Obesity
Content
9 Reasons Why Obesity is Not
Just a Choice
By Adda Bjarnadottir, MS |
November, 2015 |
22,677
views
In 2012, up to 35% of US adults and 17% of teens
were obese (1).
Many people blame obesity on poor dietary choices and inactivity, but it’s not always
that simple.
Other factors can have powerful effects on body weight and obesity, some of which are
outside of the person’s control.
These include genetics, environmental factors, certain medical conditions and more.
This article lists 9 compelling reasons why obesity is not just a choice.
1. Genetics and Prenatal Factors
Health is especially important during early life, as this affects health later on. In fact, a
lot can be determined while the fetus is still in the womb (2).
The mother’s diet and lifestyle choices matter a great deal, and may influence the baby’s
future behaviors and body composition.
Studies show that women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy are more likely
to have heavy 3-year-olds (3, 4).
On the same note, children who have obese parents and grandparents are much more
likely to be obese than kids with normal-weight parents and grandparents (5, 6).
Furthermore, the genes we inherit from our parents may determine our susceptibility to
weight gain (7).
Although genetics and early life factors are not exclusively responsible for obesity, they
do contribute to the problem by predisposing people to weight gain.
About 40% of overweight children will continue to be heavy during their teenage years,
and 75−80% of obese teenagers will become obese adults (8).
Bottom Line: Genetics, the mother’s weight and family history can all increase the
likelihood of childhood and adult obesity.
2. Birth, Infancy and Childhood Habits
Although the reason is unknown, children born via C-section seem more prone to
obesity later in life (9, 10).
This is also true for formula-fed infants, who tend to be heavier than breast-fed infants
(11, 12, 13).
This may be because the two groups develop differentgut bacteria, which can affect fat
storage (14).
It is important to note that these factors are generally notmade by choice of either the
mother or baby, yet they seem to be linked to the child’s obesity risk.
Additionally, forming healthy dietary and exercise habits during childhood may be the
most valuable prevention against obesity and lifestyle-related diseases.
If young children develop a taste for healthy foods instead of processed junk foods, it
helps them maintain normal weight throughout their life.
Bottom Line: Certain childhood factors may affect the risk of obesity later on. These
include way of birth, breastfeeding and childhood dietary and exercise habits.
3. Medications or Medical Conditions
Many medical conditions and diseases require medication to treat.
Unfortunately, weight gain is a common side effect of many such medications. These
include diabetes medications, antidepressants and antipsychotics (15, 16, 17).
These drugs may increase appetite, reduce metabolism or even alter the body’s ability
to burn fat — making it store fat instead of burning it.
Additionally, many common medical conditions can predispose to weight gain. A key
example is hypothyroidism.
Bottom Line: Weight gain is a common side effect of many medications. These include
diabetes medications, antidepressants and antipsychotics.
4. Powerful Hunger Hormones
Hunger and uncontrollable eating are not just caused by greediness or lack of willpower.
Hunger is controlled by very powerful hormones and brain chemicals, involving areas of
the brain that are responsible for cravings and rewards (18, 19).
Many obese people have impaired function of these hormones, which alters their eating
behavior and causes a strong physiological drive to eat more.
The brain has a reward center, which lights up and starts secreting dopamine and other
feel-good chemicals when we eat.
This is the reason why most of us enjoy eating. This system also makes sure that we eat
enough food to get all the energy and nutrients we need.
Junk food releases much more of these feel-good chemicals than unprocessed food.
This yields a much more powerful “reward” in the brain (20, 21, 22).
Your brain may then seek more reward by causing powerful cravings for these junk
foods. This can lead to a vicious cycle that resembles addiction (23, 24, 25).
Just a Choice
By Adda Bjarnadottir, MS |
November, 2015 |
22,677
views
In 2012, up to 35% of US adults and 17% of teens
were obese (1).
Many people blame obesity on poor dietary choices and inactivity, but it’s not always
that simple.
Other factors can have powerful effects on body weight and obesity, some of which are
outside of the person’s control.
These include genetics, environmental factors, certain medical conditions and more.
This article lists 9 compelling reasons why obesity is not just a choice.
1. Genetics and Prenatal Factors
Health is especially important during early life, as this affects health later on. In fact, a
lot can be determined while the fetus is still in the womb (2).
The mother’s diet and lifestyle choices matter a great deal, and may influence the baby’s
future behaviors and body composition.
Studies show that women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy are more likely
to have heavy 3-year-olds (3, 4).
On the same note, children who have obese parents and grandparents are much more
likely to be obese than kids with normal-weight parents and grandparents (5, 6).
Furthermore, the genes we inherit from our parents may determine our susceptibility to
weight gain (7).
Although genetics and early life factors are not exclusively responsible for obesity, they
do contribute to the problem by predisposing people to weight gain.
About 40% of overweight children will continue to be heavy during their teenage years,
and 75−80% of obese teenagers will become obese adults (8).
Bottom Line: Genetics, the mother’s weight and family history can all increase the
likelihood of childhood and adult obesity.
2. Birth, Infancy and Childhood Habits
Although the reason is unknown, children born via C-section seem more prone to
obesity later in life (9, 10).
This is also true for formula-fed infants, who tend to be heavier than breast-fed infants
(11, 12, 13).
This may be because the two groups develop differentgut bacteria, which can affect fat
storage (14).
It is important to note that these factors are generally notmade by choice of either the
mother or baby, yet they seem to be linked to the child’s obesity risk.
Additionally, forming healthy dietary and exercise habits during childhood may be the
most valuable prevention against obesity and lifestyle-related diseases.
If young children develop a taste for healthy foods instead of processed junk foods, it
helps them maintain normal weight throughout their life.
Bottom Line: Certain childhood factors may affect the risk of obesity later on. These
include way of birth, breastfeeding and childhood dietary and exercise habits.
3. Medications or Medical Conditions
Many medical conditions and diseases require medication to treat.
Unfortunately, weight gain is a common side effect of many such medications. These
include diabetes medications, antidepressants and antipsychotics (15, 16, 17).
These drugs may increase appetite, reduce metabolism or even alter the body’s ability
to burn fat — making it store fat instead of burning it.
Additionally, many common medical conditions can predispose to weight gain. A key
example is hypothyroidism.
Bottom Line: Weight gain is a common side effect of many medications. These include
diabetes medications, antidepressants and antipsychotics.
4. Powerful Hunger Hormones
Hunger and uncontrollable eating are not just caused by greediness or lack of willpower.
Hunger is controlled by very powerful hormones and brain chemicals, involving areas of
the brain that are responsible for cravings and rewards (18, 19).
Many obese people have impaired function of these hormones, which alters their eating
behavior and causes a strong physiological drive to eat more.
The brain has a reward center, which lights up and starts secreting dopamine and other
feel-good chemicals when we eat.
This is the reason why most of us enjoy eating. This system also makes sure that we eat
enough food to get all the energy and nutrients we need.
Junk food releases much more of these feel-good chemicals than unprocessed food.
This yields a much more powerful “reward” in the brain (20, 21, 22).
Your brain may then seek more reward by causing powerful cravings for these junk
foods. This can lead to a vicious cycle that resembles addiction (23, 24, 25).
