Obesity: Genetics or Environment?
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This, we live in such a blame culture, I hate it. People should take responsibility for themselves and not blame everyone around them. Common sense is slowly disappearing and being replaced by thousands of warning labels.
I'm laughing as I picture warning labels on the cake I just ate.
Given that the environment is unlikely to change, individuals who want to maintain a healthy weight do need to find a way to do this on the individual level, but the environment makes it very difficult for susceptible individuals. Food is big business and carefully designed from start to finish (recipe, advertising, packaging, price, location) to sell by hitting the sensory triggers. I know (strange) people who don't like sweets (jk on the strange.) Are they "better" or have better will power than those who respond pleasurably to sugar? I don't think it's will power that contributes to those people eating less but luck. They don't like sweets, so there is little temptation to overeat them.0 -
Genetics can make you allot more predisposed to gaining weight and keeping it on but you are the only one that goes hand to mouth...0
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There is definitely a genetic component that makes weight control more difficult for some people. How much more difficult? I can't say, I only know how hard it is for me.
That being said, I think many of us more fit people are not as open to the idea of it obesity being genetic because we know how hard we work and are sick of people saying that we are "genetically blessed."
All bodies are different, and I think we should use this information to not judge someone right away for being overweight. Then again, I know my overweight family members who are constantly saying their obesity is "genetic," do not exercise EVER and keep a bunch of crap food in their house.0 -
Obesity is a modern epidemic.
The modern environment has made food cheaper and more readily available.
Genes haven't changed.
At all.
Not one little bit.0 -
I believe for some it's a little of both. Myself personally I feel it's environment. Neither set of my grandparents are obese and neither of my parents are obese, and never have been. My mom gained stress weight, but once she dealt with that, she has lost most of that and some and she looks great! Both of my brother's have always been on the lean side, I wouldn't say skinny, but fairly fit. Myself on the other hand once I hit high school I was always a little bigger then most friends. Certainly not the biggest but no where near the smallest. I grew up with three older boys who could eat. I wanted to eat what they ate. By my senior year, I had even out some and then once I moved out and in with my boyfriend, that's when I ballooned. I sat around, smoke, drank, ordered out all the time. It's not question as to why I gained weight. Not because of my parents.. not because of my grandparents or my dna. It's because I was sitting on my *kitten* doing nothing but eating, drinking, and smoking (real healthy right?)
I don't think the genetics can be cut out 100%. I think it's easy to blame genetics because if you have two obese parents, maybe 7/10 times the child will be on the heavy side because they are eating the same crap that is making the parents overweight. And same goes for more fit parents who exercise regularly and eat healthy foods.
Obviously there is no proven fact to my statement, it's just my opinion and what I think from the people that I have come across in my life.0 -
u do what??Genetics can make you allot more predisposed to gaining weight and keeping it on but you are the only one that goes hand to mouth...
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If it's genetics, then everyone's genetics changed in and around 1980 and will continue to change because we're getting fatter by the day, well, in the USA that is.0
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Bad government advice and bad science, so environment.0
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Obesity is 100% caused by one specific part of our environment: food.0
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I watched a programme once where a woman who was convinced she had a valid genetic reason why she couldn't lose weight was tested, turns out her genes were fine and there was no medical reason why she shouldn't be able to lose weight. They also tested two friends, one who could 'eat what she wanted' and not gain weight, the other who was overweight but sure she ate less than her friend. They monitored them for 2 weeks, turned out the larger one ate more and exercised less than the thinner one.
A lot of people (not directed to anyone on here) blame large frames or bad genetics, but very, very few people have actual medical excuses to be overweight.
^^^^ This!0 -
I think it's a bit of both. My parents are overweight and I gain weight very easily, my body will look for any excuse! I put on quite a bit in my first pregnancy despite going to the gym and eating healthily, and I put on a massive amount in my 2nd pregnancy because I didn't exercise as much as I should have done. I know plenty of women who never exercise and didn't put on anywhere near the same amount of weight.
My brother, sister and I all struggle with our weight. My brother and I exercise like crazy and are a bit obsessive over healthy eating and manage to lose weight, my sister isn't so bothered, although she does swim 3 or 4 times a week, and she is overweight.
I know plenty of people who never exercise and eat what they like and aren't overweight, although I don't know what their body fat percentage is.
Luckily my parents always made us healthy food at home, so eating healthily is not a problem. They never really encouraged exercise though, although we did walk everywhere, and I did do gymnastics and swimming for a bit.
