Causes of Obesity

Causes of Obesity

Look at the people around you. What do you see? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) one third of the people you see around you are obese. The CDC, using data from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES), found that 33.8% of adults and 17% of children and adolescence (ages 2-19) are obese. But why is this bad? Obesity can lead to any number of health problems including; Hypertension or high blood pressure, Dyslipidemia (an abnormal concentration of fat in the bloodstream), Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, Stroke, Gallbladder Disease, and many others (What Are Overweight and Obesity). But what causes obesity? Many researchers, including Dr. Marion Nestle, Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at New York University says the root cause is just “eating to many calories for our energy needs”, or geneticist Dr. James Neel, who found a particular gene that causes obesity, says that obesity is a result of “genetic differences”. However, I propose that obesity is caused by a multitude of different reasons that are just as unique to each individual as their fingerprint.

Dr. Marion Nestle, as mentioned previously, has made a good point in saying that obesity is caused by over eating, and his research does suggest that the majority of the third of obese Americans can benefit from reducing the amount they eat. However, he fails to take into account the argument that geneticist Dr. James Neel brings up. Dr. Neel had found a gene, which he dubbed the “Thrifty” gene (adenovirus-36) that has been found to cause the fat cells in the body to grow and produce more fat cells. His research now suggests that one day we may be able to stop this “viral obesity” by just preventing the activation of this gene (Neel). In contrast, Dr. Neel’s theory doesn’t account for the creation of new fat cells brought upon by eating too much or a poor diet that had been mentioned as the cause of obesity by Dr. Marion Nestle (Nestle). Dr. Neel’s theory is only relevant to the multiplication and the way that fat cells replicate in the body producing fat cells from previously living cells, and Dr. Nestle’s theory doesn’t take into account the “Thrifty Gene” that was found to cause obesity.

Obesity is a complex issue and should be thought of in terms of a result of many factors and not just single causes such as those Dr. Nestle or Dr. Neel suggest. The Canadian Obesity Network (CON) was founded in 2006 and regularly holds conferences about obesity across Canada regarding its causes and prevention. In a 2011 conference, the scientific director of CON, Dr. Arya Sharma presented points that we must all take into account if we are to truly find the causes of obesity. His main points include: “there is not one obesities, but many obesities… managing obesity is not always about loosing weight but about improving the health of oneself… Obesity is not caused by eating too much or moving to little” (Mini Review 3, Ayra). “[Obesity] is caused by a variety of underlying problems sometimes including emotional eating due to stressful events or medication”, or their type of lifestyle in general. Above all Dr, Sharma stresses that “Obesity should not be measured by the amount of excess body fat, but by the magnitude of it’s complications” (Mini Review 3, Ayra).

Did you know that “among black women, the risk of death is increased for all categories of overweight and obesity as it is in whites”, or that Hispanics “are 45.8% more likely to be obese” (Moon). How about that if your married your 20.2% more likely to be obese, or that by ingesting just 500 more calories than needed in a day can cause you to gain one pound (that’s a little more than a snickers bar) (Calorie Intake to Gain Weight)? All of these factors need to be taken into account when trying to prevent your own obesity. Do you have one too many snacks during the day? If so, cut that number down. Do you have an ethnic background? If so, you need to take that into account if trying to find out your own weight gain causes. Are you married or single, or do you live a sedentary lifestyle? These need to be taken into account when dealing with obesity. Poor examples are one of the four main reasons why childhood obesity is growing and by taking the time to understand your body and controlling your weight we are provide younger generations with a better example that may in turn improve health to those in the future (Cordon).

In conclusion, the causes of obesity are numerous and to prevent your own obesity you have to look at your body and understand how it works. One of the best ways to do this is to have a workout partner or personal one on one trainer. When we are trying to prevent obesity alone we can miss something that a friend or someone who is trained may notice. Having a second pair of eyes on your actions keeps you in check and makes sure you are using the safe and correct prevention methods. As an athlete, I find that it also helps to keep a “nutrition journal” or a log of some kind. This allows me to visibly see my habits and makes identifying unhealthy eating, unhealthy habits, and unhealthy weight gain more visible. Have your partner or trainer view your log so that they too may know your habits. By knowing these habits and their correlation with your body you can better understand what is best at preventing obesity for you and hopefully reduce your risk of obesity caused health problems.

Works Cited

Lubin, Gus, and Kevin Lincoln. "11 Signs That You Will Be Obese." Business Insider. 22 Sept. 2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. .

Mini Review 3: CABPS/CON Bariatric Interventions. Dir. Arya Sharma. Perf. Dr. Arya Sharma. Mini Review 3: CABPS/CON Bariatric Interventions. Canadian Obesity Network, 29 Apr. 2011. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. .

"What Are Overweight and Obesity? - NHLBI, NIH." NIH Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .

Cordon, Karen Mae. "Four Ways To Stop Children’s Obesity." IBTIMES.com: International Business News, Financial News, Market News, Politics, Forex, Commodities - International Business Times. International Business Times, 11 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .

Moon, Mary Ann. "Overweight, Obesity Linked to Higher Mortality Risk in Black Women : Internal Medicine News." Home : Internal Medicine News. 7 Sept. 2011. Web. 24 Nov. 2011. .

McMahon, Micheal. "Single Gene Causes 'Viral Obesity'" New Scientist 5 Apr. 2008: 15.LexisNexis Academic. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.

Nestle, Dr. Marian. "Causes of Obesity." Weight Loss Diet Program, FREE Diet Advice! Weight Loss Diets, Low Carb Plan. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .

"Calorie Intake to Gain Weight." BMI Calculator. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .