Genetics
What causes obesity? One cause that you cannot modify is genetics. The genes you inherit will play a role in how much fat your body stores and where your body stores them. Additionally, your genes also contain directions on how well you will be able to burn calories through exercise. Interestingly, genes also affect your appetite.
Also, heredity causes obesity because it dictates if you will develop health conditions that might cause obesity. For instance, some people who have a genetic disorder called Prader-Willi Syndrome are at higher risk of obesity. In Prader-Willi Syndrome, the patient may overeat because they have an excessive appetite. This eventually leads to unhealthy weight gain.
Despite the role of genetics, medical experts emphasize that what causes obesity has more to do with environmental factors that it has with heredity. While there is some truth in saying that “it’s in my genes,” there’s still no reason why people cannot lose weight.
Doctors also highlight that in some cases where obesity “runs in the family,” it may be more due to the family’s shared sedentary lifestyle and dietary habits.
Health Conditions
What causes obesity? For some people, an underlying health condition, such as hypothyroidism or Cushing’s Syndrome, triggers their excessive weight gain.
Hypothyroidism is a condition wherein a person has an under-active thyroid gland. Because the thyroid gland is not as active as it is supposed to be, it produces less of the thyroid hormone. The thyroid hormone is responsible for the body’s metabolic processes, and insufficiency of that particular hormone results in the accumulation of excess salt and water, leading to weight gain.
Cushing’s Syndrome, on the other hand, is a condition wherein you have too much of the hormone, cortisol (a steroid hormone). This leads to symptoms like gaining weight around the torso, neck, and shoulders.
However, medical experts point out that if these conditions are detected and treated properly, they will not cause too much trouble for people who would like to lose weight.
Medications
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