Causes Of Obesity In America

Obesity is being at least 30 percent over the ideal body weight for your height. This condition is defined as excessive amount of body fat, in relation to the lean muscle in your body. While consuming more calories then the body needs causes obesity, there are also internal mechanisms that can have an effect, including your appetite, metabolism and satiety from food. While many believe obesity stems from behavioral issues, hormonal and genetic problems can create deficiencies in internal body functions, causing obesity as well.

Main Causes

The two main causes of obesity in America are fast food and lack of exercise. Fast food contains extremely high levels of fat, calories and carbohydrates that your body doesn't need. As portion sizes at these establishments have risen, so has the caloric intake for those who eat there regularly.

Another major cause for obesity in America is lack of exercise. As work, school, television and video games have started taking up more time in the day, exercise and spending time outdoors as been squeezed out. Schools have taken physical education courses out of the required curriculum. Exercise is not a priority for many American adults.

Other Reasons

Getting too little sleep can increase your body weight As Americans are sleeping less, obesity is rising. Hormonal changes are caused by lack of sleep, which can increase your appetite causing you to eat more than your body needs. Doctors continue prescribing more prescription drugs to Americans, including steroid hormones, diabetes drugs, contraceptives and antidepressants. Many of these drugs cause changes in the body, which can lead to overeating and weight gain. For many Americans, obesity tends to run in families. While family members share genetic links, other reasons include similar dietary, attitude, lifestyle, and physical exercise habits, which are all causes of obesity.

Many people believe that there is an epidemic of obesity in America, and health professionals believe that diet and exercise are largely to blame. Many Americans eat poorly because many depend on fast foods for the daily sustenance. Fast food outlets do not provide food that is nutritionally good in general. Some of the fast food outlets have menu items that are more nutritious than others, but many people do not order the most nutritious items. The menu items from most fast food outlets have many calories which put weight on the customers.

Many people do not eat the proper foods for great health. Many people refuse to eat fruits and vegetables. These items are full of nutrition, but these items do not contain a lot of calories. The main cause of obesity in America is the imbalance in the number of calories consumed, and the number of calories burned off through activity. Some people eat food with good nutritional value, but they eat too much of it. Nutritionists believe that large portion sizes in the American diet are one of the main causes of obesity. A steak may be full of nutrition, but if you eat a lot of it, you put ...