Boot camp Coogee - Is Obesity Genetic?
It's easy to look at extra weight and chalk it up to genetics. Maybe one or both of your parents are heavy, and your siblings have followed suit. But if you think becoming or remaining overweight or obese is a foregone conclusion because of family history, think again.
While some people might appear to have 'skinny genes', when you take a closer look, you're more likely to see a pattern of healthier living passed from generation to generation. More shared activities and a greater concern for nutrition are often the stronger link to maintaining healthy weight than any genetic patterning.
Genetics is not a direct cause of obesity, which is defined as a person with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher; overweight is considered a BMI of 25 to 29. Obesity is no longer a health problem that is confined to industrialized countries. According to the World Health Organization, obesity has more than doubled around the world since 1980. In 2008, 500 million adults worldwide fell into the obese range; 43 million children under the age of five are overweight, and 35 million of them live in developing countries.
Major risk factors associated with excess weight include a variety of chronic diseases: diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, and sleep disorders. At least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Maintaining an unhealthy weight - whether overweight or obese - is directly linked with 44% of the diabetes cases, 23% of the ischemic heart disease, and between 7% and 41% of certain cancer (endometrial, breast, colon).
Scientists find that cultural and environmental changes - not genes - are the major contributors to weight problems. Fast-paced lifestyles forsake nutrition for convenience, and sedentary behaviors have become prevalent as more people are glued to their chairs in front of computer and television screens or waiting in a drive-through line. And family gatherings are usually centered around eating, associating comfort with food. Since the family is the strongest influencer of lifelong habits from a very young age, unhealthy behaviors often run in families - but not in the genes. A 2010 study by The Children's Hospital at the University of San Francisco reported that a child with one obese parent is 50 percent likely to become obese; the risk increases to 80 percent when both parents are obese 1.
The Pima Indians present a strong case for cultural influences on weight. Long ago, they split into two tribes - one migrating to southern Arizona and the other to northern Mexico - but were otherwise genetically one group. Cultural and economic changes pushed the Arizona Pimas away from farming in the 1970s. They adopted the diet and lifestyle of the American people.
Today, the population of Pima Indians in Arizona has one of the highest incidences of obesity of any group in the world. About half of them develop type 2 diabetes by the time they are 35 years old.
Meanwhile, the Pima Indians who have been living in Mexico continue to farm, are physically active, and consume a diet that is rich in vegetables and grains. Diabetes is a rarity among this group, and they average one inch shorter and 57 pounds less than the Pimas in America. Clearly, their lifestyle, not their genes, kept their weight at a healthier level than their Arizona kin.2 A similar trend of weight gain among a population has occurred with Africans living in the United States and Asians in the UK3
The major threats to unhealthy weight are:
* Too many non-nutritional, highly processed foods
* "Super sizing" that adds even more empty calories and excess fat
* Sedentary desk jobs with no activity breaks
* Rushed schedules that don't allow for healthful meal preparation
* Conveniences such as drive-through lines that discourage walking
* Low priority on making time for physical activity
Weight gain occurs when a person consumes more calories (fuel) than he uses. The excess becomes fat. Losing just five to ten percent of your weight can make a big difference in reducing your health risks.
The World Health Organization states, "Changes in dietary and physical activity patterns are often the result of environmental and societal changes associated with development and lack of supportive policies in sectors such as health, agriculture, transport, urban planning, environment, food processing, distribution, marketing and education."
* Rather than blame the family gene pool for weight gain, try changing the cycle of excess.
* Reduce your intake of foods that are high in fats, salt, and sugar.
* Eat more healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
* Get more proteins from nuts and legumes.
* Incorporate more walking into your day by parking farther from your office and avoiding the drive-through windows.
* Prepare healthy meals in advance so that you can eat better "on the go".
* Then share these behaviors with your family members so you can literally reshape your future!
While some people might appear to have 'skinny genes', when you take a closer look, you're more likely to see a pattern of healthier living passed from generation to generation. More shared activities and a greater concern for nutrition are often the stronger link to maintaining healthy weight than any genetic patterning.
Genetics is not a direct cause of obesity, which is defined as a person with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher; overweight is considered a BMI of 25 to 29. Obesity is no longer a health problem that is confined to industrialized countries. According to the World Health Organization, obesity has more than doubled around the world since 1980. In 2008, 500 million adults worldwide fell into the obese range; 43 million children under the age of five are overweight, and 35 million of them live in developing countries.
Major risk factors associated with excess weight include a variety of chronic diseases: diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, and sleep disorders. At least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. Maintaining an unhealthy weight - whether overweight or obese - is directly linked with 44% of the diabetes cases, 23% of the ischemic heart disease, and between 7% and 41% of certain cancer (endometrial, breast, colon).
Scientists find that cultural and environmental changes - not genes - are the major contributors to weight problems. Fast-paced lifestyles forsake nutrition for convenience, and sedentary behaviors have become prevalent as more people are glued to their chairs in front of computer and television screens or waiting in a drive-through line. And family gatherings are usually centered around eating, associating comfort with food. Since the family is the strongest influencer of lifelong habits from a very young age, unhealthy behaviors often run in families - but not in the genes. A 2010 study by The Children's Hospital at the University of San Francisco reported that a child with one obese parent is 50 percent likely to become obese; the risk increases to 80 percent when both parents are obese 1.
The Pima Indians present a strong case for cultural influences on weight. Long ago, they split into two tribes - one migrating to southern Arizona and the other to northern Mexico - but were otherwise genetically one group. Cultural and economic changes pushed the Arizona Pimas away from farming in the 1970s. They adopted the diet and lifestyle of the American people.
Today, the population of Pima Indians in Arizona has one of the highest incidences of obesity of any group in the world. About half of them develop type 2 diabetes by the time they are 35 years old.
Meanwhile, the Pima Indians who have been living in Mexico continue to farm, are physically active, and consume a diet that is rich in vegetables and grains. Diabetes is a rarity among this group, and they average one inch shorter and 57 pounds less than the Pimas in America. Clearly, their lifestyle, not their genes, kept their weight at a healthier level than their Arizona kin.2 A similar trend of weight gain among a population has occurred with Africans living in the United States and Asians in the UK3
The major threats to unhealthy weight are:
* Too many non-nutritional, highly processed foods
* "Super sizing" that adds even more empty calories and excess fat
* Sedentary desk jobs with no activity breaks
* Rushed schedules that don't allow for healthful meal preparation
* Conveniences such as drive-through lines that discourage walking
* Low priority on making time for physical activity
Weight gain occurs when a person consumes more calories (fuel) than he uses. The excess becomes fat. Losing just five to ten percent of your weight can make a big difference in reducing your health risks.
The World Health Organization states, "Changes in dietary and physical activity patterns are often the result of environmental and societal changes associated with development and lack of supportive policies in sectors such as health, agriculture, transport, urban planning, environment, food processing, distribution, marketing and education."
* Rather than blame the family gene pool for weight gain, try changing the cycle of excess.
* Reduce your intake of foods that are high in fats, salt, and sugar.
* Eat more healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
* Get more proteins from nuts and legumes.
* Incorporate more walking into your day by parking farther from your office and avoiding the drive-through windows.
* Prepare healthy meals in advance so that you can eat better "on the go".
* Then share these behaviors with your family members so you can literally reshape your future!
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