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The cliche "you are what you eat" is absolutely true. Every ounce of food we ingest is used by our bodies as fuel necessary for growth and overall function. Clearly, we must eat to survive. However, according to the government's Healthy People 2010 report, issued this year by the U.S. Surgeon General, approximately 60% of all Americans are overweight, or to be precise, "overfat" (see above.) Humans already consume more than ½ ton of food each per year, and many individuals devour a good deal more than this! By eating just 100 calories more per day than what is burned for energy, an individual can add an extra ten pounds to his or her body in a year. As we grow older, our caloric needs decline for various reasons (see Unique Nutritional Challenges).
By far, the most common cause of obesity is simply an excess of caloric intake compared to energy expenditure, or eating too much and exercising too little. In obesity due to overindulgence of food (known as exogenous obesity) fat deposition is spread over the entire body, placing excessive stress on each of the body's systems. Fat deposition is genetically controlled, and there may be an emphasis of fat deposition in a certain area (such as hips and thighs in women, and the abdominal area in men).
However, there are some uncommon abnormalities in metabolism that lead to uncontrolled storage of fat. Endogenous obesity is caused by endocrine gland disturbances and produces the type of obesity in which the fat distribution is uneven and has a specific pattern. The thyroid gland is an endocrine gland that secretes hormones utilized in the regulation of the rate at which the body uses energy. If the thyroid is functioning at a level lower than normal, a very characteristic pattern of obesity can occur. If the underfunctioning of the thyroid gland is very severe in an adult, a condition known as myxedema occurs. It is estimated that about one in one-thousand people may suffer from myxedema at some time, and the condition occurs seven or eight times more frequently in females than in males.
Excessive secretion of cortisone by the adrenal glands creates a condition known as Cushing's Syndrome. Cortisone is a hormone that plays a role in fat, muscle and water metabolism within the body. Cushing's syndrome also causes a very characteristic pattern of obesity, and is found in about one in one thousand people. It occurs far more frequently in females than in males, mostly in their 30's and 40's. Underfunctioning of the pituitary gland is another cause of endogenous obesity. The pituitary gland functions to govern secretions of hormones throughout the body and is important in growth. Abnormalities of the pituitary are very rare and should be cared for by a specialist in endocrinology.
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