Is Obesity Genetic?
As life is getting more and more advanced, people’s lifestyle is showing noticeable changes. These lifestyle changes have brought several new, dreadful problems into the picture; the most alarming one being obesity. This ailment attacks not just the old, but the young and the middle-aged as well. It’s considered the most scary disorder because it cripples normal life by all ways. To add to it, obesity takes you to such a road from where there are least chances of return. Hence, it is always essential to stay away from obesity.
There are several factors that lead to obesity. But, one factor that has been gaining immense attention in the recent past is genetics. Several people who are obese and even those who aren’t overweight keep on wondering whether obesity has any connection to genes. Well, the answer is ‘yes’.
Although, genes do not totally determine whether an offspring would be obese if parents were overweight, yet it may happen that a child may get the tendency of being obese from his/her parents. Research reveals, that 6% to 85% of the population runs the risk of getting overweight due to genes. Studies reveal that polymorphisms regulate appetite and metabolism in various genes. In other words, genes decide a person’s eating habits and metabolic rate. When these genes release imbalanced hormones, there are chances that they may get passed on to the next generation. Hence, one may notice that a child whose parents are overweight also seems to have excess weight right from his/her childhood.
A family’s eating habits also cannot go unnoticed when talking about obesity. Members of the same family usually have similar eating habits. If they have the same habits like preferring junk food over nutritious food or have similar health problems arising out of eating habits, then it’s possible that most people in the same family may turn obese.
Even if a person turns obese because he/she was bestowed with such genes, it doesn’t mean it can’t be controlled. If one follows a healthy lifestyle and the right eating habits, one can easily keep one’s weight in check and keep illnesses at bay.
