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→Medical causes of obesity
Although obesity is usually the result of overeating and lack of exercise, in a small percentage of cases excess weight gain is a symptom of a [[disease]] such as hypothyroidism or Cushing's syndrome.<ref>[http://www.webmd.com/diet/medical-reasons-obesity Medical causes of obesity], WebMD</ref>
Although obesity is usually the result of overeating and lack of exercise, in a small percentage of cases excess weight gain is a symptom of a [[disease]] such as hypothyroidism or Cushing's syndrome.<ref>[http://www.webmd.com/diet/medical-reasons-obesity Medical causes of obesity], WebMD</ref>
== Causes: additional information ==
Obesity has many causes, including controllable personal choices such as overeating ([[gluttony]]) and/or lack of exercise. It can also be caused by improper hormone production or other malfunctions of various brain structures, including in particular the [[hypothalamus]] (site of the reward pathways, [this action=release of serotonin=feeling of pleasure]) and [[thyroid]] gland. A 2003 Duke University study shows a possible relationship between the number of children a person has and an increased risk of obesity. A woman's risk of obesity is raised 7% with each child; a man's risk is raised by 4%.<ref>[http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/154099904322836492 Number of Children Associated with Obesity in Middle-Aged Women and Men: Results from the Health and Retirement Study]</ref>
Obesity is most dangerous among the children and the elderly, whose bones, [[liver]]s, and [[lung]]s are too weak to deal with the excess weight and fat. Obesity can significantly shorten a person's lifespan.
Many in the medical establishment consider obesity to be an illness<ref>[http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/4650.php Is Obesity a Disease?] Medical News Today</ref>, in the sense that it is a serious medical condition, but disagree about the root causes of non-hormone related obesity. The medical world is nearly unanimously agreed that obesity is a big problem in the Western world, and in fact becoming a problem world wide.<ref>"... when it comes to obesity—which dominates nutrition problems even in some of the poorest countries of the world—it is the calories that count." [http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=eating-made-simple Eating Made Simple] - Scientific American</ref>
[[Liberal|Liberals']] answer to this problem has been to shift responsibility from those who are overeating (not including people with medical factors that cause the problems), to regulating how much fat can be in foods, what foods can be served at what restaurants, and trying to put financial penalties on restaurants that serve "fatty" foods.
== Weight loss methods and medical science ==
== Weight loss methods and medical science ==