What is obesity?

Obesity is a life-threatening disease afflicting the United States at an alarming rate. A quarter of the population is obese and another 97 million Americans are overweight or at risk of becoming obese. The prevalence of obesity has increased more than 60 percent in the past decade.

A life-threating disease — Contributing to 300,000 deaths each year, obesity is considered the second leading cause of preventable death after smoking. In fact, it is more damaging to your health than smoking and alcohol abuse.

The risks — Obesity is a major risk factor for additional serious medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, cancer, osteoarthritis and joint problems.

The cause of obesity — Obesity is not a sign that a person is out of control. Many things lead to this chronic disease, such as:

Energy balance - Taking too much energy from food that is in excess of what the body needs can lead to weight gain, depending on individual metabolism and activity level.

Heredity - If others in your family are obese, you have a higher risk for obesity.

Metabolic disorders – Changes in metabolism, or how your body gets energy from food, may affect your energy balance and your weight.

Eating and social habits - Eating an unbalanced diet, snacking between meals and not getting enough exercise may all contribute to obesity.

Psychological factors - Social or emotional eating is also one of the main causes of gaining excess weight.

Information obtained from the National Institutes of Health