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While some people fight all their lives in the "battle of the bulge," others seem to stay slim without effort. And now, scientists say everything comes down to genetics.
According to British researchers, some DNAs help determine whether weight gain is a torment for people.
"It's easy to judge and criticize people for their weight, but science shows that things are much more complex," said study leader Sadaf Farooqi.
Instead, "we have much less control over our weight than we might wish to think," said Farooqi. She is a professor at the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Sciences of the University of Cambridge.
An American expert accepted.
"We stigmatize people according to their weight and subconsciously blame them for not taking care of themselves," said Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of the Obesity Surgery Department at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York .
"We say that they lack will, but this study shows rather that the thinnest and heavier have genetic dispositions that control their weight."
Of course, a number of factors affect weight, including eating habits and exercise level. But some people remain skinny despite unhealthy lifestyles, while others struggle against overweight and obesity despite their best efforts, noted the British team.
Previous studies on "obesity" genes have been focused on people already overweight or obese.
But the new study also looked at thin people (those with a body mbad index of 18 or less), trying to figure out why they often find it easier to stay slim.
Genetic dice loaded
To do this, the Cambridge group badyzed the DNA of more than 1,600 healthy and thin Britons. They then compared this data with the genetics of nearly 2,000 severely obese people and more than 10,000 normal weight individuals.
The researchers have spotted several common genetic variants already linked to obesity. They also discovered new genetic regions linked to severe obesity and some linked to a "healthy slimming".
The researchers then added the contribution of the different genetic variants to calculate the "genetic risk score" of each person.
"As expected, we found that obese people had a higher genetic risk score than normal-weight people, which contributes to their risk of being overweight," said the co-author of the study, Ines Barroso, of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, in a university press release. .
"The genetic dice are loaded against them," said Barroso.
Thin people also had fewer genetic variants known to increase the chances of being overweight, according to the study published Jan. 24 in the journal PLoS Genetics.
Farooqi's conclusion is: "Thin people in good health are usually thin because they have fewer genes that increase the risk of being overweight and not because they are morally superior, as suggested by some people."
These "thin genes" seem to be pbaded down from generation to generation, the study's authors added. About 74% of the thin people participating in the study had a family history of thin, healthy people.
Does this mean that less talented people in genetics should simply shrug their shoulders and give way to become obese? Not really, said Michelle Milgrim, nutritionist and weight management expert.
"While genetics can play a major role in determining our" weight weight ", more and more research suggests that the way we live our lives is as important as our genetic predispositions." said Milgrim, employee wellness manager at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, New York.
"Staying active, sitting for a shorter time, cutting processed and fast foods, and focusing on a balanced diet of whole foods are healthy recommendations for everyone, despite your genes," she said. .
At the same time, Cambridge researchers said their research could one day help everyone stay slim, regardless of their personal DNA.
"We already know that people can be thin for different reasons," Farooqi said. "Some people just are not interested in food while others can eat what they want, but never gain weight.If we find the genes that prevent them from gaining weight, we may be able to target them for weight-loss strategies and help people who do not have this benefit. "
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