Top 7 Medical Conditions That Cause
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August 19, 2011
By Alison Turner, Contributing Columnist
If you're overweight -- and studies say that 66% of us in
America are -- then you know firsthand that the heaviest
weight you carry is not on your body. No, the heaviest weight
you carry are the unwanted judgements of other people. In
fact, moralizing about the excess weight of our fellow
Americans has become something of a national past-time. Fat
jokes are about the last bastion of tasteless jokes that are
considered fair game for just about everybody. "Fat and lazy",
"fat and ugly", "Fat and stupid" -- just about every one has
heard the torrential rains of bad character traits attributed to
people just because they happen to carry extra pounds. But,
new research has found that, if you're fat, it just may not be
your fault. There really are medical reasons for being
overweight. What are these medical causes of excess weight?
Which medical problems are likely to make you gain weight fast?
First things first. Fat is not a moral infirmity. Being fat is a
medical condition, with serious medical consequences. It is one
of the world’s ugliest ironies: people starve to death every day
while a plane-ride away just as many people die from too much
food. In March of 2011 the World Health Organization posted
that 65% of the global population lives in a county where being
overweight or obese cause more deaths than do diseases
associated with underweight conditions.
For many of the people in the heavier statistics the solution is
simply to burn more energy than what is consumed – but what
about the hundreds of thousands of people all over the world
who follow the doctor’s orders, exercise regularly and watch
their diets, but continue to gain weight? If you fit this
description, consider the following medical conditions which
may contribute to your mysterious weight gain – and may have
more serious consequences if left untreated.
We have culled research studies from universities around the
world to identify medical reasons for excess weight gain, and
here they are:
Top 7 Medical Conditions That Make You Gain Weight
1. Hypothyroidism. Thyroid conditions are some of the
best known medical reasons for weight gain. Hypothyroidism is
the body’s inadequate production of thyroid, a hormone
involved with metabolism. In addition to uncontrollable weight
gain, symptoms of an under-active thyroid include sensitivity to
cold, dry skin, and heavier menstrual periods for women.
A 2005 study by Dr. Nils Knudsen and other researchers from
the Bispebjerg Hospital in Copenhagen Denmark found that
even “small differences” in thyroid activity can influence body
mass index and, if left untreated, can lead to obesity. (Read
more about what causes hypothyroidism and natural remedies
that help. )
2. Cushing’s Syndrome. Excessive levels of the stress
hormone cortisol can result in Cushing syndrome, also known
as Hypercortisolism.
Your body releases more cortisol for many reasons. Increased
levels of cortisol can be caused within the body by either the
pituitary gland’s overproduction of the hormone ACTH (which
then signals the production of cortisol in the adrenal gland), or
by tumors in certain areas of the body.
Excess cortisol can also be caused by medications used to treat
asthma and arthritis. This disease often results in weight gain
above the waist while arms and legs remain thin, a “buffalo
hump,” or fat between the shoulders, and “moon face,” or
facial swelling. Other symptoms include acne, thick (one half
inch or more) purple marks on the abdomen, thighs or breasts,
impotence in men, and excess hair in women.
3. Not Enough Sleep. While Short Sleep Duration may not
be a medical condition in its own right, it is a symptom of
several diseases (including depression, any disease that causes
enough pain to affect sleep, and diseases that influence
breathing such as asthma) and often coincides with weight
gain. In 2007 Dr. Sanjay Patel of Case Western Reserve
University and Dr. Frank Hu of Harvard School of Public Health
performed a mega-study on the connection betweem low sleep
duration and weight gain. What they found was, literally, an
eye-opener: “the recent obesity epidemic has been
accompanied by a parallel growth in chronic sleep
deprivation.”
These studies, the authors summarize, suggest that inadequate
sleep may affect appetite and physical activity. Specifically,
short sleep duration in children is “strongly and consistently”
associated with obesity later in life and low levels of sleep
appear to coincide with weight gain in adults.
More recent studies have echoed this finding. In 2010 a similar
study was done in Japan, which concluded that “short sleep
duration was associated with weight gain and the development
of obesity” in men -- but not in women . (Read more about the
link between poor sleep and weight gain. )
4. Seasonal Affective Disorder Can Make You Gain Weight.
Continue reading page 1 page 2
Invest a few more minutes to learn how to achieve an ideal
body weight, not just to look good, but to improve your overall
health and lifespan: Foods That Shrink Your Waist / Size 6
Weight Chart / Size 8 Weight Chart / 10 Small Changes to
Make You More Active / Exercise At Home to Lose Weight /
Exercises That Speed Up Your Metabolism/Are Diet Sodas Bad
for Your Health?//Ideal Weight Chart for Children of Different
Heights/ Does Drinking Cold Water Burn Calories?/ Size 6
Weight Chart-How Much Do You Have to Lose to Get Into a
Size 6 / Simple Diet to Lose 10 Pounds/ Does Coffee Help You
Lose Weight?
More Related Links:
Ideal Breakfast to Lose Weight
Diet and Exercise-A Simple Plan
Six Pack Abs--Step By Step
Foods That Reduce Blood Pressure
Owning a Cat Reduces Risk of Stroke 40%
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