the shops to do our grocery shopping or we do it online. We use all sorts of gadgets to make housework easy and we are too busy to get the exercise oura bodies need to burn off the excess calories we consume .

Why are Children Obese?

 The increasing number of obese kids in the developed world has led to the use of terms like “obesity epidemic”. Generally speaking, obese children are allowed to eat too much junk food and not encouraged to take enough exercise.

Kids today tend to spend much more time in front of the TV or computer screen than they do running around and playing outside. Parents are often too busy to take them out to the park or the swimming pool and feel it isn't safe to allow their kids to play outside unsupervised, but need to be aware that these are causes of obesity.

Adults also tend not to have the time to cook and so use convenience foods which are often high in calories and fat, both to feed themselves and their children. So kids learn bad habits early and habits can be difficult to break. It is common to see obesity running in families and this is because parents teach their own habits to their kids, perhaps unconsciously, but children learn by copying adults.

So, the causes of obesity could be summed up as bad habits which are continued over a long period and taught to children who copy them and end up developing the same bad habits as their parents or peers.

If one of the main causes of obesity is poor nutrition, a healthy diet plan is an important measure in avoiding obesity or reducing weight. Your doctor can recommend a healthy eating plan to help you lose weight safely.

It is important to have good information on healthy eating as weight lose foods do not always have nutritional value and it is important to ensure that you and especially your children are getting the correct nutrients to maintain health and in the case of children to promote healthy growth.

It is also essential to start some form of exercise. This should be done gradually if you have been inactive for a long time, are seriously overweight or have any health problems. So the first step in overcoming or preventing obesity in yourself and your children is to discuss both diet and exercise with your doctor.