In a series of new studies, researchers are finding out that you personally are not the only thing responsible for your weight.
It just might be your parent’s fault too. -Or your genes anyway.
Study groups like the NIH, the University of Florida, U. Copenhagen, and others have shown that those genes are related to all kinds of things like:
The Factors We Know Right Now:
Tendency to Overeat, Level of Taste-Sensitivity, Fullness-Hormone Production & Sensitivity, Fat-Storage and Food-Preference.
And that’s just really the beginning.
So in the future it is entirely-possible that your diet may get more specifically-tailored than those odd eat-for-your-blood-type diets, but perhaps strangely more like them.
A few examples:
Inheritable Overeating, Carbs Kill:
The University of Copenhagen did experiments on 1200+ pigs and found that several were more likely to overeat than the rest and their DNA showed it, not just their behavior.
Another study by UF found that rats became less-sensitive to the fullness hormone by being fed more sugar.
-So in that case, the old advice of Lay Off The Sweets is probably good and will likely stick around into the future; -even if doctors can give you some kind of fullness-hormone supplement pills to help.
Another part of the Copenhagen study shows that overeating is partially inheritable, and may run in families irrespective of learned-behavior.
Technology To The Rescue:
Add back into that mix Moore’s Law & the plummeting costs of DNA-sequencing to find the other genes (or even test your response to the program). And then the prevalence of simple personal trackers like FitBits and Data-Driven Calorie Journals, and you have at least some type of new-ish digital health paradigm.
Perhaps with all the complicated factors involved & the high rate of failure… -Maybe the Digital DNA Diet will become the Only way to go.
More Genes To Follow:
-Because so far the researchers have found just a few genes, instead of many.
And 1 of those genes only represents 5% of the association with obesity. So there have to be more out there.
PS, One more probably-genetic part of keeping the weight off:
Your Body Remembers You Were Fat:
The man who discovered the fullness-hormone also found your bodyfat seems to “remember” your level even after you’ve lost the weight.
So: It appears you produce less of that hormone, and your appetite may be even higher (per-pound) than it was before.
And he hints that this hormone-level-per-pound may also be genetic.
Lay Off The Carbs Anyway:
So even though you’ll probably Still have to lay off the carbs, those fullness-pills can’t come soon enough.
Photo Credits: “Measure Tape”, by Dora Mitsonia
Links:
• Source: UT
• via: PopSci
• More Coverage: Blaming The Obese | Obesity Gene Found | UC-Why Humans Pig Out
• Source Studies:
NIH working group report—using genomic information to guide weight management: From universal to precision treatment
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