What Causes Obesity?

Obesity is a multifactorial disease. This means that there is no single cause. Rather there are often multiple causes or factors that come together and lead to obesity. Factors such as genetics, psychological issues (stress, depression, grief, etc.), diet habits, diet behaviors, diet choices, social behaviors and influences, and other medical disorders can play a role.

There also appears to be several safety nets designed into the Central Nervous System circuitry to defend against weight loss – a system with a strong evolutionary bias. Our physiology is exactly the same as it was thousands of years ago. Our system is designed to gain or at least maintain our weight as a survival mechanism. Thousands of years ago, we didn’t eat every day, let alone three times a day. It was important to be very efficient about maintaining our energy stores, and burning that energy efficiently, so as not to starve. In the present day, our physiology is exactly the same although we no longer have to walk or run everywhere, we no longer have to hunt for food, and we have food available to us 24 hours a day/ seven days a week. We are a “Modern Society with Stone Age Genes.” Our diet has also changed substantially. Our diet thousands of years ago consisted of mainly meat and some fruits and vegetables. We certainly were not baking bread, churning butter, or eating twinkies.