Factors Which Cause Obesity - 6 Things You Need to Know

There is a great difference between being overweight and being obese. Everyone, male or female, would love to have a perfect figure, but one's body shape depends on so many things. Chief among the reasons for one not having a perfect figure is genetics, which means that we inherit certain physical features from both of our paternal and maternal parents and their families - which is precisely why every human being is an individual - but it also means that we cannot choose to be tall and slender if genetically we come from families of shorties who tend to be a little rotund!

In the United States of the 21st century, obesity is described as being a raging epidemic. Statistics show that 17% of children in America between the ages of six and nineteen are either overweight or obese. 33% of adult men and 35% of adult women are now also deemed to be obese. It has been proven that being overweight or obese is number two on the list of most preventable causes of death in the United States - the first being smoking related deaths.

Obesity is a result not only of genetics, but of many other diverse reasons. Listed below are 6 factors which have been proven to be causes of obesity that you may not be aware of:

1. socioeconomic factors
2. metabolic factors
3. lifestyle choices
4. some endocrine disorders
5. certain disease
6. specific medications

It is to be noted that there is a strong connection between being overweight or being obese and being part of a poor or low socio-economic group, especially in women. Studies show that minority groups in the United States are also more prone to obesity - and again, more so with the female population of these distinct groups.

It is a well known fact that there are certain factors which are part and parcel of one being overweight or obese. Clearly, the number one reason is that of over eating; while the second reason is inactivity. With respect to the poorer sectors of society, it has been proven that the high proportion of obese people within these groups is because of the high number of calories they consume in the form of processed, refined, fatty and sugary foods; combined with a lack of regular and sustained exercise. Children from all walks of life and all socioeconomic groups are now gaining weight at an alarming rate, due mainly to a lack of outdoor activities created by their seeming addition to computers.

Being overweight or obese will undoubtedly have a negative impact on one's health, both in the short term and in the long term. Diabetes, high blood pressure (or hypertension), respiratory problems, joint problems and sleep disorders, changes to one's metabolic syndrome and even various forms of cancer are some of the risk factors associated with being obese. It is, therefore, highly recommended that you ask your doctor for help in getting your weight down to a healthy level before it is too late and before serious damage to your well-being is done.

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