Causes of obesity

Millions of Americans and people worldwide are overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese puts you at risk for many health problems. The more body fat that you have and the more you weigh, the more likely you are to develop:

• Coronary heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• Gallstones
• Breathing problems
• Certain cancers

Your weight is the result of many factors. These factors include environment, family history and genetics, metabolism (the way your body changes food and oxygen into energy), behavior or habits, and more.
You can't change some factors, such as family history. However, you can change other factors, such as your lifestyle habits.