| Causes of Morbid Obesity
The reasons for obesity are multiple and complex. Despite conventional
wisdom, it is not simply a result of overeating. Research has shown that in many
cases a significant, underlying cause of morbid obesity is genetic. Studies have
demonstrated that once the problem is established, efforts such as dieting and
exercise programs have a limited ability to provide effective long-term relief.
Science continues to search for answers. But until the disease is better understood,
the control of excess weight is something patients must work at for their entire
lives. That is why it is very important to understand that all current medical
interventions, including weight loss
surgery, should not be considered medical cures. Rather they are attempts to reduce
the effects of excessive weight and alleviate the serious physical, emotional
and social consequences of the disease.
Contributing Factors
The underlying causes of severe obesity are not known. There are
many factors that contribute to the development of obesity including
genetic, hereditary, environmental, metabolic and eating disorders. There are
also certain medical conditions that may result in obesity like intake of steroids
and hypothyroidism.
Genetic Factors
Numerous scientific studies have established that your genes play an important
role in your tendency to gain excess weight.
The body weight of adopted children shows no correlation with
the body weight of their adoptive parents, who feed them and teach them how to
eat. Their weight does have an 80 percent correlation with their genetic parents,
whom they have never met.
Identical twins, with the same genes, show a much higher similarity of body weights
than do fraternal twins, who have different genes.
Certain groups of people, such as the Pima Indian tribe in Arizona, have a very
high incidence of severe obesity. They also have significantly higher rates of
diabetes and heart disease than other ethnic groups.
We probably have a number of genes directly related to weight. Just as some genes
determine eye color or height, others affect our appetite, our ability to feel
full or satisfied, our metabolism, our fat-storing ability, and even our natural
activity levels.
Environmental Factors
Environmental and genetic factors are obviously closely intertwined. If you have
a genetic predisposition toward obesity, then the modern American lifestyle and
environment may make controlling weight more
difficult.
Fast food, long days sitting at a desk, and suburban neighborhoods
that require cars all magnify hereditary factors such as metabolism and efficient
fat storage.
For those suffering from morbid obesity, anything less than
a total change in environment usually results in failure to reach and maintain
a healthy body weight.
Metabolism
We used to think of weight gain or loss as only a function of calories ingested
and then burned. Take in more calories than you burn, gain
weight; burn more calories than you ingest, lose weight. But now we know the equation
isn't that simple.
Obesity researchers now talk about a theory called the "set point,"
a sort of thermostat in the brain that makes people resistant to either weight
gain or loss. If you try to override the set point by drastically cutting your
calorie intake, your brain responds by lowering metabolism and slowing activity.
You then gain back any weight you lost.
Eating Disorders & Medical Conditions
Weight loss surgery is not a cure for eating disorders. And there are medical
conditions, such as hypothyroidism, that can also cause weight gain. That's why
it's important that you work with your doctor to make sure you do not have a condition
that should be treated with medication
and counseling.
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