| Understanding Obesity and the Caloric Balance Equation
There are several factors that lead to obesity, which is why it is truly one of the most complex health problems that people face today. In general, genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors affect how people can become overweight or worse, obese.
However, to understand how obesity occurs, one must also understand the caloric balance equation. Calories are a priority as far as maintaining an ideal weight is concerned. Calories can be defined as food’s energy unit, no matter where it is from. All food sources – carbohydrates, proteins, fruits, vegetables, sugars, and fats all have calories.
The caloric balance equation refers to how the amount of calories consumed must be equal to the amount of calories that is burned or used up by the body. Calories can be burned when the body exerts energy through its basic system functions as well as physical activity.
A person is considered healthy if his or her weight is maintained – this means that calories consumed equal the amount of calories burned. He or she gains weight when the calories consumed are more than what is actually used by the body because the excess calories are stored in the body as fats. ‘Losing weight’ occurs when the calories eaten are less than what the body actually uses. This is because the body is compelled to tap into its fatty storage so that it can have energy, and the result is lost weight.
Obesity occurs when there is a great imbalance between consumed calories and energy. This happens when the body has excess calories, but not enough physical activity to get rid of it.
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