Obesity Risk Factors: 7 Factors That Can Contribute to Obesity That Aren’t Diet or Exercise

Many of us have learned from an early age that diet and regular physical activity are the keys to maintaining healthy weight. But in 2025, we now understand that there is so much more obesity than people with sedentary lifestyles and eating too much fast food. Although a healthy diet and the exercise are definitely risk factors for significant obesity, a variety of complex external and physiological influences are generally at stake with regard to an individual’s ability to maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI). “There is an increasing understanding that obesity is not a question of will,” explains Maria Teresa Anton, MD, endocrinologist and educator in Pritikin Longevity Center in Miami. “This is why today, our multidisciplinary approach includes doctors, psychologists and sleep experts – because real progress occurs when you approach the whole person, not just their plate.” In the interest of looking at the question of weight gain, more in a holistic manner – and taking into account the fact that obesity now affects two out of five Americans, according to the centers for Disease Control and Prevention – there are seven causes of obesity which do not imply the diet or the exercise.

Genetic

One of the main risk factors for obesity is really out of our control. “Genetics plays a big role,” explains Supriya Rao, a quadruple doctor on board in internal medicine, gastroenterology, obesity medicine and lifestyle. “Some people are more predisposed to store fat or have a slower metabolic response. signals and manages stress. It is important to keep in mind that although genetics can make some people more likely to keep excess weight and develop obesity, it is not the only determining factor in weight gain or weight loss – lifestyle habits and medical interventions can still have a significant impact.

Sleep

The lack of sleep is another major factor weighing on the current obesity epidemic – as many of us are stressed and mix on the closure of quality, which can contribute directly to weight gain – without what we do with diet and day exercise. “People who sleep less than six hours a night are more likely to gain weight, due to hormonal changes that increase hunger and reduce fullness,” said Dr. Anton. The lack of physical activity during the day can also lead to challenges with sleep at night, which can become a vicious circle for people with obesity. If you have sleep apnea or other sleep disorder and you also have trouble with your weight, talk to your health care provider of options that can help you sleep enough.

Chronic stress

Even the daily stress of low grade can increase blood levels of stress hormones such as cortisol. Stress hormones can also trigger unhealthy food desires – stress feeding. Obesity stress – both emotional and physical – can add to the problem, creating a difficult cycle of stress and weight gain. This is why it is so important to compensate for stress and find ways to actively decompress, such as doing yoga, walking and practicing breathing exercises to relieve tensions.

Hormones + health conditions

Another factor that is out of our control: many medical conditions and chronic diseases are known to contribute or cause obesity, including polycystic ovary syndrome (SOPK), hypothyroidism, Cushing syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome. Type 2 diabetes and its precursor conditions, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome can cause obesity because in each, the body has trouble converting blood sugar into energy and can store it as greasy instead.

Drugs

Prescription drugs can sometimes contribute to weight gain or hinder our weight loss efforts; These are called obesogenic drugs. The most common include some antipsychotics and antidepressants (ISRS), antihistamines, diabetes drugs such as insulin, drugs used to treat high cholesterol / cardiac diseases (statins), hormonal contraceptives and drugs by hormony. The drugs used to treat high blood pressure (such as beta-blockers) also have weight gain as a potential side effect, as they can slow down metabolism. If your medication has a weight gain as a possible side effect and you have trouble with obesity, talk to your health care provider to see if there could be alternatives.

Intestinal health

We tend to think of eating habits and obesity in a one-dimensional way of calories / calories-out-perhaps with a pile of proteins launched (according to the current nutritional craze). But the way our body treats food is complicated; What we eat affects bacteria in our intestine responsible for decomposing energy food, metabolizing glucose and controlling our appetite. Changes in these intestinal microbiota can affect our energy intake, our use and our storage as a body fat, ultimately affecting our body weight and contributing to obesity. It is important to concentrate not only on the counting of calories, but on whole and healthy foods, including many fibers and certain fermented foods to stimulate beneficial bacteria. The processed foods disrupt the intestinal microbiome, inflammation of the pushes and alter the function of intestinal barrier, has been shown. Taking antibiotics can also have an impact on intestinal health; Ask your health professional on probiotics who can help compensate for this; Certain strains of probiotics have been shown to clinically reduce the size of the waist.

Environmental factors

An element playing in the epidemic of obesity is a cultural and economic change in favor of processed convenience foods and unhealthy food, but it is important to note that a large part of this has occurred at a macro level, and not due to the choice of conscious personal food. Socio-economic disparities in obesity are another flagrant and large-scale factor; Many Americans live in “food deserts”, where healthy foods are expensive and rare, but there is great access to calories rich in conservatives, mysterious laboratory ingredients and added sugar. Unsurprisingly, the prevalence of obesity is higher in these places. Additional environmental factors at stake: lack of access to safe and affordable recreational spaces and environments that discourage walking or bicycle can lead to a decrease in physical activity. Then, stipulate the massive peak of screen time and the availability of video games, and it is not surprising that we note an increase in infant obesity and a decrease in activity levels in adolescents, which are all developing with an increased risk of obesity in adulthood.