Causes

Normal and Therapeutic Nutrition 3(2+1)
Lesson 31:Over weight and Obesitycauses, symptoms and dietary management

Causes

Obesity is a multifactorial disease influenced by both genetic and environmental factors like social, behavioural, psychological, metabolic, cellular and molecular factors


  1. Genetic factors
    • Genetic base regulates species differences in body fat and sexual differences within the species.
    • Genetic inheritance influences 50-70%
    • If both parents are obese, chances of inheritance is 80% and with one parent obese the chance is 50%.
    • ? receptor in adipose tissue is causative factor
  2. Age and sex
    • It can occur at any age, in either sex as long as the person is under positive energy balance.
    • As per NFI studies females are more prone to become obese than males
  3. Eating habits
    • Nibbling between meals.
    • Fast eating with less chewing.
    • Responding to external cues rather than internal hunger.
    • Fond of cooking varieties of food.
    • Frequent business lunches.
    • Forcible consumption to prevent leftovers.
    • Eating food outside more frequently, consumption of highly processed and junk foods.
    • Cultural practices influencing consumption of more sweets and fats.
    • Non inclusion of fruits and vegetables or eating more non vegetarian foods.
    • Depression leading to overeating.
    • Aggression and sophisticated marketing practices.
  4. Physical activity: Sedentary life, not participating in games and sports and using vehicles for commuting.
  5. Stress: Excess release of endorphins, leads to self gratification, self punishment, depression anxiety
  6. Endocrine factors: Hypothyroidism, hypogonodism and also stages like puberty, pregnancy and menopause
  7. Trauma: Damage to hypothalamus leads to lack of regulation of appetite or satiety
  8. Prosperity and civilization
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Last modified: Tuesday, 25 October 2011, 6:32 AM