Is WEIGHT GAIN caused by genetics or not? **For my Paper**

kassiebby1124

I'm writing an English paper and my thesis is defending the idea that gaining weight is not ruled by genetics but I'd like to see some of you all's opinions and if you have references or links to data, that would be appreciated. What do you think? Is it's genetics fault or other factors?


These are the points I'm addressing in the paper:

Thesis: While genetics play a role in how quickly food is processed and where is is lost first when one loses weight, it is in no way associated with weight gain.
Point one: Genetics play a role in an individual’s “ideal weight,” not how much they gain.
Point two: Weight gain is caused by increased caloric intake; if you eat more than you burn, you gain weight, if you eat less, you lose it.
Point three: Many people focus on blaming genetics when they do not want to put in the effort it takes to lose weight or to maintain weight loss.

aarnwine2013

No, I don't believe it's genetics. I think it's eating more calories than you burn.

psuLemon

Genetics does not determine your weight. What genetics can affect is: muscle and bone structure, blood pressure, medical issues, cholesterol.

SezxyStef

no...it does not...

Genetics is for internal things you can't control...

Weight gain is allll about excess calories...

nomeejerome

If you are in school, don't you have access to research, journals etc?

To answer your question:
Calorie surplus=weight gain

kwantlen2051

I think it's more "eating habits that get passed on from parents to offspring" than "genetics" that produce families and families of overweight people.

MrsRatfire

Metabolic disorders that are genetic are serious diseases. I have one. I am lucky to be alive. I believe this topic of genetics is way too wide for an English paper as you need to draw a conclusion. There are MANY genetic variations that are considered metabolic. MANY of them are a missing or dysfunctional enzyme that causes the problem. They are extremely difficult to diagnose and very expensive to diagnose, and can be deadly and crippling. Most of people with MD have a disorder of the metabolism. Another HUGE category are called, Fatty Acid Oxidation Disorders. Many people die from this and on the FOD Group Support site, there is a section of "in memorial",

Another HUGE category is called Glycogen Storage Disorders. Although they have overlaps with FOD's, they usually do cause weight gain. Many FOD people end up storing weight as well. I could go on and on about the genetic disorders that impact weight and metabolism all Genetic, and I could not scratch the surface in this e-mail. Unfortunately, it you do a google of these diseases, you will probably find a watered down solution, such as that FOD's will live normal lives and just have to restrict their diet. Well, tell that to the people in the wheel chairs that at one time, could dance, walk & hold a job.

In my particular case, my issues include muscle spasms that are crippling- where I scream in agony as every thread of my body reacts to running out of fuel. this is common. My liver and heart do not function correctly and are in danger of damage and stopping during these episodes. I run out of fuel, even though I eat. I MUST eat more than a normal person, I MUST eat carb and I cannot make it through the overnight fast. These symptoms are common. I also have stored a lot of weight, which I am working on. If you want more information on this, I would be happy to give you some better web links to some of these diseases. You will find the quick google searches to probably tell you, none of this. In fact, they are often entirely wrong.

You would somehow have to eliminate this huge group of rare genetic disorders. In the course of an English paper, this is too complex and lengthy to do. There are MANY fitness subjects you could work on, but this one, will end up to be incorrect and very possibly, highly offensive to anyone that understands this. Metabolic diseases are not as rare as you think. Yes they are all considered rare, but there are thousands of us, everywhere.

I rarely tell anyone that I even have a metabolic disorder, they usually interrupt and say , "So do I.". You are correct in that there are a lot of people blaming genetics, and they are wrong for the most part. But those of us who actually have a genetic disorder of the metabolism, are very ill. We eventually all have issues with weight, if we do not die as infants or children. Contact me if you want more information.

kassiebby1124

If you are in school, don't you have access to research, journals etc?

To answer your question:
Calorie surplus=weight gain

I do I just wanted some outside opinions, as well. I have to use research, lol. But I want to make sure I can defend my point as well as support the opposing side and asking for input helps with that.

MrsRatfire

MY POST IS VERY LONG- BUT IT IS A MUST READ. YES, THERE ARE GENETIC DISEASES THAT AFFECT THE METABOLISM. PLEASE, ALL OF YOU READ THIS. YES, THERE ARE CONDITIONS THAT LEAD TO WEIGHT GAIN.

_KitKat_

I believe it is 98% calorie in calorie out. There are those though that may have hormone imbalances or other biological considerations that may not properly trigger hunger and fullness.

I do know of one example, and now i will be googling to find the name of it. When I was in school I had a friend that was extremely athletic (junior Olympics, runner and swimmer), as a child she KNEW she would be very large as an adult, he father suffered from a condition that caused massive weight gain and her mother carried the gene for it. All the kids were tested and 2 of the 3 had the disease (or condition not sure of the right word). She did start becoming large at the end of highschool and was still extremely active. As an adult she battles it and is large but not debilitated like her father became, unfortunately her older sister has not been as lucky and it is affecting her more. Now I am off to google, I may even try to reach her but it is a touchy subject. This condition from what I had been told is also extremely rare.

For other genetic predispositions, I believe most people of a healthy weight learn to deal with it, it is also their own body so it really is the only thing they know. Some do have higher metabolisms naturally due to natural body composition and muscle ratio.

Edited to add, just read the post above very informative.

kassiebby1124

I believe it is 98% calorie in calorie out. There are those thought that may have hormone imbalances or other biological considerations that may not properly trigger hunger and fullness.

