Genetic contribution to obesity overstated

Following a genetic survey of over 20,000 people in Europe, researchers have concluded that genetics play a lesser role in obesity than previously thought.

Food Navigator reports…

“Obesity is a complex condition, but the food industry and its products have been targeted as a major culprit by many. The new research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, indicates that genes for body mass index may be responsible for less than one per cent of obesity.”

Interesting, but not surprising. My own observations of over 2,000 weight loss clients in Australia had led me to the same conclusion 5 years ago.

This… “puts the spotlight firmly back on lifestyle and diet.” Indeed it does.

We ought to point out that lifestyle and diet are also hereditary; that is they are handed down from one generation to the next. It’s easier to keep doing what we’ve always done than it is to rock the boat and challenge habits we’ve adopted from our childhood.

Consider this story about Peter, Susie and Frank.

Discussions over several years with weight loss clients has in my mind demolished the theory that obesity is simply the result of eating too much food and exercising too little. I have spoken with countless folk who had become so disillusioned and disheartened after exercising their butt off for months and in some cases years without being able to shed more than a few lousy kilograms. These same people were eating smaller meal portions, more whole foods, less sugars and carbs, yet the fat wasn’t going anywhere.

Something more complex is evidently at work.

If you’ve been trying to lose weight and have become frustrated at a lack of progress, I’d be very keen to hear your story.