You may have inherited your nose, smile or laugh from your parents, but did you also inherit their metabolism? Over 450 genes have been identified as having an impact on weight, metabolism, and appetite. Many researchers believe that genetics do have an impact on your weight, but that behavioural factors may be far stronger.
In the 1990s, much research went into discovering an obesity gene. The hypothesis was that there would be one or more genes that make some individuals more prone to store large amounts of fat. This research led to the discovery of leptin, a protein which caused overweight mice to eat less and exercise more. However, when given to obese mice, leptin had the opposite effect and caused them to gain weight.
There is no doubt that environmental factors have an effect on our weight. As children, we learn our eating habits by watching our family. We often mimic the nutritional choices of our parents, along with meal times, and snacking habits when we reach adulthood.
While genetics can contribute to obesity, there is evidence to suggest that behavioural factors have a much stronger impact. This means that if you are a big person who comes from a big family, it is far more likely to be due to the behavioural patterns you learned growing up rather than your genes.
The great thing about this is that while you can’t change your genes, you can change your habits. What you eat and how much exercise you do will have a greater influence on your weight than any genetic factor. If you can modify your behavioural patterns by eating nutritious food and increasing exercise, you’ll have more than a fighting chance in the war against fat.
Description: Could you have inherited more than your nose from your parents? Just how big a role does genetics play in the fight against fat?
