Causes of Morbid Obesity

Articles focused on the causes of morbid obesity.


Contribution of bariatric surgery to the comprehension
of morbid obesity.

Marceau Jan 2005


PubMed Abstract

Convinced that morbid obesity was not due to food excess
but rather to a metabolic disorder, we searched in the literature
for data in favor of a metabolic disorder. We have found
evidence in support of the thesis that the cause of morbid
obesity is the inability to burn excessive caloric intake
normally. It would involve the difficulty to increase heat
with the amount of calories taken, which would be faulty
and force fat deposition. This mechanism called dietinduced
thermogenesis (DIT) allows the dispersion by heat of excessive
calories to obtain energy balance. Results from bariatric
surgery and particularly biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) give
further support to this thesis. BPD would improve heat production
to a meal (DIT) by one of these mechanisms: increased insulin
sensitivity, change in intestinal hormone secretion, or chronic
lipid malabsorption. Available results show that surgery, to
be efficient, must change the physiology and not solely decrease
food intake.