Lack of Energy Balance
A lack of energy balance most often causes overweight and obesity.
Energy balance means that your energy IN equals your energy OUT.
Energy IN is the amount of energy or calories you get from food and
drinks. Energy OUT is the amount of energy your body uses for things
like breathing, digesting, and being physically active.
To maintain a healthy weight, your energy IN and OUT don't have to
balance exactly every day. It's the balance over time that helps you
maintain a healthy weight.
- The same amount of energy IN and energy OUT over time = weight stays the same
- More energy IN than energy OUT over time = weight gain
- More energy OUT than energy IN over time = weight loss
Overweight and obesity happen over time when you take in more calories than you use.
Other Causes
An Inactive Lifestyle
Many Nigerian are not very physically active. One reason for this is
that many people spend hours in front of TVs and computers doing work,
schoolwork, and leisure activities. In fact, more than 2 hours a day of
regular TV viewing time has been linked to overweight and obesity.
Other reasons for not being active include: relying on cars instead
of walking, fewer physical demands at work or at home because of modern
technology and conveniences, and lack of physical education classes in
schools.
People who are inactive are more likely to gain weight because they
don't burn the calories that they take in from food and drinks. An
inactive lifestyle also raises your risk for
coronary heart disease,
high blood pressure, diabetes, colon cancer, and other health problems.
Environment
Our environment doesn't support healthy lifestyle habits; in fact, it encourages obesity. Some reasons include:
- Lack of neighborhood sidewalks and safe places for recreation.
Not having area parks, trails, sidewalks, and affordable gyms makes it
hard for people to be physically active.
- Work schedules. People often say that they don't have time to be
physically active because of long work hours and time spent commuting.
- Oversized food portions. Nigerians living in cities are exposed to huge food portions
in restaurants, fast food places, petrol stations, movie theaters,
supermarkets, and even at home. Some of these meals and snacks can feed
two or more people. Eating large portions means too much energy IN. Over
time, this will cause weight gain if it isn't balanced with physical
activity.
- Lack of access to healthy foods. Some people don't live in
neighborhoods that have supermarkets that sell healthy foods, such as
fresh fruits and vegetables. Or, for some people, these healthy foods
are too costly.
- Food advertising. Nigerians are surrounded by ads from food
companies. Often children are the targets of advertising for
high-calorie, high-fat snacks and sugary drinks. The goal of these ads
is to sway people to buy these high-calorie foods, and often they do.
Genes and Family History
Studies of identical twins who have been raised apart show that genes
have a strong influence on a person's weight. Overweight and obesity
tend to run in families. Your chances of being overweight are greater if
one or both of your parents are overweight or obese.
Your genes also may affect the amount of fat you store in your body
and where on your body you carry the extra fat. Because families also
share food and physical activity habits, a link exists between genes and
the environment.
Children adopt the habits of their parents. A child who has
overweight parents who eat high-calorie foods and are inactive will
likely become overweight too. However, if the family adopts healthy food
and physical activity habits, the child's chance of being overweight or
obese is reduced.
Health Conditions
Some hormone problems may cause overweight and obesity, such as
underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), Cushing's syndrome, and polycystic
ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Underactive thyroid is a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn't
make enough thyroid hormone. Lack of thyroid hormone will slow down
your metabolism and cause weight gain. You'll also feel tired and weak.
Cushing's syndrome is a condition in which the body's adrenal glands
make too much of the hormone cortisol. Cushing's syndrome also can
develop if a person takes high doses of certain medicines, such as
prednisone, for long periods.
People who have Cushing's syndrome gain weight, have upper-body
obesity, a rounded face, fat around the neck, and thin arms and legs.
PCOS is a condition that affects about 5–10 percent of women of
childbearing age. Women who have PCOS often are obese, have excess hair
growth, and have reproductive problems and other health issues. These
problems are caused by high levels of hormones called androgens.
Medicines
Certain medicines may cause you to gain weight. These medicines
include some corticosteroids, antidepressants, and seizure medicines.
These medicines can slow the rate at which your body burns calories,
increase your appetite, or cause your body to hold on to extra water.
All of these factors can lead to weight gain.
Emotional Factors
Some people eat more than usual when they're bored, angry, or
stressed. Over time, overeating will lead to weight gain and may cause
overweight or obesity.
Smoking
Some people gain weight when they stop smoking. One reason is that food often tastes and smells better after quitting smoking.
Another reason is because nicotine raises the rate at which your body
burns calories, so you burn fewer calories when you stop smoking.
However, smoking is a serious health risk, and quitting is more
important than possible weight gain.
Age
As you get older, you tend to lose muscle, especially if you're less
active. Muscle loss can slow down the rate at which your body burns
calories. If you don't reduce your calorie intake as you get older, you
may gain weight.
Midlife weight gain in women is mainly due to aging and lifestyle,
but menopause also plays a role. Many women gain about 5 pounds during
menopause and have more fat around the waist than they did before.
Pregnancy
During pregnancy, women gain weight to support their babies’ growth
and development. After giving birth, some women find it hard to lose the
weight. This may lead to overweight or obesity, especially after a few
pregnancies.
Lack of Sleep
Research shows that lack of sleep increases the risk of obesity. For
example, one study of teenagers showed that with each hour of sleep
lost, the odds of becoming obese went up. Lack of sleep increases the
risk of obesity in other age groups as well.
People who sleep fewer hours also seem to prefer eating foods that
are higher in calories and carbohydrates, which can lead to overeating,
weight gain, and obesity.
Sleep helps maintain a healthy balance of the hormones that make you
feel hungry (ghrelin) or full (leptin). When you don't get enough sleep,
your level of ghrelin goes up and your level of leptin goes down. This
makes you feel hungrier than when you're well-rested.
Sleep also affects how your body reacts to insulin, the hormone that
controls your blood glucose (sugar) level. Lack of sleep results in a
higher than normal blood sugar level, which may increase your risk for
diabetes.
For more information, go to the Health Topics
Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency article.
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