Eating habits are genetic?

[CF-OC_gal]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/genes/w...y_burden.shtml

A heavy burden?
Some people stay slim with the minimal of effort. For others, battling the bulge is part of everyday life and permanent weight loss seems almost impossible to achieve. Now the race is on to find a gene which controls weight gain. Some might regulate our appetite while others are involved in processing the food we have eaten.

Do you struggle to sleep soundly when there’s chocolate cake in the fridge? Your eating habits are governed by your genes according to a recent study. Identical twins who have grown up apart were shown to have very similar dining habits despite their different upbringings. They like to eat at the same time of day and felt full after the same about of food. In comparison, non-identical twins have dining habits which are much more varied. A researcher on the study exclaimed that it would be as easy to change your dining habits as it would to change your breathing!

A twin study in the UK has shown that the percentage of body fat carried by a middle-aged woman is more determined by her genes than by diet or exercise. And the same study of female twins showed that genes also play a role in where in the body that fat is stored. This finding also has significant health implications. Storing fat around your middle to make an apple shape is a sign that you are at increased risk from heart disease and diabetes. Pear-shaped women are at lower risk.


So weight is one of those complex features which is likely to be influenced by many different genes and all manner of external influences. But there is no doubt about the impact of external factors. Diet and exercise will shed the pounds if you can stick at it. Genetics won't provide an excuse for tucking into fish and chips every night but there may be a genetic explanation for why some people find that diets never seem to work.

I say this is an interesting reality check. It's not an excuse to give up on diet control, but rather to focus on health and not shape as fitness goals as you age. Learn to accept what you can change.

The findings about eating habits I think are a statement about what will ,for some people, be a lifelong effort and other just identifying the external influences.

[threenorns]

to me, it's just validating the old "it runs in the family" excuse my sisters have been using all their lives.

[CF-OC_gal]

I don't think it gives excuses for anything other than how your body will look at various scale weights and body fat levels.

Some people will be fighting internal urges all their lives and others will be fighting their lifestyle choices.

[mooshy]

I think on some level this may be correct. I think that we are naturally attracted to foods because of the hormones they release in our bodies and the way those react with our brains. Its not an excuse to eat poorly because there is always the livestyle choice part of it. Theres always the choice to eat or not eat something

[krazE]

I personally do not think there is truth to that! Look at Jared from Subway (jk).

[krazE]

Another thing.. I do not see any sources listed for the information/research.

[midgetcop]

If anything, I think parallels in eating habits within families comes from being raised in a particular environment. You eat what your parents ate because that's what they fed you, and that's what you know.

I drink black coffee because that's how my mom drinks it. I only like dry wine because that's how my mom likes it. It's what I grew up with.

I'm not ruling out certain genetic influences (thyroid problems, etc), but environment must certainly play a major role.

[threenorns]

mom was quite thin for much of our lives, but yeah, dad's side is largely composed of REALLY BIG ppl. seems to be a status symbol with them - maybe something to do with life during WWII and post-war britain.

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by krazE

I personally do not think there is truth to that! Look at Jared from Subway (jk).

I think he is a perfect example. The money he's paid is probably and excellent example of how to "override" the urges especially when there are additional benefits and rewards of self esteem and peer acceptance. We should all be so lucky with postive reinforcement for healthy behaviours.

The last line in the piece sums it up. We are talking predispositions here.

Genetics won't provide an excuse for tucking into fish and chips every night but there may be a genetic explanation for why some people find that diets never seem to work.

BTW - the reference link is at the top of the post. The BBC is a credible documentary producer. I'm sure if you wanted to investigate their sources on their site or by email they would satisfy your curiosity.

[pseudonym]

Originally Posted by Brat

We should all be so lucky with postive reinforcement for healthy behaviours.

welcome to DF.com ... do you have a journal

I rekon this is a great place for exactly that reason (assuming a 'real life' group of over/under-weight apathetic exercise avoiding friends )