Obesity and Genetics

One in four Americans today are obese (Well, 26%). That's why everywhere you look people are trying to educate the public on the importance of establishing good eating habits from the beginning of life to reduce the risk of obesity. Being overweight myself, I thought I'd do a little research on the role genetics plays in the obesity epidemic.

I read an article in Discover Magazine recently about evolution (published in honor of Charles Darwin's 200th birthday). Some scientists believe that we stopped evolving a long time ago but there are also some who believe that we are evolving at a faster rate than ever in human history but we can't see it because the evolution of we humans is taking place on the inside. Namely in our brains.

But is linking genetics and obesity an "excuse" for people being fat? Does it really have anything to do with eating too much and not exercising enough? I mean, there are plenty of skinny people out there that seem to eat what they want and don't have a problem. Or maybe they are just more disciplined? Maybe they have the willpower that others lack? Who is to say, exactly, where willpower ends and genetics begins? Or, are they unrelated? I need answers!!

When my husband showed me the article on evolution, I couldn't help but notice (and read) one on the "next best thing" in weight loss drugs. They are targeting the brain to see what works as far as chemicals that your body uses to say whether you are full or hungry among other ideas.

Let me give you a little background on myself.

In 2005 I knew that I had to lose weight if I wanted to have a baby. So, I started Weight Watchers and I lost 83 pounds in a year's time. It was easy and hard. Easy in that once I got "into a groove" it became less burdensome to say "no" to foods and hard in that in order to maintain my weight loss I had to continue on my diet and exercise an hour every day. In 2006 we started trying to get pregnant and it took us nearly a year. In that time I stopped the dieting and exercising regimen that I religiously stuck to for a year mainly because I didn't want to be on a diet and have to exercise for an hour every day for the rest of my life to maintain the weight loss. (I don't know about you, but now that I have a baby I don't have the time to devote a whole hour. But I do fit in 30 minutes 4 times a week.)

Subsequently I gained back some of the weight I lost before I got pregnant. Now I am within 10 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight. I don't have high blood pressure and I don't have high cholesterol. I am basically a healthy individual. I know what I need to do to lose weight and that I probably should, but I think it's more important to be happy with yourself and the big key to that one is my husband being happy with me. And, as he tells me all the time, he is.

Anyway, back to the genetics. My mother is overweight and so was my father (who died of a heart attack in his 40's). So, I would say that I am genetically pre-dispositioned to be overweight. However, my sister is a size 2. You do the math.

Doing a Google search for "obesity and genetics" brings over 1 million results (unlike a search for "mommy vomitpants" but I digress) so I guess it's a kind of hot topic. So much so that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a Perspective on Obesity and Genetics where they link to a ton of information on the subject. I found this chart to be interesting (click to enlarge):

They basically say that even if someone is predisposed to be overweight they can certainly maintain a healthy weight with the right diet and exercise. Well, no duh. Thanks for the revelation CDC. It isn't rocket science to know that if you expend more than you take in that you will lose weight. But I don't think losing the weight is the problem, I think keeping it off is. Like I said, it's easy to lose weight if you have the right mind set. As a matter of fact, the key is the mind set.

So, what does all of this have to do with being a parent? Well, in my mind being a parent means doing better for your children that your parents did for you. As I grew up in the 80's Kool Aid and soda pop were the staples when it came to beverages. Willow? She gets milk and water. This brings me to a recent article (also available on MSNBC) in Discover magazine called: Is Baby Fat a Warning Sign? New Research Links Infants’ Weight Gain to Obesity. And what does the article say? Well, to sum up, a new study has found that the rate at which infants gain weight in the first six months of their lives is linked to those babies’ risk of becoming obese by age three.

To me, this means that genetics are playing a roll. You certainly don't want to put your baby on a diet but you should, as a parent, make sure that they eat good food and teach them by example what good eating habits are. We are all human and children are no exception. It doesn't help that we live in the land of plenty and "bad" food is (often times) less expensive that "good" food (hello dollar menu).

Even if you (like me) aren't in the best shape you could be, that doesn't mean you can't be a good example for your children making a change for yourself as well. We may not know what role genetics plays in obesity but science is getting closer.

More information (from Discover Magazine)
Whodunnit: TV or Fast Food or Genes?
Genetics Has Key Role In Obesity
20 Things You Didn't Know About...Obesity
Why We Get Fat