A diet rich in simple carbohydrates. Diseases such as hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, polycystic ovary syndrome and Cushing's syndrome also contribute to obesity. There are many reasons why some people have difficulty losing weight.
Obesity
is usually the result of hereditary, physiological and environmental factors, combined with diet, physical activity and exercise choices.People with metabolic syndrome have a much higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes compared to those whose weight is in the normal range. The point is that overeating is due to several biological factors, such as genetics and hormones. Some people are simply predisposed to weight gain (. Here are 10 factors that are the main causes of weight gain, obesity and metabolic disease, many of which have nothing to do with willpower.
Many sugary, high-fat junk foods stimulate the brain's reward centres (3,. Insulin is a very important hormone that regulates energy storage, among other things. The Western diet promotes insulin resistance in many overweight and obese people. This raises insulin levels throughout the body, causing energy to be stored in fat cells rather than being available for use (see Figure 1).
Although the role of insulin in obesity is controversial, several studies suggest that elevated insulin levels play a causal role in the development of obesity (. One of the best ways to reduce insulin is to reduce simple or refined carbohydrates and increase fibre intake (. This often leads to an automatic reduction in calorie intake and effortless weight loss, without the need for calorie counting or portion control (8,. For example, antidepressants have been linked to modest weight gain over time (1.Other examples are diabetes medication and antipsychotics (12, 1.These drugs do not diminish your willpower.
They alter the function of your body and brain, reducing metabolic rate or increasing appetite (14, 1.The problem is that leptin does not work as it should in many obese people, because for some reason it cannot cross the blood-brain barrier (1.This condition is called leptin resistance and is thought to be a major factor in the pathogenesis of obesity. Excessive fructose consumption can cause insulin resistance and elevated insulin levels. In addition, it does not promote satiety in the same way as glucose (17, 18, 1). Changes in our society and in our eating habits have contributed to the increase in obesity.
The causes of obesity range from those related to nutrition, exercise and genetics to living in an obesogenic environment. Five common causes are excess calories (taking in more calories per day than are burned); calorie quality (ultra-processed foods and drinks, such as chips, sweets and soft drinks, encourage overeating); having a family history of obesity; getting too little sleep (sleep helps regulate hunger and satiety hormones); and taking certain medications that promote obesity (antidepressants, anti-anxiety and mood-stabilising drugs, for example, activate brain receptors that increase appetite or decrease the number of calories burned). There is no single food that causes obesity, but certain foods are known to promote obesity when consumed in large quantities, particularly in people who are prone to obesity or who live in obesogenic environments. For example, ultra-processed foods and beverages are designed using fat, sugar, salt and other addictive ingredients to fire up the brain's reward centres, prompting us to keep eating.
But with no protein or fibre to fill us up, the brain tells us to keep eating and eating. According to the Obesity Medicine Association, genetics may contribute to between 40 and 70 percent of obesity cases, and more than 200 genes are known to be strongly associated with the disease. In most cases, a person is born with multiple genes that increase but do not necessarily guarantee the likelihood of obesity. In other words, a person's weight is not entirely dependent on fate; genetics can contribute to the extra pounds.
Studies of identical twins raised in different places demonstrate this, as one twin may end up obese and the other not, despite sharing the same DNA. That said, a recent paradigm shift in diabetes treatment has led many people to try a new class of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which actually promote weight loss. They keep you satiated for longer and help prevent you from overeating.
