Obesity is a condition characterized by an abnormally high level of body fat. This results from an imbalance between food eaten and energy expended, but the underlying cause usually is quite complex.

Morbid obesity, or clinically severe obesity, is a multifactorial disease of excessive body fat with a genetic basis. In fact, a recent study found that genetic factors account for an 80% tendency for a person to develop obesity (1). Oftentimes, it is this tendency, combined with an unhealthy lifestyle of inactivity and over consumption of high-fat, high-calorie foods that lead to lifelong and progressive development of morbid obesity.

1. Kaplan, L. Body Weight Regulation and Obesity. Journal of Gastriointestinal Surgery 2003, 7(4):443-451.