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The
Cause of
Obesity
Over the past few
decades obesity levels have increased rapidly in the west. As a result
health experts have carried out a lot of research in to what the causes
of obesity are. In this article we will look at the causes of obesity.
Studies
that have been carried out by researchers over the last 30 years have
found that obesity does not have one single cause, in fact there are
several factors that have helped cause the recent increase of obesity
sufferers throughout the world.
The
following text outlines many of the causes of obesity as found by
numerous studies:
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Consuming high amounts of fat, which is stored in the body as a result.
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Consuming too much starch, sugar, and other carbohydrates, which are
converted into fats if not used by the body for energy.
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Consuming too much processed foods (i.e. ready made meals), these are
often high in fat and sugar in order to preserve them for long periods
of time.
-
consuming too many soft drinks, these drinks are high in sugar and some
have chemicals that actually encourage your body to gain fat.
-
Poor eating habits, eating at regular times promotes metabolism,
however irregular eating patterns do the opposite.
-
Drinking alcoholic beverages, these drinks are high in calories, this
fact is very evident as many regular drinkers have what is known as a
"beer belly".
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Not having enough vitamins and minerals, coupled with an unhealthy
diet, this has the effect of slowing down metabolism.
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An inactive lifestyle, as a result the body doesn't burn many calories
due to lack of physical activity, the calories are stored as fat.
-
Boredom, some people use food to entertain themselves when they are
bored.
Studies
have also shown that there are other unforeseen causes of obesity or
excessive body weight, these include:
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Emotional eating, some people eat to comfort themselves in response to
stress or depression, and as a result they gain excessive weight.
Emotional eating is also known as binge eating disorder.
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Hypothyroidism, this is a condition where that causes the body to
accumulate fat.
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Prescription drugs, certain drugs such as contraceptives containing
estrogen can cause fluid retention and increased appetite. Other drugs
that can encourage weight gain include steroids, anti-inflammatory
drugs, antidepressants, and diabetic medications.
As
you can see there are several causes of obesity, and this helps to
explain why it has become so common, knowing the causes of this
condition has given us a better chance of fighting obesity and
hopefully in the near future we will see a decline in this condition.
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