OBESITY

CAUSES AND RISK FACTORS

By
MARIA MASOOD
DEFINITION

Obesity can be defined as a condition of abnormal or

excessive fat accumulation in the adipose tissue, to the extent
that health may be impaired (WHO1998)

Overweight and obesity are both labels for ranges of weight

that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for
a given height.

The terms also identify ranges of weight that have been shown
to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and other health
problems.

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

 HOW COMMON IS OBESITY

"Today, in the developed world, the incidence of obesity is

rising and there are now as many obese people in the world as
there are people suffering from hunger."  

The World Health Organization has estimated that worldwide,

over one billion adults are overweight, with at least 300 million
of them being obese.

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

 CAUSES

•The balance between calorie intake and energy

expenditure determines a person's weight.

• If a person eats more calories than he or she burns, the

person gains weight (the body will store the excess energy
as fat).

• If a person eats fewer calories than he or she burns, he

or she will lose weight.

•Therefore the most common causes of obesity are

overeating and physical inactivity.

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

RISK FACTORS

1. GENETICS

• A person is more likely to develop obesity if one or both

parents are obese.

• Genetics also affect hormones involved in fat regulation.

For example, one genetic cause of obesity is leptin
deficiency.

• Leptin is a hormone produced in fat cells, and also in the

placenta. Leptin controls weight by signaling the brain to eat
less when body fat stores are too high.

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

RISK FACTORS

2. OVEREATING
• Overeating leads to weight gain, especially if the diet is high
in fat.

• Foods high in fat or sugar (e.g., fast food, fried food and
sweets,) have high energy density (foods that have a lot of
calories in small amount of food).

3. DIET RICH IN SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES

• simple carbohydrates contribute to weight gain

• they are more rapidly absorbed into the blood stream than
complex carbohydrates

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

RISK FACTORS

•cause a more pronounced insulin release after meals than

complex carbohydrates.

•This higher insulin release, some scientists believe,

contribute to weight gain.

3. FREQUENCY OF EATING

•Eating 4/5 small meals is more beneficial than 2/3 large

meals

4. SLOW METABOLISM

•decrease muscle mass tends to slow metabolism since muscles

burn more calories as compared to other tissues

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

RISK FACTORS

5. PHYSICAL INACTIVITY
•Sedentary people burn fewer calories than people who are
active

6. MEDICATION
•Anti-depressants
•Anti-convulsants- carbamazepines
•Anti-diabetics- insulin, sulphonylureas
•Hormones- oral contraceptives
•Corticosteroids- prednisone
•Anti-histamines

7. PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
• stress, depression, boredom, sadness or anger

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

RISK FACTORS

8. DISEASES

• Hypothyroidism, Polycystic ovaries, Insulin resistance,

Cushing syndrome.

OBESITY AND ITS MANAGEMENT

THANK YOU