Although extreme obesity is considered a gift of the gods in some cultures, the reality of the situation is that it is neither a healthy nor an attractive condition. Despite the fact that very few overweight people wish to stay that way, and regardless of the millions of dollars spent each year in weight loss programs, obesity still remains one of the fastest growing health problems of modern society.
One of the reasons there has been so little success in reducing the problem is that there are way too many misconceptions about how people reach the excessive weight in the first place. It is a common belief that obesity is caused mainly by eating too much and badly, and not exercising enough. These ideas are, in part, absolutely true, but do not explain the problem in its entirety. And, because they are such obvious reasons, until recently there has been little research into other possible causes of obesity. However, recent findings have discovered some, as well as factors that trigger bad eating habits.
Recent Research Findings
David B. Allison, PhD, director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Clinical Nutrition Research Center(1) has suggested that there could be a number of triggers for obesity. Among these factors we should consider are lack of sleep; environmental factors such as pollution, air conditioning and a decrease in smoking; health issues such as medicines, age and ethnicity, being born to older mothers, genetics and fertility. Findings of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute(2) (NHLBI) add further considerations within these same fields.
Lack of Sleep
The NHLBI has discovered that those who sleep fewer hours prefer foods with higher caloric values and carbohydrates, which leads to overeating. Sleep also releases hormones that control appetite and the body’s use of energy. Another finding shows that people who don’t sleep enough have levels of insulin and blood sugar similar to those of diabetics. Lack of sleep also produces high levels of a hormone called ghrelin which causes hunger, and low levels leplin, a hormone that helps curb hunger.
Environmental Causes(1)
Pollution itself can affect our weight because some pollutants suppress hormones that control body weight. Air conditioning, surprisingly, can also be a problem because controlled temperatures can affect the way our bodies burn calories. When the temperature is either very high or low, our body can easily burn calories as a way of maintaining an even temperature; when the environmental temperature is average, there is no need to burn calories. Smoking also reduces weight, although the risks of smoking are far more dangerous than this one positive effect, and there has been a heavy decrease in the number of smokers.
Medical and Health Issues
The NHLBI states that medicines can slow down the rate of calorie burn, increase our appetite and cause water retention. Dr. Allison’s group points the finger at several medicine types, including some that are necessary for the patient’s health. The medicine types that were highlighted are contraceptives, steroids, diabetes medications, anti-depressants, and medicines for controlling blood pressure.
Hormonal imbalances can also cause weight increase and obesity. The NHLBI mentioned several problems that directly influence the body’s power to reduce weight gain, including hypothyroidism, which slows down the body’s metabolism and causes weight gain; Cushing’s syndrome, a condition in which the pituitary gland releases too much andrenocorticotropic hormone, characterized by an increased middle section and spindly arms and legs; and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). PCOS affects approximately 5-10 percent of women of child-bearing age.
Age and ethnicity also enter into the picture. Dr. Allison’s group discovered that older people of Hispanic origins are more prone to put on extra weight than younger people of European descent. They also noted that children born of older mothers face a higher risk of childhood obesity. This is augmented by the increasingly high number of women giving birth at an older age.
The members of the University of Alabama group are of the opinion that there may be a genetic component for obesity. The NHLBI concurs with this. It has been observed that there is a tendency for obese children to have obese grandparents. An obesity factor has also been passed on to children with obese parents. It has also been observed that unions between obese partners also produce obese children. The NHLBI believes that these genes may possibly affect the amount of fat that is stored by your body, and where it is stored.
Obesity Related to Sexual Abuse
Most people suffering with obesity (and they do suffer, as obesity presents its own set of health and aesthetic problems) don’t want to be obese, as can be observed from the number of obese people who enroll themselves in weight-loss clinics. Dr. Wendy Scinta(3) of Manlius, NY discovered that more than half of her weight loss enrollees that gain back significant amounts of weight were burdened by past sexual abuse. In fact, she says that she saw this happen so many times that she now includes questions about sexual abuse while taking patient histories.
She says that people with this type of problem have a difficulty in losing weight because they must “overcome their demons.” Many women, especially, equate thinness with attractiveness, and therefore they eat too much so that sexual offenders won’t find them tempting enough and will leave them alone. For this reason, she requires a weekly therapy session in her office as part of her weight-control program.
Other Factors that Trigger Obesity
Another important factor is environmentally related and refers to a question that is now being debated in courtrooms around the world: fast food chains and their advertising techniques. More and more people are falling prey to the temptations offered by these companies. Today’s society requires increasing amounts of our time, and most people find it is easier and cheaper to just go out and buy products offered by the chains. What they overlook is caloric content (even though it is listed in most places) and the lack of nutritional value in relation to calories.
Dr. Allison’s research group has also put forth several other possible but unproven causes of obesity: a fat-inducing virus, increases in childhood depression, a decrease in the consumption of dairy products, and certain hormones used in agriculture.
Although obesity has traditionally been linked to overeating and under-exercising, it is obvious that these are not the only contributing factors. It is, therefore, advisable to first look into other possible causes and investigating the overlaying cause for possible overeating, if applicable. Only by eliminating the underlying causes of obesity can there be any permanent weight loss.
Sources:
- 1) CBS News http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/27/health/webmd/main1757772.shtml
- 2) National Health Lungs Blood Institute http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/obe/obe_causes.html
- 3) Post Standard, July 31, 2010
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