Stress, medication, lack of sleep… The causes of obesity are multiple.
- Obesity affects 17.9% of French people, with 11.9% being moderately obese (BMI 30 to 34.9), 4.1% severely obese (BMI 35 to 39.9) and 1.9% massively obese (BMI over 40).
- Obesity is a disease that can be dangerous to health.
- Besides diet, obesity can have multiple causes.
In a press release sent to editorial offices, an association listed the factors likely to trigger obesity or prevent it from happening.
“To have a real impact on obesity, we must all work together to tackle its real causes,” noted The League Against Obesity. “Reduce the disease to an unbalanced diet and a sedentary lifestyle has a simplifying effect”, she adds before listing the 10 points below.
1/ Access to care
Limited access to qualified health professionals prevents the majority of people with obesity from achieving and maintaining a healthy weight over the long term.
2/ Genetic risk
Our genes account for between 40 and 70% of the likelihood of developing obesity.
3/ Biology
The human body has built-in mechanisms to protect itself from starvation: this can make it difficult to maintain weight loss.
4/ Pathologies
Some can promote weight gain of up to several kilos per month. In addition, diseases can also interact with each other.
5/ Life events
The prenatal period, early adulthood, pregnancy, bereavement (etc.), can all affect weight gain.
6/ Food
Ultra-processed foods, ubiquitous throughout the world, play a major role in the rapid rise of obesity.
7/ Medicines
A number of molecules present in medications can cause weight gain.
8/ Mental health
Symptoms of various mental disorders as well as the medications prescribed to treat them can contribute to weight gain.
9/ Sleep
Lack of sleep disrupts hormones that can affect weight.
10/ Stress
With the same mechanisms as lack of sleep, high and repeated stress can make you gain weight.
“In the absence of a systematic approach to screening, diagnosing, managing and treating obesity, the weight loss market is thriving. Fad diets not only fail to address the root causes of obesity but often make the situation worse through the yo-yo effect, increasing long-term weight gain and negatively impacting the family budget,” completes the League against obesity.
17.9% of French people are obese
According to the recent OFÉO 2024 survey, obesity affects 17.9% of French people, with 11.9% being moderately obese (BMI 30 to 34.9), 4.1% severely obese (BMI 35 to 39.9) and 1.9% massively obese (BMI over 40).
It is estimated that in 2019, a BMI above the optimal value was the cause of 5 million deaths worldwide due to non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, neurological disorders, chronic respiratory problems and digestive problems.