I do know of one example, and now i will be googling to find the name of it. When I was in school I had a friend that was extremely athletic (junior Olympics, runner and swimmer), as a child she KNEW she would be very large as an adult, he father suffered from a condition that caused massive weight gain and her mother carried the gene for it. All the kids were tested and 2 of the 3 had the disease (or condition not sure of the right word). She did start becoming large at the end of highschool and was still extremely active. As an adult she battles it and is large but not debilitated like her father became, unfortunately her older sister has not been as lucky and it is affecting her more. Now I am off to google, I may even try to reach her but it is a touchy subject. This condition from what I had been told is also extremely rare.

For other genetic predispositions, I believe most people of a healthy weight learn to deal with it, it is also their own body so it really is the only thing they know. Some do have higher metabolisms naturally due to natural body composition and muscle ratio.

Thank you (:

omma_to_3

We all have different metabolic rates and that can and is affected by our genetic make-up. Still, eating more calories than your body burns is what causes weight gain. But, one female weighing 150 lbs could have a BMR around 1300 calories, and another could have a BMR of 1700 calories - even if they had similar body compositions. So from that perspective, some people will be more prone to gain weight easily because their metabolism is lower than the "standard" assumption and the vast majority of people do not know what their actual BMR is.

Mr_Knight

Point one: Genetics play a role in an individual’s “ideal weight,” not how much they gain.

If you believe the world runs strictly on "science", then genetics is a huge determinant in weight gain.

SLLRunner

Genetics doesn't affect weight loss, but it does affect our body build, etc.

Weight is determined by how much we eat.

_KitKat_

OP you should read this... http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/causes/index.html and this http://www.cdc.gov/genomics/resources/diseases/obesity/index.htm

It is from the CDC, I did find another article that was interesting, but it was written by a weight loss surgery place so I did not find it credible.

Mr_Knight

Weight is determined by how much we eat.

Which is governed by genetics (plus a bunch of other science stuff).

psuLemon

Metabolic disorders that are genetic are serious diseases. I have one. I am lucky to be alive. I believe this topic of genetics is way too wide for an English paper as you need to draw a conclusion. There are MANY genetic variations that are considered metabolic. MANY of them are a missing or dysfunctional enzyme that causes the problem. They are extremely difficult to diagnose and very expensive to diagnose, and can be deadly and crippling. Most of people with MD have a disorder of the metabolism. Another HUGE category are called, Fatty Acid Oxidation Disorders. Many people die from this and on the FOD Group Support site, there is a section of "in memorial",

Another HUGE category is called Glycogen Storage Disorders. Although they have overlaps with FOD's, they usually do cause weight gain. Many FOD people end up storing weight as well. I could go on and on about the genetic disorders that impact weight and metabolism all Genetic, and I could not scratch the surface in this e-mail. Unfortunately, it you do a google of these diseases, you will probably find a watered down solution, such as that FOD's will live normal lives and just have to restrict their diet. Well, tell that to the people in the wheel chairs that at one time, could dance, walk & hold a job.

In my particular case, my issues include muscle spasms that are crippling- where I scream in agony as every thread of my body reacts to running out of fuel. this is common. My liver and heart do not function correctly and are in danger of damage and stopping during these episodes. I run out of fuel, even though I eat. I MUST eat more than a normal person, I MUST eat carb and I cannot make it through the overnight fast. These symptoms are common. I also have stored a lot of weight, which I am working on. If you want more information on this, I would be happy to give you some better web links to some of these diseases. You will find the quick google searches to probably tell you, none of this. In fact, they are often entirely wrong.

You would somehow have to eliminate this huge group of rare genetic disorders. In the course of an English paper, this is too complex and lengthy to do. There are MANY fitness subjects you could work on, but this one, will end up to be incorrect and very possibly, highly offensive to anyone that understands this. Metabolic diseases are not as rare as you think. Yes they are all considered rare, but there are thousands of us, everywhere.

I rarely tell anyone that I even have a metabolic disorder, they usually interrupt and say , "So do I.". You are correct in that there are a lot of people blaming genetics, and they are wrong for the most part. But those of us who actually have a genetic disorder of the metabolism, are very ill. We eventually all have issues with weight, if we do not die as infants or children. Contact me if you want more information.

Well it sucks that you have a metabolic disorder, the vast majority of people do not. Yes, there are people, that have more variables when it comes to weight management and health, but again the vast majority don't.

My wife is one of those that require a special diet. She has a medical condition called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome which requires her to be gluten free and low carb. The only exercise she can do is weight training and has to make sure she maintains her electrolyte balance; this requires drinking stuff like water with nuun tablets (electrolyte tablets) and cocunut water as opposed to straight water.

MrsRatfire

You are not correct. Yes a lot of people blame genetics, but genetic errors of metabolism are very serious diseases. I have one. I have worked at my weight my entire life. I will never win, I can only improve it. You can read my post if you would like more information.

psuLemon

You are not correct. Yes a lot of people blame genetics, but genetic errors of metabolism are very serious diseases. I have one. I have worked at my weight my entire life. I will never win, I can only improve it. You can read my post if you would like more information.

I updated my post. Which metabolic issue do you have?

MrsRatfire

You are correct. But I will tell you, there are so many variations and we are all affected at different ages- and of course it progresses. Many people have one and at this time do not know it. Then they drop dead of a heart attack or something else, and no one is none the wiser. I do agree, that the unbelievable waive of obesity around the world is not genetic. It is hard to even imagine as I see it all over, I lived in a time when obesity was not the norm. I just can hardly believe how many fat young people and teenagers there are. No way they all have diseases. But- there are many of us out there. Thank you for your understanding.

MrsRatfire

I have an FOD (Fatty Oxidation disorder) and a Glycogen Storage Disorder- and gosh knows what in-between. Many of us have hybrid diseases or have things that are similar to these- yet something the geneticists have yet to label- the diagnosis is horrible complex. thank you for asking.