Weight Watcher's Corner on : Causes of Obesity

These are some of the data that came up in my research :

1. Overeating - One will gain weight as a result of eating more calories than he/ she needs.
A calorie is a unit to measure the heat energy that the body
gets from a certain amount of food. If you eat more calories ( or
joules in some countries that use the metric system ) than you use, that will
turn into
body fat.
During any period of days or weeks, if you eat 3,500 more calories than you
use, you will gain 0.5 kg. On the other hand, you will lose 0.5 kg if you eat
3,500 fewer calories than you use.





2. Physical Inactivity - This can lead to obesity among all age groups especially to children
and teenagers, who are the most active groups.
Most obese young people do not eat more than those of normal
weight, but they are so inactive that, even with a moderate appetite, they tend to eat more than they need - and accumulate excess fat.
( Read the Family Guide to Physical Activity for Youth )






3. Heredity - Scientists have learned much about the relationship between heredity and
obesity in mice - this relationship is based on genes.
In human beings, the action of genes is not so well known as in animals; but
researchers have found evidence that some people are more predispositioned
to be fat because of their genes.


4. Diseases and Other Causes - Obesity may result from a number of diseases. Some
ailments of the endocrine glands cause these glands to release too much of a
hormone into the blood stream. The excess hormone disturbs the feeding and
satiety centers ( these centers make people want to stop eating ) of the brain.
Obesity also can result from damage to these brain centers caused by infection,
injury, or a tumor.