Since 1975, the number of people around the world living with obesity has nearly tripled. That’s a worrying fact reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).
For many years, people have blamed fatty foods, high-carb meals, processed snacks, and a lack of physical activity for this rising problem. While all these factors can play a role, researchers still don’t fully understand why obesity has become such a global issue.
Dr. Barbara E. Corkey from Boston University has introduced a new idea that might help explain part of the mystery. Instead of just looking at what we eat, she is looking at what’s around us. Her research focuses on something called “obesogens”—chemicals in the environment that may confuse the body’s natural systems that control hunger and how we store fat.
Our bodies are designed to manage energy efficiently. Some people burn calories quickly, while others store energy more easily. These differences are normal and often related to genetics. But Dr. Corkey believes that obesogens are disrupting this balance. These chemicals may be tricking the body into feeling hungry when it’s not or causing it to store more fat than it needs.
Over the past 50 years, these possible obesogens have become more common in our daily lives. They might be found in things like ultra-processed foods, plastic containers, fertilizers, insect sprays, and even air pollution. As the use of these products has gone up, so have obesity rates—which makes researchers wonder if there’s a connection.
If Dr. Corkey is right, this discovery could change the way we think about weight gain and obesity. It suggests that just eating less or exercising more might not be enough for everyone. Some people may be exposed to environmental chemicals that push their bodies to gain weight, even if they are trying to make healthy choices.
The good news is that if we can identify these harmful chemicals, we might be able to remove them or reduce their impact. Scientists could also develop treatments to block the effects of obesogens on the body. This could make it easier for people to manage their weight and stay healthy.
Dr. Corkey believes that more research is needed to explore this idea fully. But if her theory is correct, it could offer a powerful new way to tackle obesity—not just by changing our diets, but by changing the environments we live in.
In the meantime, it’s still important to focus on the basics: eating nutritious foods, staying active, and avoiding too much sugar and processed food. But this research reminds us that weight gain isn’t always just about personal choices. Sometimes, the world around us plays a bigger role than we realize.
This study was published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, and it adds an important new piece to the puzzle of why so many people today are struggling with obesity.
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