Obesity and the individual's propensity to becoming overweight are very complex issues, something often overlooked when discussing the causes of weight problems (obesity causes).
Recent research has uncovered a potential link between one's genetic make-up and the likelihood of one becoming overweight. The relationship between these two factors has not yet been clarified, but researchers at the Imperial College London have drawn attention to the gene known as GAD2. Two forms of this gene have been isolated: one which appears to reduce appetite and is found in thin people, the other which increases the appetite and is found in overweight and obese people.
Clearly, the presence of one particular form of GAD2 in the body does not automatically result in obesity, but it could mean that those individuals continue to experience hunger even after they have eaten a sufficient amount of food. Research into the importance of this gene, and hundreds of others, is continuing in the hope that a counteractive hormone may be developed.
There are a number of diseases, such as hypothyroidism and Cushing's disease, which are known to induce weight gain; and other prescription medications which list weight gain amongst their side-effects.
The most common determining factors in obesity, however, are high-calorie diets and lack of exercise. Calories which are consumed but not utilised as energy are converted into body fat. This, in itself, is a normal and healthy process, but when the fat stored in the body reaches excessive levels, it can be stored in the liver, the arteries and around the throat, making it dangerous.
Many people eat more when they are feeling low. It is known that many depressives have problems with their weight. High-sugar and fatty foods are known to have a depressive effect upon the system which, coupled with the potential for feeling low about weight gain, can dangerously exacerbate the depression which brought on the excessive eating in the first place.