I have 2 young kids - 3 and 1 - and their attitudes to food are quite different. My 3 year old son is not bothered about food at all, and I have to bribe him to eat, but he's still grown nice and tall. He's lucky I guess to be tall and skinny. My 18 month old daughter loves food and won't let you feed her, she has to do it herself, but she knows to stop when she's full. They are both incredibly active, we walk everywhere and my son stopped sitting in a buggy just after he was 2.
I think today we are generally more clued up on health and fitness. I will make sure my kids eat well, and exercise regularly.0 -
ya just blame the food , thats why half your country is obese ... its alot more than food0
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Both can make it easier to become obese, but the real blame goes to the individual. Case in point, myself, the daughter of two (formerly) morbidly obese parents with a (formerly) morbidly obese sister who never has fallen into the overweight category. All but one of my grandparents spent a majority of their adulthood obese as well. If it was all up to genetics, clearly I would be obese. As far as environment goes, by the time I moved out of my parents they were both morbidly obese and my sister was at least moderately obese. I chose activity and portion control regardless of my unhealthy surroundings.
The real thing making the population obese? Putting the blame outside of yourself.0 -
It has to be a bit of both...
There are people who are predisposed to being larger...it is the way thier body is made up and how they hold and carry their weight can make them look bigger or smaller then they actually are.
I am a short curvy girl. I am not saying food choices i have made haven't gotten me to the current body shape I have - they did to a point...however I will never have skinny hips and booty - I have a large bone structure and am packing a nice layer of muscle underneath my layer of flubber. My sister who is a good 3 inches taller and fit - has the same hips and booty...so I know that is here to stay. I always laugh over the fact that when I was on WW they calculated the best weight for me would be to 135...I have to laugh - if I ever saw 135 on the scale I would look anorexic...even my Dr. agreed with me...with my body structure there is no way 135 would be good for my body...my best "weight" should be about 160 (I currenty weight about 179)...and even with that according to the stupid BMI charts I would still be in the high overweight category...
Genetics is huge for all faucets of life...yes environment can control it a bit but underlying things can be genetic in nature - so why not the predisposition to be be obese in SOME cases.
I have fraternal twins and it amazes me every day how different they are...from thier personalities, to thier interests, to thier preferences and even thier weight - I have one that is a perfect weight for her height and right where she should be and I have one that is underweight (to the point you can see her bones...I always worry that people think I don't feed my child)- went through a ton of testing to make sure nothing was wrong and we have been told it may just be her genetic makeup (since both my BIL are over 6 ft, bean pole skinny and can eat anything) - I can see where my underweight one will probably be able to get away with eating anything and not gain weight...whereas my other one will probably have to make conscience decisions about what she eats so as to not "tip the scale" - They both have about the same diet (actually the underweight one consumes more calories as I give her higher calorie health shakes from time to time to attempt to help her gain weight) - but their genetics are going to control things like height, bone structure, muscle structure, to a point metabolism0 -
ya just blame the food , thats why half your country is obese ... its alot more than food
Of course, it's food AND exercise. A lot of people drive down the street now instead of walking etc. 60 years ago people exercised more and ate less, because they had to, and obesity wasn't a problem. Now food is more readily avaliable and people exercise less and 'half your country is obese' (which country are we talking about? I'm assuming US or UK)0 -
While I believe genetics come in earlier on (some kids just seem inclined to be chubby), I believe obesity is environmental, and directly related to diet/exercise.0
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whatever the reason (absent medical) obesity can be changed and altered and fixed with dedication
some will hang on to either excuse as a reason to be complacent and lazy0 -
I think it's both but I also think a lot of people use "genetics" as an excuse. Take me as an example. My paternal grandmother, two maternal aunts and a paternal uncle are all obese and have been for as long as I can remember. And both parents have struggled with their weight (never obese but overweight) for most of their adult lives. I've also been fighting the chub for years and after a while, chalked it up to just being part of my family. I still think that's partially true but I also believe that it's no excuse to be obese. I've learned that I can eat right and exercise and beat obesity (and the heart disease that's also rampant in my family tree) regardless of whether I'm genetically predisposed or not.
And yeah, I used that whole "but I don't eat that bad" line back then too. Sure, that's how I got to 260 pounds, by NOT overeating. :huh:0 -
I to both has something to do with it, plus your own mind..0
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Both.0
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