A person’s weight and height or Body Mass Index should be proportionate for him or her to be considered healthy. Once his body weight is at least 20 percent higher and his BMI over 30, he is considered overweight and obese. This means that he has accumulated too much body fat, which can have negative effects on his healthy. In other words, an obese person can be more prone to various life-threatening diseases.
What causes obesity?
There are several reasons that contribute to a person becoming overweight and obese. Some of them are done consciously, while others are not. Here are some of the most common causes:
- Too much calorie intake
It’s not how often you eat, but how careful you are of what you eat. You don’t consume as much calories even if you eat more than three times a day as long as you eat the right kinds of food. It also follows that even if you only eat once or twice a day, you can still consume large amounts of calories by eating fatty and sugary foods.
In 2014, the US’ obesity rate stands at 27.7 percent, which was higher than 2013’s 27.1 percent. This is believed to be the highest annual rate measured by the Gallup data. Meanwhile, women’s calorie consumption increased from 1,542 per day in 1971 to 1,877 per day in 2004. Men’s calorie consumption also increased from 2,450 in 1971 to 2,618 per day in 2004. Experts believe that one of the pertinent reasons that led to the increase in caloric intake is that advertising regulations on sweets and fast foods no longer set limits.
- Non-active lifestyle
Television, computer, video games, washing machines, elevators and other automated machinery may have made life easier for a majority of us. But these devices have also given people an excuse to be lazy. For a lot of us, we sit in front of our computers for more than eight hours a day. This is one of the main reasons that people have become obese.
Living a sedentary lifestyle means moving less and burning fewer calories. On top of that, the lack of physical activity affects how hormones work, as well as your insulin levels, causing you to put on more weight.
- Sleep deprivation
Did you know that not getting enough sleep all the time puts you at more risk of becoming obese? According to a research done at Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, the risk of becoming obese is doubled when you constantly lack sleep. The evidence was collated after 28,000 children and 15,000 adults were monitored. This is because sleep deprivation may lead to obesity by increasing your appetite due to the changes in your hormones.
Your gene can also be one of the major factors that may make you obese or overweight. A faulty gene can make people overeat. Read more:
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