Obesity is multifactorial disease—which means it has many causes. Simply eating too much and exercising too little do not cause obesity, although both play large parts in weight gain. Obesity is related to a variety of genetic, environmental and medical factors. For example, a person whose parents were obese is more likely to be obese than someone whose parents were normal weights. Additionally, obesity can cause or exacerbate a number of other medical conditions—called comorbidities—such as sleep apnea and high blood pressure.
Americans live an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Few Americans get enough exercise—currently, the government recommends one hour every day. These low activities levels, in addition to many peoples’ reliance on convenient prepared foods that are often high in fat and low in nutritional value, are contributing factors to increasing rates of obesity.
