The inherited genes from your parents may affect the amount of fat your body store, and where that fat is distributed. Genetics may also play a role in how efficiently your body converts food into energy, how your body regulates your appetite and how your body burns calories during exercise.
In some people, obesity can be traced to a medical cause. Some medications can lead to weight gain if you don't compensate through diet or activity. These medications include some antidepressants, anti-seizure medications, diabetes medications.
Pregnancy. Weight gain is common during pregnancy. Some women find this weight difficult to lose after the baby is born. Quitting smoking. Quitting smoking is often associated with weight gain. And it can lead to enough weight gain to qualify as obesity. Often, this happens as people use food to cope with smoking withdrawal. Lack of sleep. Not getting enough sleep or getting too much sleep can cause changes in hormones that increase your appetite.
Social and economic factors are strongly linked to obesity. Avoiding obesity is difficult if you don't have safe areas to walk or exercise. In addition to that, you may not have easy access to healthier foods. And also, the people you spend time with may influence your weight.
Obesity can occur at any age, even in young children. But as you get older, there will be hormonal changes affecting the leptin hormone that is responsible for weight regulation and a less active lifestyle which increase your risk of obesity. In addition, the amount of muscle in your body tends to decrease with age.
Unhealthy diet. A diet that's high in calories, lacking in fruits and vegetables, full of fast food, and loaded with high-calorie beverages and oversized portions contributes to weight gain. Liquid calories. The problem with most liquids that it contains many calories without feeling full, such as sugared soft drinks. Inactivity. If you have a sedentary lifestyle, you can easily take in more calories every day than you burn through exercise and routine daily activities
Obesity is a complex disease with many causes and has genetic, environmental and biological impacts
Obesity isn't just a cosmetic concern. It is a medical problem that increases your risk of other diseases and health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers.