By: Joann Bally CSCS
In most cases, it’s pretty clear why someone is overweight—they eat too much and/or exercise too little.
Still, for some individuals, it seems there must be more pieces to the puzzle. And, indeed there are other factors that contribute to obesity, ranging from environmental factors to hormone imbalances to genetics. The Clinical Nutrition Research Center at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, has come up with some you may not have thought of (adapted from an article in Club Business International).
- Lack of sleep can increase weight.
- Pollution can affect hormones that control weight.
- When the body is too hot or cold, it uses energy to adjust, but temperature controlled environments, like air conditioning, can interfere.
- Smoking can suppress appetite, but fewer people smoke, which is still a good thing, as it’s easier to drop a few pounds than cure the effects of smoking.
- Some drugs contribute to weight gain.
- Middle aged people have a tendency to gain weight.
- The older a woman is when she gives birth, the more likely the child will be obese.
- Environmental changes that make a grandparent obese may affect their grandchildren too.
- Obese people may have more children and more of them may be obese, due to genetics or environment.
- Obese couples tend to marry, which may lead to obese children.
Interesting, though speculative. Just remember, if you’re overweight, it’s still most likely because you eat too much and move too little.
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