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Obesity Overview

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Causes of Obesity
Obesity is a complex disease caused by many factors. It is not simply the result of “lack of willpower”, but rather a combination of cultural, environmental, genetic, and individual factors:

  • Emotions. Distressing events, major life changes, stress, or boredom can lead to food intake even when you are not physically hungry.
  • Lifestyle. Increased portion sizes and readily available “junk” food can lead to unhealthy eating habits. Busy schedules and modern conveniences such as cars and elevators make exercise difficult to fit into your daily routine.
  • Genetics. People with an obese parent are much more likely to be obese than those with lean parents.
  • Friends and Family. The eating habits and physical activity level of the people around you have a significant influence on your health behaviors.   
  • Medical Conditions. Some medical conditions and medications can lead to weight gain.

With so many causes to obesity, long-term weight loss is extremely difficult to achieve. Most obese people have tried numerous diets and exercise programs, with little long-term success. Keeping the weight off is often a greater challenge. Even when short-term weight loss is achieved, most people regain the lost weight over time.


Moderate Weight Loss Improves Health Significantly
Moderate weight loss of five to ten percent of initial body weight has been shown to improve many of the adverse health effects of obesity.[i] In addition, moderate weight loss decreases the risk of developing new obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes.[ii],[iii]



[i] Goldstein DJ.  Beneficial health effects of modest weight loss. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1992;16:379-415.
[ii] Tuomilehto J, Lindstrom J, Eriksson JG,  et al.  Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study Group. Prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus by changes in
lifestyle among subjects with impaired glucose tolerance. N Engl J Med 2001;344:1343-1350.
[iii] Knowler WC, Barrett-Connor E, Fowler SE,  et al.  Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group.Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with
lifestyle intervention or metformin. N Engl J Med. 2002;346:393-403.