Energy Balance in the Development of Obesity

Obesity can result from a minor energy imbalance, which lead to a gradual but persistent weight gain over a considerable period. Some researchers have hypothesized that energy imbalance is the result of inherited metabolic characteristics; whereas others believe it is caused by poor eating and lifestyle habits, that is “gluttony and sloth”. 

Positive energy balance occurs when energy intake is greater than energy expenditure and promotes weight gain (Figure 4). Conversely, negative energy balance promotes decrease in body fat stores and weight loss. Body weight is regulated by a series of physiological processes, which have the capacity to maintain weight within a relatively narrow range (stable weight). It is thought that the body exerts a stronger defence against under nutrition and weight loss than it does against over-consumption and weight gain. 

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Obesity is often defined simply as a condition of abnormal or excessive fat accumulation in adipose tissue, to the extent that health may be impaired. However, obese individuals differ not only according to the degree of excess fat, which they store, but also in the regional distribution of the fat within the body. Indeed, excess abdominal fat is as great a risk factor for disease as is excess body fat per se (WHO 1998).

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