The Fat Gene
Today's Skinny Daily Post reprints a New York Times article about a possible "fat gene" in approximately ten percent of the population, which predisposes people to obesity. Possibly. Maybe. Nor not.
I don't exactly think this is big news, although La Wade will certainly correct me if I'm wrong. Don't we all know people who blame their genetics for fat thighs or big arms? Isn't this predisposition well known? Isn't it obviously true that related people will tend to share a body shape? Sure, it's part nurture, but genetics obviously plays into it, and some people are naturally thinner or heavier than others. Right?
As for myself, I have no biological relatives to speak of, so I have nowhere I can place the blame for my fat, at least not gentically. However, my mother is a "food is love" type of person, as I wrote about in Tales from the Scale on numerous occasions, I believe. In fact, my parents are in town and for Easter I got a pile of candy and pastries! They also critique my weight on a regular basis. Aah, family.
If you have any other ideas about the implications of the "fat gene" let me know. I don't think it really will encourage society to be more tolerant of the overweight, but of course I would be happy to be wrong.
I don't exactly think this is big news, although La Wade will certainly correct me if I'm wrong. Don't we all know people who blame their genetics for fat thighs or big arms? Isn't this predisposition well known? Isn't it obviously true that related people will tend to share a body shape? Sure, it's part nurture, but genetics obviously plays into it, and some people are naturally thinner or heavier than others. Right?
As for myself, I have no biological relatives to speak of, so I have nowhere I can place the blame for my fat, at least not gentically. However, my mother is a "food is love" type of person, as I wrote about in Tales from the Scale on numerous occasions, I believe. In fact, my parents are in town and for Easter I got a pile of candy and pastries! They also critique my weight on a regular basis. Aah, family.
If you have any other ideas about the implications of the "fat gene" let me know. I don't think it really will encourage society to be more tolerant of the overweight, but of course I would be happy to be wrong.
6 Comments:
I'm certainly not denying that there could be such a predisposition. However, I think that the fact that the USA as a nation is so much larger now than we were just 50 years ago means that any genetic "explanation" is almost certainly wishful thinking with a side of rose-colored glasses. That's not long enough for a genetic bias to rise up out of nowhere, not by a long shot.
Its certainly easy to blame genetics. Much easier than, say, lifestyle and diet. That doesn't mean its not a factor ... just not the only one (or, quite possibly, not even a major one). The reporter's comment, "Do you think you have the gene? Does it help to explain why it might be hard for you to lose weight?" really helps to feed (no pun intended) the modern, its-not-my-fault mentality.
As a random thought, there's an interesting timeline over at Spark. Not directly related, just... interesting.
There are a lot of genetic mutations that are known to be associated with human obesity. This paper is of interest, though, because to my knowledge, this is by far the most common mutation to be associated with "obesity" to date.
I put "obesity" in quotes because it looks like the effects of this gene are actually pretty modest. In both men and women, people with the mutant version of the gene had, on average, a BMI about two points higher than those with the "normal" version of the gene. Other gene mutations have been found in people that cause very dramatic effects on body weight but these mutations are only found in a tiny number of people worldwide.
Most researchers in the field think that the vast majority of cases of obesity are caused by a combination of genetic predisposition (possibly in many cases from several different genes, each with a modest effect on body weight) AND behavioral factors. Richard already made the point that changes in genetics can't account for the increase in obesity over the last 20-30 years. But genes and environment interact so closely that I don't really see much point in differentiating between the two anyway.
-La Wade
And then there's the fat virus to blame one's plight on also. It increases the fat cells in your body.
There's some good commentary over at the SDP about genes as predisposition, not fate.
or in this case the genetic component is one's sensitivity to famines whether that famine is just not enough caloires which causes binging and weight gain later or quality famines where the body interprets the food enviroment that is poor quality to be a famine requiring the save up and store fat for future use message.
in others words a famine need not be too little caloires it could be too many caloires that are poor quality and not all people respond to such a poor quality food enviroment some do and the degree depends on genetics and past dieting history, the caloire is actually irrelavent considering how many people can eat about the same foods and amounts and exercise pretty much the same and still have wide variations in weight, fat to muscle ratio etc.
this is what some researchers discoverd. they really can't agree on the real culprit of obesity, (because experience has shown over the last fifty years or so that restricting caloires to force fat burning doesn't work in the long run. the long run meaning 5-10 or 15 years.
tho you have some who do restrict (the 2 percent that manage) for long periods like this maintain a fairly constant lower weight, but if you actually looked at their body, they have lower famine sensitivity, their bodies don't fight against semi starvation as much as someone with high famine sensitivity.
their bodies don't go into famine mode or whatnot as severly as those whose bodies are very senstivie to food restriction (famines) even modest restrictions triggors these mechnisms for restoring fat.
they have reduced immune function and suffer organ damage over time if they manage to keep the weight they lost off through caloire control
but they suffer other side affects, such as they sometimes have token binges, they have high fat and low muscle ratio, they have lower energy, lower body temps etc. I mean you can write a book about his component that is ignored in the media and still there would be alot of unanswered questions.
and basically two componenets have changed over the last 100 years, people have more to eat, they arne't living hand to mouth, and thus they have a famine to recover from from generations of having to get by on less from time to time, but the food quality has gone done, more processing, more junk, more hectic lifestyle making it difficult to eat well consistently to avoid triggoring the quality famine for those who gain weight easily or whatnot.
so those who are sensitive to lower food quality (not because of too many caloires) their bodies respond as if they really are in a famine situation and need to replace or build fat for the future famine that will probably come up, as far as the bodies genetic code is concerned.
it is really sad that eating has become such a taboo in socieity if you are fat, if you are thin despite a healty appetite and not worrying about food eat as much as you want or what you want with little or no weight gain no one cares, they look at you and think you are thin and look pretty healthy, no need to interfere with what they are doing.
sometimes people assume that such people really have moral superiority to the obese but in reality their bodies just aren't famine sensitive to the degree needed to cause weight gain, their bodies hum along and the person seldom if ever considers what they are eating, except if they are health conscious which has little to do with weight management for these people.
so they don't have to have any or very little self control, but people assume they do because they are thin, they see a fat person and consider them lacking in such qualities only because they see a fat person, and do not see beyond that and start judging them as morally weak, gluttons or whatnot.
and really I would think the focuse would be better at helping all to be healthier have more energy and better quality of life and losing weight by restricting caloires or whatnot may make you thinner but not necessarily happier or healthier.
and another good thing would be if as a people (in america can't speak for other nations) we would focus more on other things instead of judging based on appearances. tho it is difficult to do sometimes I think if people really try we can get beyond this you are what you look like mentality.
RR
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Thanks, Roberta. That's fascinating.
Thanks, Roberta. That's fascinating.
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