Weight Loss, Diet and Slimming blog

Wednesday, March 5. 2008

Do Our Genes Cause Obesity?

Media reports about a new study, which appears to show that childhood obesity is mainly caused by genetics, may reassure parents that it's not their fault that their children are growing fatter. In reality, this simplified view may give temporary comfort, but obscures the fact that we can all do something to prevent ourselves from becoming obese. Bearing in mind the health consequences of ignoring this fact, it's far better to look beneath the headline, find out the facts, and then deal with the important message - obesity is increasing but we can do something about it, and we'll live healthier, longer lives if we do.

You may have heard in the media about the latest study about childhood obesity. In the press it was reported that childhood obesity is caused 77% by genetic makeup and only 23% by lifestyle and environmental factors. Newspapers love these Nature vs. Nurture arguments as they can fill their pages with endless pontificating and claim it's based on fact.

Is this latest story good news? After all, if kids are getting fatter because of their genes, the same must be true for us too. Therefore, our increasing obesity is beyond our control and we can wallow in our comfy armchairs and eat snacks with alacrity. Great, huh?

On the other hand, you may think that it's bad news. If our weight is beyond our control, then we just have to accept that we'll keep on getting fatter and fatter. As a result, not only will we need to go out and keep on buying bigger and bigger armchairs, but also we'll be condemned to a lifetime of ill health. Obesity may seem harmless enough, but when you investigate its health implications you realize just how bad it is. Try these examples for size:

1. Young people that have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 or more have double the risk of death compared with people the same age that have a normal BMI.

2. Obese people are much more likely than 'normal' weight people to suffer from high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, increasing the likelihood of dying prematurely due to Myocardial Infarction (heart attack) enormously - 1.5 times the normal risk for men and 3.2 times the normal risk for women.

3. Being obese has been shown to greatly increase the risk of contracting many forms of cancer, including cancer of the colon - 3.0 times the risk for men and 2.7 times the risk for women, compared with non-obese people.

4. Obesity greatly increases the risk of contracting Type 2 Diabetes - by 5.2 times for men and a massive 12.7 times for women.

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