Obesity Gene Trumped By Healthy Diet

With A Healthy Diet, Kids With Obesity Gene Not Destined To Be Fat

(WebMD)  Children born with a gene linked to obesity don't have to get fat. A healthy diet trumps the obesity gene's unhealthy effects.

People who inherit a variant version of the FTO gene tend to have to eat more to satisfy their appetites. As a result, they gain excess fat. That's why FTO has been dubbed the "obesity gene."

The seeds of obesity are planted early in life. But kids with the obesity gene are not doomed to be fat, says University College London researcher Laura Johnson, PhD, and colleagues. Children with the FTO variant aren't any more vulnerable than other kids to the fat-increasing effects of energy-dense, high-calorie foods.

"Obesity is not inevitable if your genes give you a higher risk," Johnson said in a news release. "Those with high-risk genes can, in some cases, resist their genetic lot if they alter their lifestyle in the right way - in this case, their diet."

The findings reinforce what child obesity expert David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD, told WebMD last year.

"We know that genes affect our body weight set point. But so does our environment and our diet," Ludwig told WebMD. "We can't change our genes, but we can change our diet, and by doing so in a sophisticated way, we may be able to adjust that body weight set point in our favor."

Energy-Dense Foods, Children, and the Obesity Gene

Energy-dense foods, such as cheese, are dry and/or fatty. They contain more calories per bite than leaner, more watery foods such as soup.

Adults tend to eat the same amount of food, regardless of its energy density. Eating a diet rich in energy-dense foods increases obesity risk for grown-ups.

That's not true for kids, Johnson notes. When younger kids eat energy-dense foods, they generally eat less at the next meal. As they get older, though, they get more and more like adults.

Might the obesity gene make young children particularly vulnerable to energy-dense foods? It's an important question, as nearly one in five U.S. kids aged 6 to 11 years is overweight. So is nearly one in three British kids aged 10 to 11 years.

To get answers, Johnson's team looked at data collected during a long-term study of 2,275 children who were tested for the FTO gene.

Information on what the kids ate at age 10 was used to determine the energy density of their diets. Then the researchers looked at how much fat mass the children had accumulated by the time they reached age 13.

The 13-year-olds tended to be fatter if they had the FTO gene variant. And they tended to be fatter if they ate an energy-dense diet at age 10. But there was no sign that the obesity gene made energy-dense diets extra risky for children.

That, Johnson and colleagues conclude, means that kids can offset the risk of having the obesity gene if their parents feed them fewer energy-dense foods.

How? By doing what they're supposed to do anyway: Replacing high-fat foods with low-fat foods and giving kids more fruits and vegetables.

The study findings appear in the March 2009 issue of the online journal PloS One.

[sar5493]

21squirly,
first off you are speaking for yourself. not for every obese person in america. there are many situations that have caused the obesity problem. However, I do not pity you. I do not pity those you are fat. Especially becuase there are so many ways out there in the world to be more healthy. One time, I was in Disney World with my family and I saw a man about 35-40ish years old, who was abosolutley massive eating an ice cream cone. now i will tell you the ice cream he bought was not the nromal kind, it was the huge sundae on e that cost 10 bucks. don't tell me everything is catered to the rich. Also, my sister in laws family is massive. Over Christmas dinner they bought 4 cartons of sour cream, and 6 dishes of these potoato cakes and a huge bowl of homemade devils chocolate heath crunch oudding cake. These people are on the brink of bankruptcy. You may think that fat people have to eat junk becuase they are poor. You are mistaken. Instead of buying a huge bag of chips, 3 for $5, buy a bag of apples for that price. It's all in your head. Don't buy so much food. Look up your food guide and buy products that are nutrient rich and not made with high fructose corn syrup. Rice is a staple in many asian countries and they are dirt poor and stay incredibly skinny.
Your economic status is not an excuse for your size. Stop trying to place the blame on something other than the person that it is affecting.
If you believe it's not your fault, then whatever, but the point is fix it. Put down the Yodel/Twinkie, and take a walk on the street. Listen to your ipod, walk the dog. Anything it's so easy. I am a 4/6, used to an 8. i just started running, which i hated. Once you get good though and run your first 5K, you feel so good when you run. It's all in your head.
Good luck to those who are trying to be healthy, and fight obesity. I applaud you.

[lindamcc]

Thanks for the informative article. It just seems like the world has turned obese at such a fast pace it really is scary. I have struggled with weight for my whole life and finally have a grip on it after 30 years of suffering from diet-itis!! It really helps to know what you are doing and you don't have to work nearly as hard when you do. Go to this site http://kevkev227.stripfat.hop.clickbank.net/ It was recommended to me by a friend and it really changed my thinking and helped me turn the tide and finally lose weight and keep it off without the constant struggle and fluctuations. I have lost over 50 lbs and kept it off. I finally have enough energy to keep up with my children. Best of luck to every one of you who knows what it is like to struggle to lose weight...hope this makes your life easier!!

