26^th Global Obesity Meeting

Causes and Consequences

The balance between calorie intake and energy expenditure determines a person's weight. A lack of energy balance most often causes overweight and obesity. Energy balance means that energy IN should be equal to energy OUT. Some hormone problems may cause obesity and overweight, such as hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Other causes include Lack of exercise, age, health conditions and emotional factors.

Among adults under the age of 70, obesity is second in the number of deaths it causes each year. As obesity rates continue to rise, the number of deaths due to this may soon exceed that of tobacco. Obesity causes  is closely linked with a huge number of health conditions, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol, asthma, sleep apnea, gallstones, kidney stones, infertility, and as many as 11 types of cancers, including leukemia, breast, and colon cancer.