Other Causes of Obesity
Lot's of people worry about gaining too much weight from eating things like chips, soda burgers, and other foods high in calories. But eating too much of the wrong food is not always the problem. There are other things that can make you gain weight. You could have a disease and not even know it. Some medications can also cause weight gain.
1. Medication: steroids, antidepressants
2. Hypothyroidism
3. Polycystic ovary disease
4. Cushing disease syndrome
5. Brain damage to the hypothalamus (causes weight gain because it controls appetite).
Here are some examples...
Medications Medications: steroids and anti depressants
What surprises a lot of people is that they can become obese just from taking medications like anti-depressants and steroids. In fact, you could gain about a pound a week just from taking a something so small as a pill or capsule.
Hypothyroidism Hypothyroidismis caused by your thyroid gland not producing enough thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones control weight by regulating metabolism. When there are not enough thyroid hormones, metabolism slows down and can result in obesity.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is when a woman has abnormal periods due to a hormone imbalance. Their ovaries often have many small cysts on them. They have symptoms such as obesity or excessive weight gain especially around the waist. Obesity is very common in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Women with this disorder should try to eat healthy foods and exercises on a regular basis to reduce their weight.
Cushing Syndrome
What causes Cushing Syndrome? Cushing Syndrome happens when your body is exposed to too much of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol regulates blood pressure and heart function. This can be caused by a small tumor on the pituitary gland or steroids. People ages 20 to 50 usually get this disorder but it can to happen to anyone. Cushing syndrome can cause your upper body to become obese and a large lump on the neck can form. This is a known as a buffalo lump. If you get Cushing’s Syndrome you may be able to get your tumor surgically removed or it may get better if steroids are stopped.
A drawing of a brain.
Copyright The Big Problem 2008 Hypothalamus
The hypothalamus is the part of your brain that controls body temperature, thirst and appetite. When the hypothalamus is damaged it loses the ability to control appetite and people can really eat themselves to death as they always feel hungry.