Causes of Morbid Obesity

Morbid obesity is defined as a person who weighs 100 pounds over his or her ideal body weight, and has a BMI of 40+ or a BMI of 35 and other severe weight related health issues such as high blood pressure or diabetes. A person can be overweight without being obese. Obesity specifically relates to an abnormally high amount of body fat. There are many causes of morbid obesity in addition to the predictable overeating.

Factors contributing to obesity:

• Heredity
• Metabolic disorders
• Psychological factors
• Eating & social habits
• Environmental Factors

Heredity: If obesity runs in your family, you run a higher risk of being obese. For example, studies have shown that the weight of adopted children does not relate to the weight of their adoptive parents, but rather there is an 80% correlation between the child's weight and those of his or her birth parents.

Metabolic disorders: If your body's metabolism changes, it could affect your weight. People often try to overcompensate to lose weight by cutting calories drastically. Unfortunately, people often suffer from a "slow-down" of their metabolism in response to the drastic reduction in caloric intake, thus preventing weight loss.

Psychological factors: If you are a social or emotional eater, you could gain excessive amounts of weight. People often use food to celebrate happy times or to "drown" their sorrows. Regardless of the reason, happy or sad, overeating for psychological reasons eventually can lead to excessive weight gain.

Eating and social habits: Too little exercise, an unbalanced diet, and excessive snacking can lead to excessive weight gain.