What is the cause of obesity in children?
In some respects, the cause sounds simple. You put on weight if the amount of energy in the foods and drinks that you eat is greater than the amount of energy that you use. Energy from foods and drinks that you do not use is converted into fat, and stored in the body.
A common wrong belief is to think that if you are overweight or obese, you have a low metabolic rate. (Your metabolic rate or 'metabolism' is the amount of energy that you need to keep your body's functions going.) In fact, if you are obese or overweight you have a normal, or even high, metabolic rate (as you use up more energy carrying the extra weight).
The reasons why 'energy taken in' may not balance 'energy used up', and result in weight gain, include the following.
Food and drink intake
Most people in the UK live where tasty food can be found at almost any time of day or night. Many of the foods that we eat are those with the most energy (fatty and sugary foods). Although our body gives us a feeling of fullness after eating enough (satiety), we can easily ignore this feeling if we are enjoying tasty foods. In short, many people simply eat more than their body needs.
Remember too: alcohol contains a lot of calories, and heavy drinkers are often overweight.
Activity and exercise
Most people in the UK do not do enough physical activity. Less people have jobs which are energetic than previously. The variety of labour saving devices and gadgets in most homes, and the overuse of cars, means that most people need to use-up much less energy compared to previous generations. The average person in the UK watches 26 hours of television per week, and many even more (the 'couch potato' syndrome).
A lack of physical activity by many people is thought to be a major cause of the increase in obesity in recent years.
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