habits vs genetics?

tomteboda

I personally suspect the epigenetics branch of research is going to go down as the phrenology of the 21st century.

GaleHawkins

@tomteboda how do you connect Gall and epigenetics?

AliceAxe

Here is another interesting article on genetics of weight regulation http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/hidden-fat-gene-with-role-in-burning-energy-discovered-by-researchers-at-torontos-sickkids/article17475097/

amtyrell

99.89% is habits some of which are learned in family.

Theo166

MissusMoon wrote: »

AliceAxe wrote: »

What do you believe is more of a factor , habits or genetics?

after watching the documentary it realy has me wondering, how much is realy in our control?

AliceAxe wrote: »

What do you believe is more of a factor , habits or genetics?

after watching the documentary it realy has me wondering, how much is realy in our control?

AliceAxe wrote: »

What do you believe is more of a factor , habits or genetics?

after watching the documentary it realy has me wondering, how much is realy in our control?

. A few episodes of Secret Eaters will clear this up for you.

Never heard of 'Secret Eaters' before. found it on youtube, so here's the first episode for the curious
https://youtu.be/bYJrC3RTtgQ

FreyasRebirth

Eh.

Malnutrition during pregnancy may affect the health of future generations
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140501123447.htm

"Researchers found for pregnant mice that are malnourished that their offspring are at first growth restricted and have low birth weight but then go on to become obese and diabetic as they age."


Traces of Dutch 'Hunger Winter' in genetic material
http://www.news.leiden.edu/news/dutch-hunger-winter.html
"It could be that the metabolism of children of the Hunger Winter has been set at a more economical level, driven by epigenetic changes.' This could explain why children of the Hunger Winter suffer more frequently from obesity and cardio-vascular diseases."

Our habits, our parents' habits, our grandparents, ect, affect us (epi)genetically. So I would say separating them is difficult because they can influence each other. Genetics influence behavior (the original syndrome referenced causes a constant hunger and lack of satiety) and behavior can change us on an epigenetic level.

heiliskrimsli

Treece68 wrote: »

sunnybeaches105 wrote: »

Ask yourself how many morbidly obese people existed 100 years ago.

Well 100 years ago would be 1916 and the answer is ... mostly rich people

A hundred years ago people would pay admission to see the curiosity of a person who weighed 350 pounds. Today, I can see people much larger than that on any random trip to Walmart.

macchiatto

I haven't watched the documentary, but I have my own little "twin study" at home that's been intriguing to me.

We have 8y/o fraternal twin boys.
"Leo" has been 1/4"-1/2" taller than "Oliver" pretty much since birth. The first 2 years he was the heavier one.
"Oliver" started out 3 oz heavier, has always been WAY more active. He was more slim and wiry as a toddler.

Now at 8, Leo is maybe 1/2" taller, but Oliver has ranged from 6-8 lbs heavier over the past two years.
Oliver is *far* more active and they eat fairly similar types and amounts of food (I wouldn't do this, but it would be interesting to actually log their food for a few weeks to see if their intake is more different than it seems), ... yet Oliver's BMI is 80th percentile and Leo's is 25th.

Even at 8, it seems like Oliver takes more after DH and his side of the family with a more stocky, muscular build, while Leo takes more after me and my dad (more long and lean, though with a little bit of a belly). At this age, it's not that obvious just from looking at them, but it shows up on the scale and in the BMI chart.

Unknown

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erinsaarela

This is an AWFUL documentary to compare to genetics. My son has prader willi syndrome, he is missing the paternal part of his 15th chromosome. There is a 1 in 15,000 chance of being born with prader willi syndrome, it's extremely unfair to compare that to the general population and ask if being overweight is because of genetics. The girl in this documentary can not control that she is starving all the time - it has nothing to do with how overweight her parents are or how she was raised. People with this syndrome didn't survive before we had medical interventions necessary to keep them alive at birth because of their failure to thrive. People with prader willi feel like they feel are literally starving all the time, but they have low muscle tone so they require only about 800-1000 calories a day (ironic), they have a hard time exercising for long periods because of the low muscle tone (they work 2 to 3 times harder to do something than we do, it took my son until he was 6 months old to hold up his head), and they have trouble maintaining a normal body temperature.

heiliskrimsli

Doesn't Prader-Willi also tend to be accompanied by developmental deficiencies (borderline low to low IQ) that make it harder for those who have it to manage their own affairs (including their own diets)?

erinsaarela

Yes, it's pretty common to have a lower IQ. People with PWS need a good support system to control food and diet.

jesspen91

Something that I don't think has been mentioned yet is body shape.

I am fairly petite at 134lbs and have a healthy BMI but my WHR is too high at 0.81. When I put on weight it is all situated around my torso and I always end up losing a lot of lower body mass before I can start shifting the belly fat.

I therefore need to maintain a lower weight than someone who gains weight proportionally or in their lower body as my body shape leaves me more susceptible to health problems.

Looking at my mum and granny I can see that this is entirely genetic.

BeGrandLike

I think that putting genetics and habits on opposite sides of the question creates a false dichotomy that doesn't really help anyone?

There are lots of factors that go into weight and overall health in general. Yeah, genetics plays a part. I mean, I was born a 5'3" woman, and both of those factors are 100% genetics and pretty much give me my BMR. I wouldn't be surprised if other genetic factors played a part in how efficiently we metabolise food or in what kinds of food we can or can't eat. Makes sense, right?

And then of course there's all the theories about the effect of gut microbiome on what foods we can digest and how well we do that. But then there's the idea that we can affect change in that microbiome simply by living/eating in a way that encourages a better set of bacteria to thrive ("if you eat healthily, the bacteria that nom on healthy things will thrive. Cause there's plenty there for them").

Of course, the science isn't exactly in on any of this 'cause humans are complicated. But like, I know that a year ago I weighed more than I do now, had less energy, was prone to anxiety/depression. Today I'm not really any of those things. I know that when I first started eating better (less calories, more unprocessed food, y'know the drill like) I had a few weeks when things were not excellent in the digestion dept. But my body adjusted, and now I feel a million times better.

So like, yeah, genetics plays a part. And yeah, probably epigenetics (damn you great-grandparents and your life experiences!) might but we have no idea how or to what extent. And microbiomes and probably dozens of other factors we haven't thought of yet. Not to mention the structures of the environment in which we live- I mean, I remember reading a study that showed that people who live in places with good public transport networks tend to be a few pounds lighter than people who live in places without 'em, 'cause they're likely to walk ten minutes to and from the bus/train station a few times a day. Small things add up.

None of that takes from the fact that wherever you start from and whatever you're working with, we all have a massive range of possible bodies and levels of health that we can choose from through our own actions. I'll never be Usain Bolt, but I sure can be better at running for the bus. I'll never have perfect model-features, but I sure can lose a bitta weight and get rid of the belly and any extra chins.