Obesity is a medical condition and is also considered a complex disease that involves the accumulation of the excessive amount of body fat which has a negative effect on health. This condition increases the risk of other diseases and health problems like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain cancers. Usually, obesity emerges from a combination of inherited factors, combined with the environment and personal diet and exercise choices.
Causes:
There are many reasons for Obesity like genetic, behavioral, metabolic, and hormonal influences on body weight, obesity occurs when you take in more calories than you burn through exercise and normal daily activities. Your body stores these excess calories as fat. Some factors include;
- Pregnancy: Weight gain is common during pregnancy.
- Quitting smoking: Quitting smoking is often associated with weight gain if people use food to cope with smoking withdrawal.
- Lack of sleep: Not sleeping enough or getting too much sleep can change the hormonal balance that increases your appetite.
- Stress: Some external factors that affect your mood and well-being may contribute to obesity.
- Microbiome: Your gut bacteria may get affected by the food we eat and this contributes to weight gain or difficulty losing weight.
Lifestyle choices can also be the reason for Obesity;
- Unhealthy diet: A diet that is high in calories and lacks fruits and vegetables contributes to weight gain.
- Liquid calories: People drink many calories without feeling full, especially calories from alcohol or high-calorie beverages, like aerated soft drinks.
- Inactivity. If you have a lifestyle that involves little or no physical activity, you can easily take in more calories every day than you burn.
Other weight-related issues that may affect the quality of life include:
- Depression
- Disability
- Shame and guilt
- Social isolation
- Lower work achievement
