As Americans grow larger each year, the topic of obesity and its causes are still being debated. The weight loss industry tends to focus on the idea that obesity is from over consumption and lack of exercise.four donuts

While over consumption and a sedentary lifestyle are factors in becoming obese, there are other factors worth considering, according to the director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham clinical nutrition research center, Dr. David Allison.

Allison and his colleagues suggest there are a total of ten factors in addition to lifestyle and diet that are making Americans fatter.

1. Because American's are more stretched for time than ever before, they get less sleep. Too little sleep actually causes weight gain.

2. There are many pollutants in our environment, which affect hormones, which regulate body weight.

3. When you are too cold or too hot, your body uses more calories to create a level of comfort. Most everyone today works and lives in temperature controlled environments, and our bodies don't need to work as hard.

4. As bad as smoking is for you, it aids in weight loss. Less and less people are smoking today than ever before.

5. The use of drugs, including contraceptives, anti-depressants, blood pressure, and diabetes medications are on the rise. Many of these contribute to weight gain.

6. Other factors for obesity include age and ethnicity. For whatever reason, European Americans are more svelte than Hispanic Americans and middle aged people. The population of the United States is aging and becoming more Hispanic.

7. The older a woman is when she gives birth, the more likely her child is to become obese. Today more women are waiting until middle age to give birth.

8. Not only do our ancestors play a role in our body type and weight, so do the environments of our ancestors. Believe it or not, environmental conditions that make a grandparent obese may create obesity in their grandchild.

9. Fertility and obesity have been linked together. Studies suggest that people who are obese are more fertile than their slim counterparts. Following that thinking, if obesity can be genetic, and more obese people are having children, the population of obese people will increase.

10. Like attracts like. Obese people tend to marry obese partners. Again, if there is a genetic component to obesity, and more obese people are marrying off and reproducing, there will be a spike in the percentage of the population that are obese.

If you are considered obese, be certain to consult your personal physician before beginning an exercise plan or weight loss program. With any weight loss program it is important to drop weight at a pace that is healthy for your body. Your doctor may be able to suggest a nutritionist as well as a personal trainer who has experience with clients that are considered obese.

Remember that even though some factors are beyond your control, like genetics and environment, you do have the power to make lifestyle choices that can enhance your well being and create better health.