Wazzup Pilipinas! Being overweight or being obese refers to the body weight that is greater than what is considered healthy for a certain height. Although many people consider losing weight, or make an effort to avoid being overweight or obese because of their physical appearance, there is more to it than meets the eye. Truthfully, there are serious health risks that we need to address when someone is overweight or obese. This is not just about how the clothes don’t fit well anymore, how it is hard to move and even have an active lifestyle. An overweight or obese person is at high risk in having chronic diseases such as Coronary Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Type 2 Diabetes, Gallstones and even cancer! To avoid having these health hazards, we must be able to avoid having excess weight or being obese—and by knowing the causes, we might be able to successfully avoid being obese!
Causes of Obesity:1. Lack of Energy Balance – Lack of energy balance happens when one takes in more calories than what is used. Energy IN is the amount of calories you take while Energy OUT is the amount of calories you use. If there is no balance in the energy you take in and use up, the probability of weight gain is high.
2. Inactive Lifestyle – An inactive lifestyle is when you spend hours sitting down, watching TV and purposely choosing lying around than exercising. With this kind of lifestyle, weight gain is very much possible. This is because the amount of energy you are using is not the same as the energy you take in from food and drinks. When you prefer to ride cars, use elevators and escalators all the time, you are just putting your energy on rest which results to weight gain.
3. Environment – The place we live in, the place we are exposed to are a huge part of our health choices. Like the lack of affordable gym that people can use anytime, lack of sidewalks and bike lanes. Huge meal portions at restaurants, lack of healthy food choices that are made affordable for the general public. Even the working schedules are not health friendly at all. With this kind of environment, we are exposed to an unhealthy lifestyle/
4. Genes and Family History – Mostly, obesity is carried out because of family history. Families share food and activities together so if a family eats unhealthily and live a sedentary lifestyle, weight gain or even obesity may follow. This is because a person adapts the unhealthy lifestyle he/she gets exposed to.
5. Health Conditions – Some hormone problems may cause overweight and obesity, such as underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), Cushing's syndrome, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Underactive thyroid is a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn't make enough thyroid hormone. Lack of thyroid hormone will slow down metabolism which causes weight gain. Cushing's syndrome is a condition in which the body's adrenal glands make too much of the hormone cortisol. Cushing's syndrome also can develop if a person takes high doses of certain medicines, such as prednisone, for long periods. People who have Cushing's syndrome gain weight, have upper-body obesity, a rounded face, fat around the neck, and thin arms and legs. PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome is a condition that affects about 5–10 percent of women of childbearing age. Women who have PCOS often are obese, have excess hair growth, and have reproductive problems and other health issues. These problems are caused by high levels of hormones called androgens.