Obesity: Should You Blame It on Your Genes?

How many times have you blamed your weight on your genes? According to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, obesity genes may not play as strong of a role as previously believed in causing a person to be overweight or obese. Social factors and poor eating habits are a more likely cause for the rise in obesity rates seen in this country in the last few decades.

The Genetics of Obesity: The Study

Researchers determined the genotypes or genetic content of the cells of 20,431 people between the ages of 39 and 79. Based on the results of this genetic analysis, they assigned each person an obesity risk score. The results? This study suggests that obesity genes play very little role in determining whether a person will be overweight or obese. According to this study, as few as one in hundred cases of obesity can be attributed to a person’s genes.

Obesity and Genes: Some Medical Conditions Can Play a Role

It doesn’t seem like obesity can be explained by obesity genes in most people, although certain medical conditions do increase the risk of weight gain and some of these conditions run in families. Some examples of medical conditions that make it more difficult to lose weight are hypothyroidism, diabetes, and a condition called Cushing’s syndrome. There are also certain rare genetic conditions that are associated with obesity.

The Genetics of Obesity: Are Poor Eating Habits and Lack of Exercise the Only Cause?

Despite the results of this study, there is some evidence that obesity genetics may play some role in causing a person to be overweight. Studies have shown that when one twin is obese, the risk of the other being overweight or obese is higher even if the two twins were raised apart from one another. One study that looked at over 4,000 twins found a strong tendency for body weights and BMI’s to be similar between pairs of twins – suggesting genetics do, indeed, play a strong role.

The Bottom Line?

Despite the results of this new study, there’s evidence that genetics does influence a person’s risk of obesity – although it may not be a single gene or even a small group of genes, but an interaction between many genes that causes a person to be overweight or obese. Unfortunately, no one can control the genes they were born with. Many people have managed to achieve a normal body weight through exercise and good habits even when they come from a family where most members are overweight. It may be more of a challenge, but the results are worth.