Obesity is the result of a disturbed relationship between 3 components of energy: · Input (food) · Expenditure (e.g physical activity) · Storage (e.g. fat)
Obesity, therefore, arises from an imbalance of energy intake in relation to energy expenditure, and can be broadly classified as follows: · primary (simple) · secondary
Primary obesity is that which is not associated with a demonstrable clinical condition. This does not mean that the causes of simple obesity are themselves simple.
Secondary obesity is that which is associated with an identifiable medical disorder, such as a congenital syndrome, a hypothalamic or other endocrinological disorder, or drug therapy.
The majority of cases of obesity belong to the primary, or simple, category. Obesity is not a straightforward increase in weight as occurs in growth in a child, or body-building in an athlete, but can be described as an increase in weight, accompanied by a change in body energy stores especially fats. Although a certain amount of reserved energy in the form of fat is desirable in the body (in order to survive times of food scarcity without impairment of function, and also to survive debilitating illness which may not allow access to food, or lead to an inability to eat), an excessive accumulation of body fat is undesirable, because it constitutes a health risk.
Obesity is said to exist when body fat content is greater than 28% of total body weight in men and 32% of total body weight in women. For most people this is somewhere in the range for obesity grade one as classified by means of the body-mass index (BMI). It must be remembered that the BMI is a more arbitrary and inaccurate way of assessment of obesity, but of greater practical value and use than the measurement of body composition.
There is no satisfactory aetiological classification of obesity but a number of factors are known to be associated with its development: · Age. · Socio-economic. · Genetic and environmental factors. · Energy intake. · Energy expenditure. · Drugs. · Endocrine factors.
Please bear in mind that this article only paints a broad picture of obesity and the complexities of the subject haven't been addressed.
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