An Obese Person Simply Eats Far Too Much

If you Are one of those people who believe that there is no excuse for anyone being overweight and that a grossly overweigh individual is simply somebody who eats too much and does not take enough exercise, then think again. Although it is undoubtedly true that overeating combined with an inactive lifestyle can cause obesity, it is assuredly not the only cause.

Although obesity is not terribly well understood at the moment, it is believed that there is a genetic factor that pre-disposes some individuals to obesity. For instance, some of the genes which control such things as appetite and metabolism are believed to contribute to obesity when they are found in combination with certain environmental conditions.

In addition, there are a number of genetic disorders which can cause obesity. For example, Prader-Willi syndrome which is named after Andrea Prader and Heinrich Willi and was described initially in 1956, is a genetic condition in which, amongst other things, sufferers have an insatiable appetite and build up excess fat, particularly around the central area of the body.

Underlying illness may also cause a gain in weight and obesity. Perhaps the most well know, but not the only, illness which often leads to obesity is hypothyroidism, in which the thyroid gland produces insufficient thyroid hormone. In spite of the fact that the condition itself results in only relatively mild weight gain, in combination with the right environmental conditions, this can very easily develop in a very substantial gain in weight.

Some drugs can also result in weight gain. The list of medications that can result in weight gain is very long but one particular class of drugs which is causing concern and has attracted the attention of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the class of atypical antipsychotics that can have a marked affect on an individual's metabolism.

There are also a number of specific eating disorders that can lead to obesity, like binge eating disorder. Binge eating disorder is a psychiatric disorder (and an element of the condition of bulimia nervosa) in which, as its name implies, sufferers are not able to control their eating and often add binge eating into what is otherwise a normal pattern of eating.

Some diets may also cause obesity without the person realizing that it is the diet which is causing the problem. This is thus not a case of simply eating too much, but of eating the wrong sort of food. In a few individuals for instance certain foods can produce an abnormally high level of blood sugar for a time immediately after eating.

Dieting itself may also result in obesity. It is unfortunately true that many diets are a failure and we are seeing a growing number of people who spend a large period of their lives moving from one diet to the next in the hope of losing weight. What happens here is that they frequently lose weight while they are on a diet but then put it back on again, usually with a bit extra, every time they come off a diet. As they move on and off various different diets their weight cycles up and down, however the trend is for their weight to go up over time, which eventually results in obesity.

These are just some of the causes of obesity, other than simple overeating and a lack of exercise, and a number of these causes are either not within the control of the individuals concerned or they are limited in their ability to take control of the situation.

So, when you next see an obese individual you may be right in assuming that they have caused their own problem, but you could also be incorrect in leaping to this conclusion.