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6 surprising factors that increase your obesity risk

You knew overeating and inactivity can raise your odds—but the list doesn't end there.

Updated on September 29, 2022

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If you are obese, it means you carry more body fat than is considered to be healthy for your height. Many healthcare providers use body mass index (BMI) to screen for obesity. Someone who is obese has a BMI of 30 or higher.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 41.9 percent of people in the United States are obese. More middle-aged (44.3Show More

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Poor sleep

Not getting enough rest? That could be an issue, since obesity is connected to inadequate sleep. People who slept less than 7 hours per night were more likely to be obese than those who slept more, according to a 2018 study published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise. Researchers found that a lackShow More

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Stress

While everyone gets anxious at times, ongoing mental and physiologic stress may lead to weight gain. It can do this by triggering obesity-promoting behavior such as overeating foods high in fat, calories, or sugar. It may also cause people to stay up later and forgo exercise.

Chronic stress canShow More

hand with remote watching television
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Your viewing habits

Medical researchers from Harvard first reported on the link between TV watching and obesity in children in the mid-1980’s. Over the years, they have found that the more television shows viewed by an adult, the higher the likelihood of obesity.

Excess TV time can coincide with other behaviors thatShow More

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Heredity, but maybe not how you think

Genetics factors into obesity, though it's debated just how much of a role it plays. We do know that people with at least one obese parent are more likely to be obese themselves, though this can be due to a combination of heredity and family behaviors—you learn a lot of weight-related habits fromShow More

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Early life factors

Your likelihood of becoming obese may have started in infancy—or even in the womb. Various studies have connected each of the following circumstances to a higher risk of obesity:

  • A mother’s excessive weight gain during pregnancy
  • A mother’s high blood sugar levels or high blood pressure while
  • Show More
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Where you live

We've all been there: You head to dinner with friends, planning to order a healthy entree. After your pals have placed their orders, you ask for the deluxe hamburger platter, too. 

It’s no secret that your family and friends can influence your habits, but one 2018 study in JAMA PediatricsShow More

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What you can do

There are some surprising—but proven—strategies to help you address obesity.

  • Get cooking. Avoiding added sugars and eating a balanced diet packed with fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains are proven to help keep obesity in check. And cooking at home can help. One 2017 study from the
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MedlinePlus. Obesity. Last updated November 29, 2016.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Defining Adult Overweight & Obesity. Page last reviewed: June 3, 2022.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult Obesity Facts. Page last reviewed: May 17, 2022.
Cooper CB, Neufeld EV, et al. Sleep deprivation and obesity in adults: a brief narrative review. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine. 2018;4(1), e000392.
Jackson SE, Kirschbaum C, & Steptoe A. Hair cortisol and adiposity in a population‐based sample of 2,527 men and women aged 54 to 87 years. Obesity. 2017;25(3), 539-544.
Tomiyama AJ. Stress and obesity. Annual Reviews Psychology. 2019;70(1), 703-718.
Harvard T.H. Chan. Television Watching and “Sit Time”. Accessed August 10, 2022.
Cassidy S, Chau JY, et al. Low physical activity, high television viewing and poor sleep duration cluster in overweight and obese adults; a cross-sectional study of 398,984 participants from the UK Biobank. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Volume 14, Article number: 57 (2017).
Bahreynian M, Qorbani M, et al. Association between obesity and parental weight status in children and adolescents. Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology. 2017; 9(2), 111.
Rask-Andersen M, Karlsson T, Ek WE. Genome-wide association study of body fat distribution identifies adiposity loci and sex-specific genetic effects. Nature Communications. 2019;10(1), 1-10.
Zou Z, Yang Z, et al. Association of high birth weight with overweight and obesity in Chinese students aged 6–18 years: a national, cross-sectional study in China. BMJ Open. 2019;9(5), e024532.
Arisaka O, Ichikawa G, S, et al. Childhood obesity: rapid weight gain in early childhood and subsequent cardiometabolic risk. Clinical Pediatric Endocrinology. 2020;29(4), 135-142.
Xiu L, Ekstedt M, et al. Sleep and adiposity in children from 2 to 6 years of age. Pediatrics. 2020;145(3).
Huang J, Zhang Z, et al. Early feeding of larger volumes of formula milk is associated with greater body weight or overweight in later infancy. Nutrition Journal. 2018;17(1), 1-9.
AARP. Are Your Friends Making You Fat? Page last reviewed: December 12, 2019.
Christakis NA and Fowler JH. The Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Network over 32 Years. New England Journal of Medicine. N Engl J Med 2007; 357:370-379.
Datar, A, & Nicosia N. Assessing social contagion in body mass index, overweight, and obesity using a natural experiment. JAMA Pediatrics. 2018;172(3), 239-246.
Tumin R & Anderson SE. Television, home-cooked meals, and family meal frequency: associations with adult obesity. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2017;117(6), 937-945.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physical Activity for a Healthy Weight. Page last reviewed: June 16, 2022.
Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Obesity Prevention Source: Health Risks. Accessed September 28, 2022.
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Chao AM, Jastreboff AM, Stress, cortisol, and other appetite-related hormones: Prospective prediction of 6-month changes in food cravings and weight. Obesity. April 2017. 25 (4), pages 713-720.
Ohlendorf JM, Robinson K, Garnier-Villarreal M. The impact of maternal BMI, gestational weight gain, and breastfeeding on early childhood weight: Analysis of a statewide WIC dataset. Preventive Medicine. Volume 118, January 2019, Pages 210-215.
Lowe WL, Scholtens DM, Lowe LP, et al. Association of Gestational Diabetes With Maternal Disorders of Glucose Metabolism and Childhood Adiposity. JAMA. 2018;320(10):1005–1016.
Maessen SE, Ahlsson F, et al. Maternal smoking early in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of short stature and obesity in adult daughters. Scientific Reports. March 2019. Article number: 4290.
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