The quest for Weight Loss in our society is fiercer than ever. According to the latest surveys, over 5 million adults in Canada have obesity (defined now as a progressive chronic disease) and according to the 2015 Canadian Health Measures Survey, 30% or more than one in three adults in Canada has obesity and may require medical support to manage their disease. To be diagnosed with disease the first step is the measurement of your BMI (Body Mass Index) which should be over 30.
The annual direct healthcare cost of obesity (including physician, hospitalization and medication costs) is now estimated to be between $5 billion and $7 billion. This annual direct healthcare cost is projected to rise to $9 billion by 2021.
Seen as a goal in itself by the majority of people, weight loss is it both simple and far more complicated than expected. A perfect Chinese dichotomy that is so beautifully expressed in the concepts of Yin and Yang for example.
It is very simple in the way that everyone knows instinctively what to do: eat less (quantity), eat better (quality) and exercise more (burn those calories off). Simple, right? Not so fast boys.
There are many other factors that play a role too. Today, I will explain a bit about the genes and their influence in keeping one slim and healthy.
There is lots of research out there on the subject. In the largest study of its kind to date, Cambridge (UK) researchers have looked at why some people manage to stay thin while others gain weight easily. They have found that the genetic dice are loaded in favor of thin people and against those at the obese end of the spectrum.
In this investigation, scientists compared DNA samples from 1,600 healthy thin people in the UK – with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18 – with those of 2,000 severely obese people (BMI >30) and 10,400 people of normal weight (BMI 18-25).
They also looked closely at lifestyle questionnaires – to rule out eating disorders, for example.
Researchers found people who were obese were more likely to have a set of genes linked to being overweight.
Meanwhile, people who were skinny not only had fewer genes linked to obesity but also had changes in gene regions newly associated with healthy thinness.
“This research shows for the first time that healthy thin people are generally thin because they have a lower burden of genes that increase a person’s chances of being overweight and not because they are morally superior, as some people like to suggest,” says Professor Farooqi.”It’s easy to rush to judgement and criticize people for their weight, but the science shows that things are far more complex. We have far less control over our weight than we might wish to think.” Interesting, right?
Now, I might add at the end of this, that whatever your shape or genetic make-up is, please don’t disregard the age-old advice of a healthy level of exercise and good diet that still stand. These are the pillars of good health.