General Health Tips & News


Causes of Weight Gain and Obesity


By H.S. (staff writer) , published on February 17, 2022



Medicine Telehealth Health


Obesity is one of the biggest health problems in the world.  Metabolic syndrome is a term used to describe a group of related illnesses. High blood pressure, diabetes, and a fatty liver are all symptoms of hypertension.

Cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes are much more common in persons with metabolic syndrome than in the normal weight population. Obesity has been the subject of many studies over the last several decades, intending to figure out how to avoid or cure it.

 

Genetics

There is an important link between obesity and a person's family history. Obesity in children is much more common in fat families than lean ones.

Despite this, obesity isn't a certain conclusion for everyone. The genes expressed and those that aren't may be influenced by what you consume.

When non-industrialized nations begin consuming a standard Western diet, they quickly become fat. Neither their genes nor the messages they conveyed to them changed, but the environment did.

 

Engineered Junk Foods

Foods that have undergone extensive processing are typically little more than a combination of refined components and chemicals.

Designed to be inexpensive, long-lasting, and delicious, these items are hard to refuse.

Food makers strive to boost sales by making their products as delicious as possible. However, they also encourage overindulgence.

 

Food Addiction

The reward regions in your brain are stimulated when you eat sugary, high-fat junk food.

Indeed, these meals are often likened to widely misused substances, including alcohol, cocaine, nicotine, and cannabis.

People prone to addiction may develop a need for processed meals like fast food. Alcohol addicts, for example, lose control of their drinking habits as a result of their alcohol dependence.

 

Aggressive Marketing

The marketing efforts of the junk food industry are vigorous.

At times, their practices are unscrupulous, and they attempt to advertise dangerous items as healthy ones.

The claims made by these businesses are likewise false. Adding insult to injury, they focus their marketing on youngsters.

It is becoming more common for young people to become overweight and diabetic before they are mature enough to make educated choices about their health.

 

Insulin

Among other things, insulin controls energy storage, which is why it's so crucial. One of its roles tells fat cells to store fat and hang on to the fact that they already possess.

Many overweight and obese people have insulin resistance due to a Western diet. Over time, this causes an increase in insulin levels throughout the body, which results in the body storing energy in fat cells rather than utilizing it.

Studies have shown that obesity may be caused by excessive insulin levels, even if this is a contentious issue.

 

Leptin Resistance

Another hormone that has a significant impact on obesity is leptin. Fat cells create it, and the amount in the bloodstream rises as the amount of fat in the body increases. Because of this, leptin levels are elevated in obese individuals.

High leptin levels have been associated with a decreased appetite in healthy individuals. It should inform your brain how much fat you have if it's operating correctly.

Because leptin can't penetrate the blood-brain barrier in many fat individuals, it doesn't act as well as it should.

Leptin resistance is a term used to describe this syndrome, which is thought to be a major contributor to the development of obesity.

 

Food Availability

There are several factors that contribute to people's obesity, including the abundance of food available to them. Food, particularly junk food, has become a common sight in our modern society. Shops put food in places where it's most likely to catch your eye.

In the United States, junk food is generally less expensive than nutritious, whole meals. If you live in an area where fresh fruits and veggies aren't readily available, you're not alone.

 

References

1)    Choquet H., Meyre D. Genetics of obesity: What have we learned? Current Genomics. 2011;12:169–179. doi: 10.2174/138920211795677895. 

2)    Eby J. G., Colditz G. A. Obesity/overweight: Prevention and weight management. In: Kris H., editor. International encyclopaedia of public health. Oxford: Academic Press; 2008. pp. 602–609. 

3)    Faith M. S., Fontaine K. R., Baskin M. L., Allison D. B. Toward the reduction of population obesity: Macro level environmental approaches to the problems of food eating, and obesity. Psychological Bulletin. 2007;133(2):205–226. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.133.2.205. 

 




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