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Causes of obesity The accumulation of fat by the body is the result of the imbalance between the intake of food and the consumption of energy through physical activity. In fact, the body uses the majority of the food that we ingest - sugars and fats - to produce the energy necessary for our activities. If we eat more than our energy consumption, the body transforms the food that is not used into fat, which is stored in the tissues.
In our countries, the abundance of high-energy food on the one hand, and the reduction of physical activity due to a sedentary way of life on the other, contributes to the imbalance between food intake and energy consumption.
Unfortunately, these problems are not the same for everyone, some people may eat huge quantities without putting on weight while others gain weight without being big eaters. There are obese families and others with a tendency to be overweight. The explanation for these peculiarities are not well known yet, but it is likely that genetic factors play a role.
Nevertheless, putting on weight is ALWAYS a result of an excess of food in proportion to the physical activity performed. | |
Generally the causes of obesity are the following :
• -bad eating habits :
Eating TOO MUCH
Eating TOO FAST
Eating TOO RICH |
• -insufficient physical activity :
• -genetic factors
• -psychological factors |
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BAD EATING : eating disorders
Eating habits are altered by psychological factors.
As mentioned above, obesity may result from various eating disorders. Some people eat out of frustration, others to calm their stress, and others out of boredom. Some nibble, others cannot make themselves stop eating or have bulimic attacks.
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The names given to the main anomalies are summarised opposite. |
| -« volume eating » eating huge quantities during the meal | | -« grazing eating » eating outside of meals | | -« sweet eating » eating sweets or chocolate | | - « binge eating » bulimic attack « emptying the fridge in a crisis » | | -« stress eating » eating to calm down stress |
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