The journal article is a little hard to get through. Thanks, Dr. Mercola for the highlight points. And the title leads you to believe the article would be more user friendly. But it seems to be about what changes in society lead to a more obese nation.

As far as Top 10 Lists go, I'd like to see all 10 listed.

If I were making the list of top causes of obesity, just to state the obvious, I would put at the top:

1) Overeating, eating disorders (snacking, indulging, unhealthy foods, fat diets)

2) Sedentary lifestyle. Too many obese butts that have nothing better to do than plant in a recliner and see what's on TV.

and along the same lines,

3) Little or no exercise

My comment to this is, I beleive everyone should treat  themself to at least an hour of exercise every day. Yes, everyday. It's my favorite part of the day. Not only is it good for your health it gives you a chance to identify with yourself and focus on you. I have been swimming a hour every day for 20 years and to me it is so automatic (like brushing your teeth). I love moving  sometime watch people, the people that are moving always look happier to me than the ones that just sit around.  

This is my take on the obesity epidemic. Much of it is caused by mainstream medicine itself, aided and abetted by the managed media with their endless onslaught of bogus pseudo-scientific studies and conflicting health reports.

The low-fat/low-cholesterol/low-sugar/low-calorie marketing scheme has caused millions to consume low or no-nutrient, health-robbing products loaded with bad fats and oils, artificial sweeteners and a multitude of deleterious chemical additives that can actually cause weight gain and loss of health due to their addictive and detrimental effects on the body.

Of course, our witless governments play a large role in the general malaise and ill-health found in society today. As an example, with all the recent hype regarding the benefit of foods without "trans-fats", even junk-food breakfast cereals have become a panacea for whatever ails you.

I believe this public disinformation campaign has been purposely contrived to confuse the consumer to the point where many become frustrated and give up the quest to find the road to good health, consequently taking the "low" path and leaving their most precious possesion in the hands of the so-called "experts" where they eventually end up becoming another medical statistic.

Naturally, the industry profits handsomely from the confusion and ignorance that abounds.

With that being said, this is my list of the main causes of an overweight nation, in no particular order and  including some already mentioned:

• governments that sanction the sale and false advertising practices of junk food cartels.  
• innacurate and often deceptive information from the Health Authorities as to what actually constitutes a "healthy diet and lifestyle".   
• consuming far more sugar (including all sugar derivatives ending in "ose") than the body was designed to handle.
• consuming foods with carbohydrate-addicting chemicals such as aspartame and MSG (in its many hidden forms) 
• not enough exercise - attributed in part to the overuse of vehicle transportation, computers, less physical labour and just plain laziness.
• a lack of discipline by parents to encourage their children to either perform household chores or engage in some form of physical activity.
• the low-fat/anti-saturated fat marketing philosophy that causes consumers to switch to even worse food choices; like the plastic fats or margerines (soft or hard), rapeseed oil (canola) and unnatural chemically-laden products.

In reality, there's no rocket science involved when it comes to determining what contributes to obesity and poor health in general.

All one needs to do is watch the movie "Super Size Me" to understand the BIG picture. The movie also serves as a scathing indictment of the failed medical industry because none of the allopathic health care professionals that were enlisted by the subject were able to predict the serious, life-threatening consequences of an over-consumption of the standard fast food diet.

For the past 100 years or so, the energy balance hypothesis has been upheld as Gospel Truth.  Millions of overweight and underweight people can testify that it does not work for them.

Okay, if you stay on a semi-starvation diet for long enough, you will get thin, but at great mental cost.  The Minnesota trial in 1941 proved that.

For most people, the issue is not the weight, but something else in the sub-conscious mind.  If your belief system is telling your body that you need the extra body fat for your survival, you have to change the belief or you will not succeed at weight loss.  For that, EFT can be used, and Clinical Psychologists have also used Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with success.

If you do not overeat, your hormones are fine and you still can't lose weight, consider the possibility that you might have chronic low-grade inflammation caused by leaky-gut syndrome.  To treat that, get your blood tested by ALCAT and then eliminate your trigger foods and follow a rotation diet. 

In fact, low-grade chronic inflammation is the main cause of obesity, heart disease, arthritis, hypertension and many other health problems.

I am not affiliated with ALCAT, just a satisfied customer.  My body fat percentage is dropping rapidly and I expect to reach target by the end of the year.  I also used EFT to change my core beliefs about my body.