[expataddie]

For those self-righteous people who think that overweight people are undisciplined pigs, you may someday have to eat your words (pardon the pun). I was so skinny when I was younger that everyone teased me. As I got older, I still struggled to manage my weight even though I followed the recommended low-fat diet. Then, three years ago I gained 20 lbs in 2 months and my best friend told me that I looked pregnant (I wasn't). My triglycerides were too high and my cholesterol was too low.

At the urging of a nurse who is diabetic, I read The Diabetes Solution by Richard K. Bernstein and reduced the amount of carbohydrate that I eat. I lost 30 lbs in 3 months, and another 10 lbs since then. The fat on my belly melted away - I can't tell you how many friends have asked me how I did it and wish that they could do it too. But the best thing is that my triglycerides, cholesterol, resistance to colds and flu, energy levels, etc. all improved DRAMATICALLY.

I don't starve myself, in fact, I eat whenever I feel like it. Really. I eat an entire package of brie or camembert as a snack, sometimes right before bed. I eat steak, bacon, and fried eggs. I have whipping cream on my low-carb muesli for breakfast every day. I just don't eat much carb. This really works! I actually gain weight easier than anyone you know, but I've been able to keep my weight stable (my BMI is 19.2) and improve my health by enjoying a high-fat, low-carb diet.

Eating carbs tricks your body into eating more than it needs for fuel, because carbs stimulate the release of insulin in your bloodstream and insulin is the hormone that STORES FAT! If you eat fat and protein, you will only be hungry when your body actually needs more fuel and you'll have more energy.

There's nothing remarkable about me, except that I stopped listening to the "fat is bad" dogma that is still being spouted by most of the medical community, in spite of the research to the contrary. So if you're "eating healthy" but still struggling with your weight, try something different.

To find out more, check out these articles:

How to Start Losing Weight: Exercise Alone May Not Be Enough to Get Results

http://weight-loss-meth ods.suite101.com/articl e.cfm/how_to_start_losi ng_weight

What Not to Eat: Give Up These Carbohydrate-Loaded Foods and Lose Weight

http://proteins-carb -fats.suite101.com/arti cle.cfm/what_not_to_eat

Lift Weights to Lose Weight: Why Anaerobic Exercise Works Best for Weight Loss

http://weight-loss -methods.suite101.com/a rticle.cfm/lift_weights _to_lose_weight

The Right Way to Lose Weight:

http://weight-l oss-motivators.suite101 .com/article.cfm/the_ri ght_way_to_lose_weight

Are Low-Carb Diets Safe?

http://diet- trends.suite101.com/art icle.cfm/are_lowcarb_di ets_safe

[FrankUK]

During WW2 in the UK, nationwide food rationing was in place but the diet was more than adequate. A fat kid was then a rare sight. Now when food is plentiful fat kids abound. (Yes that puts me at eighty plus -- can remember a D-day landing craft limping back)

[citizenusa-2009]

I just attempted to read this article and could not because the Answer.com box spammed the entire CBS site. Does anyone else have this problem?

[21squirlly]

I come from an obese family but have maintained a size 4/6 for many years. I find myself going up and down some because I eat things my body packs away. Not all bodies find fat piling on because they eat sweets or bread. We are all different and need to find the correct diet (food) that works for our bodies metabolism.

I am sorry drivelphobe that you are "sickened every time [you] see a fat person stuffing their face" instead of caring for them and wondering what you could do to help. Your following comment of "Perhaps the incessant teasing in the school system and social rejection will turn some of them around" would never turn them around. As a school teacher incessant teasing creates feelings of worthless and makes people retreat and not care about themselves. To think "Fat people will always try to blame their massive size and deteriorating health on something other that sheer uncontrollable gorging" is absolutely heartless and insensitive". Caring about people and making a difference could bring on changes before cursing and blaming.

My children are tiny as standards go, but they are forced to eat my regiment of food. We are not rich by any means and fall into the working poor category. It is difficult for me to maintain our healthy diet because unhealthy food is much cheaper. Have you ever compared the price of a candy bar to an apple. It is almost ridiculous. My children when going out on their own may not be able to afford the healthy diet they are used to and be forced to live on Ramen noodles, soda, and candy bars.

Our government shells out money to our poorest families but does not teach them the proper way to shop or eat or even handle the money. Not all poor families eat unhealthy, but it is a lot cheaper to eat a Mcdonalds than to make a meat & potato meal with fruits and vegetables each day. We live a society that caters to the rich - not the poor. The poor get looked down on like we are worthless. Our children deserve better.

[drivelphobe]

It is obvious to anyone with a brain that obese individuals just eat and drink too much. Fat people just don't care how they look or how healthy they are. I am sickened every time I see a fat person stuffing their face, usually with a cigarette, and of course the cure-all diet soda.

The mythical "obesity" gene is revealed for what it is. Fat people will always try to blame their massive size and deteriorating health on something other that sheer uncontrollable gorging and lack of discipline.

The real tragedy is that some of their children might have turned out okay if they weren't indoctrinated from birth that eating everything in sight is normal. Perhaps the incessant teasing in the school system and social rejection will turn some of them around before they too become burdens on our tax supported health care system.