When the causes of obesity are examined in many obesity patients, it is generally determined that more than one factor comes together to cause obesity. Because obesity is not a complex disease that develops due to a single cause, but a complex disease that triggers many serious diseases that are affected by multiple factors.
The problem of obesity, which begins to emerge at a very young age, greatly reduces the quality of life. Obesity, which is generally defined as excessive fat accumulation in the body and measured by dividing weight and height by the square in meters, is stated as a body mass index value above 30.
Causes that Trigger Obesity
- Genetic Factors: People with a family history of obesity, especially those whose parents have a history of obesity, have a higher risk of developing this disease than other people. There are two types of fats in our body: brown and white fats. While brown fats burn calories, white fats are the fat group that keeps the body warm. In the obesity statement made by the Massachusettes Institute of Technology; it is claimed that the fat cells that come with genes belong to the white fat group.
- Overnutrition, heavy carbohydrate consumption: Frequent and excessive consumption of foods high in fat is among the causes of obesity. Foods high in fat and sugar trigger weight gain because they are high in calories. In addition, improper nutrition and excessive consumption of fast food products are also among the causes of obesity… Carbohydrates increase the rate of sugar in the blood and insulin release. Excess insulin release causes an increase in fat cells. It is known that unconscious diets are also among the factors that trigger obesity.
- Inactivity: The fact that the calories taken in are higher than the calories burned is one of the most common problems among the causes of obesity. Inactivity prevents calorie burning. For this reason, an increase in weight becomes inevitable.
- Psychological reasons: Some people may change their diet according to their emotional state. For example, emotional states such as unhappiness, stress, sadness, anger and boredom can lead to excessive food consumption. These situations can also cause excessive weight gain.
- Medications: Antidepressants, blood pressure medications, hormone and diabetes medications can also increase appetite.
- Diseases that cause obesity: Diseases such as insulin resistance, polycystic ovary syndrome, thyroid diseases, pituitary gland diseases and sleep apnea are often among the causes of obesity.
Rates of Obesity in Turkey and the World
The incidence of obesity is increasing day by day in countries around the world and in our country. The rates in the latest studies conducted by the Ministry of Health are at a frightening level. According to research conducted in our country; obesity, which has reached 27% in men, has exceeded 44% in women. According to these rates, two out of every 5 women in Turkey suffer from obesity. In children; obesity rate has reached 10%.
According to the latest data from 2015, obesity has reached a very frightening dimension. According to the data; 700 million people suffer from obesity, while 2.3 billion people are overweight.
Diseases Caused by Obesity
According to various sources; it is emphasized that more than 1 million deaths occur in Europe every year due to obesity. In addition, many serious health problems such as hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, heart diseases, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea and musculoskeletal diseases are among the diseases triggered by obesity.
