One of the most significant public health problems of our times in modern society is obesity. It affects thousands living all over the world and besides leading to serious chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart attack and strokes for example also raises that person’s lifetime risk for such an illness to one fifth or more. At the same time, recent research has shown that while lifestyle factors such as good eating habits and physical exercise are certainly very necessary, there may actually be a genetic foundation for obesity. But the intriguing question is: How much of your tendency to become overweight is inherited ultimately from ancestry? How do genetic and environmental cause together give rise to this complicated condition?
Demystifying Genetic Factors in Obesity It is well established that obesity results from a number of factors which are intertwined. These include genetic, environmental and behavioural influences. Even though choosing a healthier lifestyle is essential, studies demonstrate that some people may be born with genetic predispositions towards weight gain that are difficult to change.
The Disease Gene A commonly recognized genetic factor contributing to obesity is the so-called FTO gene (fat mass and obesity-related gene). The association between FTO variants and obesity was first reported in 2007. Carrying certain versions of the gene predisposes an individual to higher body mass index (BMI) and greater likelihood of gaining weight–particularly in their abdominal area. Yet FTO is not alone in fact there are now identified more than 200 genetic loci which influence susceptibility to obesity. These encompass genes which regulate hunger, energy metabolism and fat deposition.
For instance, severe early-onset obesity can be caused by mutations in a key appetite control gene. These people have the gene MC4R(Melanocortin 4 receptor), which is very important in stopping hunger pangs and controlling energy intake. Due to certain mutations, those of us with this gene find that we tend to eat more and so store up extra fat before long into adulthood; whereas our friends who do not carry the same defect do not develop obesity throughout their lives. In the same vein, others also have genes whose product is to influence both leptin production and action. Leptin is a very important hormone that determines our subjective sense of hunger. How much of it you have can strongly affect how hungry or full your stomach feels.
How heritable obesity now. Studies have shown that between 40 and 70% of the differences in people’s body weights from one another can be traced back to genes. Therefore carrying a genetic tendency to be heavy from your mother and/or father was something you couldn’t help. But not everyone who has these genes becomes obese and this indicates Genetic factors alone don’t necessarily decide someone’s fate.-They only play a part in combination with environmental and behavioral elements Our genes are now determining factors that we used to think were impervious to change by external force. However, recent epigenetic research has confirmed that a gene can be “switched on” or “turned off” depending on where it is: We can conclude that it is possible for a person with a genetic predisposition to obesity, despite sparing no physical effort day in and day out and keeping up a balanced diet-enjoying both of these states only because of these genetic propensities. Likewise, people stand to become overweight due to their way of life alone without any faual factor to blame for fat If you suppose that we live now in a modern society with abundant food where the thrifty gene hypothesis no longer applies, these genes would cause a build-up of unwanted pounds.
Programming for Development: Must We Get Fat? Research also suggests that prenatal and early post-natal events — quite possibly beginning from the time a baby is still like a fish in its mother’s womb — can influence prospectively the probability of becoming fat in later life. Prenatal nutrition, maternal obesity, and exposure to certain chemicals while a developing fetus are known to result in higher chances of having overweight children Studies show that children born to overweight or diabetic pregnant mothers may inherit metabolic changes predisposing them to obesity.
Also, what happens to a person during his infancy—in terms of what he is fed and how active he is physically etc—will “program” the metabolism of his body; this cannot help having lifelong repercussions. While genetic predispositions are important, it is the environment in which a person is born and brought up that will often determine whether these genetic risks actually come to fruition.
Gene-Environment Interaction: Searching for Balance
For perhaps the most useful insight into the genetics of human obesity is the discovery that human genetic material, while extremely stable, is quite capable of interacting with environmental factors. It is not simply what genes have been passed on to you; rather comprising how these genes do their bidding in concert with your way of life and physical surroundings. A sedentary way of life combined with high calorie intake will reinforce any tendency to fat you may have inherited from your parents. On the other hand, an active daily routine and healthy eating habits will make it easier to keep your figure under control–if not altogether tight as a drum.
For example, recent research has shown that people with a high genetic risk of obesity will only become fat if they don’t engage in any physical activities. The appropriate health policy consequently stresses both physical exercise and diet instruction for individuals who might come from families whose genetic predisposition towards plumpness has been found in its genes.
Future Directions: Precision Medicine and Genetic Testing
The more we know about the genetics of obesity, the more possibilities there are for targeted medicine. In the future, medical practitioners may be able to use genetic testing to identify those at high risk of becoming obese and then devise personal prevention and treatment programs. These could be diet recommendations that take into account a person’s genetic makeup; drugs that act upon particular genetic pathways or interventions to reverse epigenetic changes.
With the use of genetic testing still at an early stage, there are many ethical and practical problems to be settled. The complexity of obesity means that no single gene, or even set of genes, is apiece to determine who will become fat for sure. And also, if society does not overcome obstacles concerning the environment and living situation so as to promote healthy behaviors, then your DNA may have little practical effect
Conclusion: Are We Born To Be Fat?
The issue of whether it is determined at birth whether we will be “born fat” is not so simple. Clearly, genetics do play a huge role in determining how prone someone is to obesity; but that doesn’t mean that after all other things have been accounted for, his or her weight cannot be altered and controlled. Lifestyle choice, early developmental factors and environmental influence all interact with our genes in deciding our weight.
As research in genetics and epigenetics advances, we understand that these interactions may come to be better understood This will enable us make interventions that are even more effective in preventing or treating obesity. Meanwhile, sticking to good nutrition and a regular exercise program are still probably the best two techniques to manage one’s weight even if you must keep checking both kinds of temptation beside your doorstep now and then.
We cannot alter the genes we inherited. However, a person’s lifestyle can influence how they manifest themselves in what activities and environment!