Four Causes of Obesity

Obesity is a complex condition that affects millions of people around the world, but what causes it? 

While consuming a diet high in calories and leading a sedentary life contribute to weight gain, they’re not the only causes of obesity. 

While there are many different causes of obesity and overweight, let’s focus on four here.

#1: GENETICS 

Studies suggest that genetics contribute to around 40 to 70% of obesity, which means some people have a genetic predisposition to gaining weight more easily. 

There are more than a thousand independent loci (a particular location on a gene) associated with obesity, and some genetic mutations are known to directly cause obesity. Now, just possessing genes that predispose you to obesity doesn’t mean developing the disease is inevitable because our environment and thoughts affect how those genes are expressed.

#2: HORMONES

Another cause of obesity is our hormones. 

Hormones play a role in regulating our metabolism and how energy is balanced, which can affect a person’s weight and the development of obesity. Unfortunately, individuals with obesity have abnormalities in several biological pathways. 

Some examples of these abnormalities are insulin resistance, which affects the way the body processes sugar properly, and the decreased production of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) in the colon of individuals with obesity.

This is why some obesity medicine treatment plans involve using medications that address these hormonal causes.

#3: ENVIRONMENT

Let's briefly discuss a few scenarios in which our environment can promote obesity (called an obesogenic environment) and affect weight. 

1. Food deserts

Some people live in food deserts where they have little to no access to affordable and healthy food options, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. Examples of food deserts could include:

• Living somewhere where access to a grocery store is really far away or an “inconvenient distance” (1 mile in urban areas and 10 miles in rural areas). 

• Having limited financial resources to purchase healthy food and, unfortunately, healthy food costs more. 

• Having limited access to vehicles or public transportation to access healthy food.

• Poor soil for gardening or not knowing how to start a food garden. 

• Having limited income to purchase food storage options, like a refrigerator to store perishable foods. This can lead to the purchase of calorically dense, highly processed foods with longer shelf lives.

Due to any of these scenarios, someone might have to choose foods that promote more weight gain and worsening of their metabolic health.

2. Limited or no safe spaces for physical activity

Some individuals don't have access to safe spaces for physical activity and, therefore, must avoid doing it. 

3. Generational eating habits

Generational eating habits can promote an obesogenic environment. For example, maybe your grandpa ate cake for breakfast, which his children saw and made part of their routine, then their children saw it, and the pattern continued on and on. 

4. Stressful environments

Stressful environments, chronic stress, and environments that don't promote quality sleep can also negatively impact a person's weight.

#4: THOUGHTS

In psychotherapy, the cognitive model of CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) says that our thoughts create our emotions…and our emotions drive our behaviors…which then feed back to our thoughts…and so on.

This is important because 80% of the thoughts we have in a day are negative and 95% of those thoughts are on repeat. 

So, if your internal voice is constantly telling you that “you’re a failure” or “you’re not worthy,” or other things like this, it will encourage behaviors that will soothe that emotion…

But, some of those behaviors tend to promote overweight and obesity as well.

obesity is a complex health condition with many different causes

Now, there are more things that contribute to obesity that I didn’t mention, but I think it’s important to understand that obesity is a complex health condition with many different causes. 

There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and it's important to address as many contributing factors as possible in order to effectively prevent and manage obesity.

Eating a healthy diet and engaging in regular physical activity are essential for maintaining a healthy weight and good health, but it's also important to consider other factors, such as genetics, hormones, environment, our thoughts, and social and economic status, in order to find the best approach for preventing and managing obesity.

Take a look around and see if you can find anything that’s possibly creating an obesogenic environment in your environment.