Factors That Contribute to Obesity

Obesity is one among the most hardly treated disease in the medical experience. In its treatment few and slow steps has been achieved and several studies are still made about the etiology and health importance.

Obesity means a surplus of the adipose tissue and its determination requires specific examinations and methods. One of these methods would be the the body mass index (BMI), which defines the quantity of the fat in excess. You can calculate this excess with the help of the Body Mass Index Calculator.According to the National Institutes of Health the following categories are available: normal BMI is 18.5 and 24.9, overweight is 25-29.9, obesity I is BMI between 30-34.9, obesity II is 35-39.9 and obesity III (extreme) is BMI over 40.

For a long period of time people believed that obesity appears due to sedentary lifestyle and extreme calorie intake. Recent studies have shown, that it is not so simple. However these factors are certainly risks to develop fat in excess, proof exists that obesity is also strongly influenced by genetic inheritance.

Due to this fact, the risk factors which contribute to obesity are divided in two major categories: influenced and non-influenced factors. The non-influenced factors are represented by the genetic inheritance as the list of influenced factors are much wider.

Sedentary lifestyle would be one contributing factor, being characterized by sitting or remaining inactive for most of the day (for example, in an office or at home). Too much food associated with too little activity also adds up to the list, as high calories processed foods and fats make it easy to add weight. If a person is physically inactive, muscles also become lazy and the body does not burn off the extra calories consumed. Sleep deprivation also is adding up to the list, as during sleep the body refreshes and growth factors are released which help body tissues to regenerate and to produce red blood cells. If all these are missing, the body runs down and due to stress, nervousness, exhaustion all vital procedures slow down and toxic materials sum up.

Some illnesses may also lead to obesity or weight gain. These may include Cushing's disease and polycystic ovary syndrome as well as drugs such as steroids and some antidepressants may also cause weight gain, cases in which the doctor is the best person to help.

Besides professional help, the individual is the one who can contribute the most to his/her health. Eating a tasty fruit instead of a bag of peanuts or taking a walk in the park and not sitting in front of the TV all afternoon or a few sporty moves can improve a lot on the quality of life.