Symptoms of the disease

Obesity results in an excess of fatty tissue. This excess can be distributed in 2 different ways:

• in the abdominal region, we then speak ofandroid obesity, visceral, or abdominal;
• on the hips, thighs and periphery, called gynoid obesity, peripheral, or subcutaneous.

For hormonal reasons, android obesity mostly affects men; and gynoid obesity, women.

People at risk

• People who live in United States or who immigrate there. One year after settling in the United States, 1% of immigrants are obese, study finds¹². After 15 years, 19% have become so, which is close to the obesity rate of Americans of 22%. The most significant weight gain would occur after 10 years;
• People whose hereditary baggage predisposes to obesity.

  Obesity mainly depends on environmental factors (palatable foods with high energy density, sedentary lifestyle, stress), but also genetic factors. The obesogenic environment in which we live is particularly harmful to individuals genetically predisposed to obesity. The predisposition to obesity depends on more than one gene (polygenic obesity), forms of monogenic obesity (dependent on a single gene) being rare (around 5% of severe obesity).

  The combination of an obesogenic background and a genetic predisposition is very likely to lead to the development of obesity.

  Some ethnicities are more susceptible to weight gain than others. This would be the case with those who have had to survive major famines because their bodies have learned to “store” calories very efficiently. When these groups are exposed to a Western way of life, they are at greater risk of obesity (for example, Pima Indians from Arizona, Aborigines from Australia, and immigrants from India and Pakistan) ;

• The age. Over the years, we are less active and muscle mass tends to decrease, resulting in a slower metabolism. Calorie needs decrease with age. If you don’t reduce your food intake, you gain weight;
• In Canada, persons residing in banlieue or region are more at risk because they are less physically active than city dwellers¹³. However, globally, the prevalence of obesity is higher among urban populations compared to rural populations.¹ ;
• Some maladies can cause weight gain by making you inactive. Others will contribute to weight gain by reducing energy expenditure, but they are rare: hypothyroidism, Cushing’s disease (a problem with the adrenal glands) or a tumor of the hypothalamus;
• People struggling with bulimia;
• People who were overweight during childhood or adolescence;
• The pregnancies can contribute to weight gain.