In-depth analysis of the causes of obesity: from the brain's central nervous system to energy imbalance

Why do people get obesity?

What causes obesity? Professor Propassin says the most common cause of obesity is dysfunction of the brain's food center. There are two such centers: the hunger center and the satiety center. Experiments on mice have shown that if the hunger center is damaged, the animal loses its desire for food and refuses to eat; if the satiety center is damaged, the animal will eat incessantly, becoming terribly obese, and inevitably dying young. Only when these two centers are in relative balance can the body maintain health.

The body never operates at its limits. To keep the metabolic process running, the body stores some nutrients—in cells and tissues—forming so-called "reservoirs." These reservoirs contain both fat and carbohydrates. The amount of stored nutrients determines weight changes. If the calories obtained through food equal the calories consumed, weight will remain at a relatively constant level. If energy "income" exceeds "expenditure," excess nutrients will accumulate in the storage tank, leading to weight gain. A healthy body can automatically regulate the balance between "income" and "expenditure" by altering the level of nutrients in the blood. As stored nutrients enter the storage tank, the blood becomes "starved" and immediately transmits this information to the hunger center, triggering a response. Obese individuals have a higher than normal level of nutrient storage. Therefore, their blood exhibits hunger characteristics before true hunger arrives.

Obese people typically don't feel hungry or full; they are always ready to overeat whenever possible. A person with predisposing factors for obesity can gain one kilogram in two months by increasing their daily calorie intake by 5%.

This is Professor Propassin's opinion.

In general, the author believes that obesity is caused by the following factors:

Internal factors:

(1) Genetic factors.

(2) Metabolic factors. Under the same dietary conditions, obese individuals have a more active anabolism and utilize less energy than normal individuals. (3) Psychological factors. Under the influence of humoral regulation, this can lead to increased appetite and endocrine dysfunction.

External factors: Excessive food and nutrition, coupled with insufficient physical activity, results in energy intake exceeding expenditure. The excess energy is stored as fat, leading to obesity.

Simple obesity is often caused by excessive dietary energy intake and insufficient physical activity.