What is Obesity?

Obesity is a condition influenced by multiple factors that include genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors. While genetic predispositions contribute greatly, the surge in obesity prevalence over recent decades is due to environmental and lifestyle shifts and habits that have taken a turn for the worse.

Dietary choices greatly influence the prevalence of diabetes. The growing prevalence of highly processed, calorie-dense foods and sugary beverages facilitates excessive calorie consumption. Larger portion sizes combine the issues, encouraging people to overeat. Unhealthy diets, often rich in fats and sugars, disrupt the balance between calorie intake and expenditure of these calories.

Another big reason why obesity is so prevalent is because of people living a sedentary lifestyle. We live in a world where work is less physically demanding and more screen time is needed to complete our tasks at hand.

Psychological elements also play a big role in the development of diabetes. Stress, depression, and inadequate sleep can further the onset of diabetes. Stress can trigger a person to overeat as a coping mechanism, while inadequate sleep can disrupt the human equilibrium which can influence a person's eating habits.

Overall obesity is an epidemic that we must stop. 

Fenlason, L., & Heimburger, D. (2015). Overweight and Obesity: It All Starts Here. Obesity and Disease in an Interconnected World: A Systems Approach to Turn Huge Challenges into Amazing Opportunities, 30.

Avila, C., Holloway, A. C., Hahn, M. K., Morrison, K. M., Restivo, M., Anglin, R., & Taylor, V. H. (2015). An overview of links between obesity and mental health. Current obesity reports, 4, 303-310.

Rakhra, V., Galappaththy, S. L., Bulchandani, S., & Cabandugama, P. K. (2020). Obesity and the western diet: How we got here. Missouri medicine, 117(6), 536.