Causes of obesity are plenty but to go deeper into the problem you need to know why it happens and how it can happen to you. Obesity stands as one of the most common disorders in the world now. Several other associated problems tag along with obesity. All these problems put together result in what we call the ‘metabolic syndrome’. Some of the additional problems include higher blood pressure, improper lipid profiles and high blood sugar.
Obese people who suffer from this syndrome are at a higher risk of type II diabetes and heart problems. People who can maintain the right body weight can prevent such fatal problems with regular exercising and dieting.
Over the years, a lot of research has been conducted on the proper causes of obesity, relative disorders, and the main symptoms of obesity. Several reports have been published to educate people and make them aware of the importance of body weight balance. Experts have also tried to make people aware of ways to treat and prevent obesity.
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Does willpower affect obesity?
Most of us feel that being overweight or obese is a result of lacking willpower. However, you are only partially correct. On one hand, the causes of obesity include an unhealthy lifestyle and an eating disorder.
On the other hand, some people are affected by metabolic syndrome. In this case, people cannot control their lifestyle and eating habits. As a result, they completely fail to prevent the symptoms of obesity.
Overeating is sometimes a general behavioral problem. However, it is mainly a result of genetic causes such as hormones and genetics. These problems can be overcome by controlling any behavioral problems and leading a healthy life. To achieve your goals, you need to be patient and keep your dedication and willpower strong.
In this article, we will talk more about the major causes of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and excessive weight gain. Most of these are not related to willpower or lack of confidence.
1. Genetic problems
The genetic component is highly effective when obesity is the problem. You will often see that children with overweight parents are more likely to develop obesity as compared to lean parents. However, this does not give assurance of the fact that there are no other causes of obesity. Your eating habit is more likely to determine which genes are more expressive and which are not.
You can sometimes categorize people indulging in western diets as more obese than others. The problem is that people who start such a diet do not get genetically affected. The later generations, without any fault of theirs, have to bear the brunt.
They are suffering from metabolic syndrome due to unhealthy genetic signals transferred by their previous generations. Several studies have been conducted on identical twin babies. Experts have come out with reports that suggest the effects of genetic components are a major reason for weight gain.
2. Junk food
Processed foods are usually heavier on the stomach, uneasy to digest and the additives in it are not at all healthy. The objective of manufacturing these food items is to make sure that people find it hard to resist. These food items are usually cheaper and last longer due to so many preservatives added to them.
No doubt, these foods are extremely tasty and sell like hotcakes. But have you ever realized that such foods also cause overeating? Most junk foods are low on nutrition. You should avoid consuming such foods to prevent the symptoms of obesity.
3. Addictive foods
Over-sweetened food items and greasy junk-food are known to trigger the parts of the brain known as ‘reward-centers’. In the worst scenarios, such food can be compared to dangerously addictive drugs such as alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, and cannabis.
Attraction towards junk food can develop an addiction in you easily. For example, when a foodie tries to quit eating junk, their withdrawal symptoms are much like that of an alcoholic.
Some people find it difficult to control over their eating habits and that’s why junk foods are compared with abusive drugs. These are the most dangerous causes of obesity and can happen to people of any age group.
Addiction is a very serious problem and needs immediate medical attention. Addicts find any form of addiction difficult to let go due to the biochemical imbalance in their brains. This is similar for a foodie like it is for someone who takes drugs.
4. Extreme marketing skills
The common barriers to treating obesity are marketers who try to sell all sorts of junk and unhealthy food items. They do not think twice before promoting such foods in the name of healthy foods. They try to make the packages look colorful and attractive to bring in more customers.
Sadly, the main victims, in this case, are our children. Kids, nowadays love to eat junk food as most parents live makeshift lives. Children develop health problems and obesity from a young age and face the consequences later.
5. Insulin
Insulin is an important hormone in our bodies that manages energy storage. It regulates fat cells in a way that they store good fats and prevents extra fat generation in the body. Switching to the regular Western diet means you are encouraging insulin resistance despite being overweight already.
Consuming improper and imbalanced foods regularly increases the insulin level in the body. As a result, all the fat gets stored in the fat cells and does not break down as energy.
Experts are still researching how to find out the exact role of insulin in cases of obesity. However, they have already proved that insulin does play a causal role in making people overweight.
If you want to prevent excessive insulin secretion in your body, you must avoid all types of bad carbohydrates. You should instead increase your fiber intake.
Harmful medicines
Several prescribed medicines result in weight gain and obesity. The most common out of all are the anti-depressants that many millennials need. The side-effects caused by these medicines lead to drastic weight gain and even more depression.
Antipsychotics and diabetes medicines can cause weight gain. These drugs generally do not affect your willpower but increase your appetite for sure. They reduce the metabolism rate in your body as well.
7. Leptin
In addition to insulin, leptin is another element or hormone that affects obesity. This hormone is secreted by fat cells in the body. The blood vessels of leptin increase along with the fat. This is the reason why obese people have more leptin secretion in the body. On the contrary, if you are healthy, an increase in leptin levels will cause your appetite to reduce.
Normally, leptins should regulate the storage of fat in the brain. In the case of overweight people, leptins do not work properly in their bodies due to the blood-brain blockage. Such conditions have been diagnosed as leptin resistance. It is known to be one of the leading causes of obesity.
8. Not exercising
There are many people who eat a lot of food, even junk food but still manage their body weight. Chances are that they exercise a lot and shed all the extra calories they consume. If you have the right kind of exercise level you will not gain much weight unless you eat junk every day. People can have everything in moderation, even junk food, but if they exercise and reduce eating bad carbs, they can maintain a good weight.
9. Sugars
The worst way of eating food is by adding sugar to it. Americans love sugar and so obesity rates have gone higher than ever. Sugar creates alterations in the biochemical process as well as the hormonal reactions in the body. This results in excessive weight gain.
Sugar is a combination of 50% glucose and 50% fructose. While glucose can be obtained from some other food items, fructose can only be secreted from sugars.
Overconsumption of fructose means insulin resistance in the body. This, in turn, elevates the insulin levels in the body. As a whole, sugars lead to consolidation of fats inside specific pockets of our body. Later, the fats do not break down in the form of energy.
10. Incorrect information
The majority of people in this world are unaware of the facts about nutrition and health. There can be several reasons behind this and the most important out of all is the source of information.
There are some websites which continuously provide wrong or altered information about nutrition and health. Media and news channels often tamper with scientific reports and results are completely absurd. There can be information which is based on assumptions and outdated theories.
Food manufacturers and marketers also spread incorrect information. For example, supplements that enhance weight gain are a hoax. Such marketing tactics can discourage you. Just ignore such strategies and carry on leading a healthy life.
What are the causes of obesity in kids?
Obesity can occur in people irrespective of their age. Typically, children are at a higher risk of obesity, given their carefree lifestyle. It is important to prevent the symptoms of obesity in children from an early age. The following are some common causes of obesity in children.
1. Infant diet
Breastfeeding is the best way to prevent the risks of obesity in children. Expert scientists are conducting continuous research to bring a clearer picture of this theory. However, it is proved that feeding infants packaged foods can cause early obesity in them.
2. Portion sizes
Children require more nutrients while growing up. However, overfeeding toddlers won’t help in any way. There is a proportionate amount of food that a pediatrician will instruct you to offer. Between the ages of 1 and 3, toddlers require 40 calories for every inch of growth in height. As they grow more, they encourage them to learn how much they should eat.
3. Nutritive foods
Children depend on their parents for everything. As a parent, it is your responsibility to make sure that the child is consuming a proper amount of nutrients. Encourage them to eat fresh fruits and vegetables daily. As they grow up, they will start getting habituated with this type of diet. Such children are more likely to include healthy food in their diet when they grow up.
4. Healthy habits
Children learn from what they see around them. Try and switch to healthy and nutritious foods. The kids are going to adopt this habit and grow into healthy adults. These habits will keep obesity at bay.
5. Eating fast
You tend to overeat when you eat fast. Sometimes, children also eat when they are not hungry and that is mostly due to temptation. This can cause excessive weight gain as excess food usually gets stored in the body. Encourage the child to chew food properly. This slows down the eating process. You should also tell them that they should eat only when they are really hungry.
6. No physical activities
Children are becoming lazy and dependent on digital sources of entertainment nowadays. Sitting on the couch and binge eating has become common and this encourages the symptoms of obesity. As a parent, you should make your kids aware of the risks. You should also try and find ways to channelize their energy. To make this possible, encourage them to play outdoor sports.
7. Lack of sleep
People who do not sleep enough, irrespective of their age, are at a higher risk of obesity. You should make sure that your children are getting a proper amount of sleep. It is better if adults sleep with them, at least until they fall asleep.
8. Outside food
We cannot supervise what our children eat outside of the home. They may indulge in junk foods more often. Pack healthy snacks for your children so that they can munch on those instead of unhealthy food.
Final thoughts
Now you know how risky obesity can be it is time you take the preventive measures to protect children from it. If you’re already a victim of obesity you need to try ways to reduce weight and live a healthy life. Shift to healthier food and exercise every day. It will make you live longer and happier.
