Genetics - The Real Story
Genetics
I often hear from people… but it’s my genetics! Or… You must have great genes!
There has been a lot of research on this, and you don’t need pasta and wine because you’re Italian, just like you don’t need Kielbasa if you’re polish or schnitzel if you’re German! It is a choice, and often an excuse… trust me… I hear it all the time… “but I have to eat this, I’m _________!” What we have to do is decide to use food properly and eat healthfully! Then we can stop dieting for good! Trust me, being off that roller coaster feels amazing! So does no longer counting calories, macros, points or leans!
What does the science show: Genetic markers only account for less than 3% of the body mass index between people. (1) And… The Fat Gene they now talk about, because everyone wants an excuse….(I even hear coaches talk about it, giving people an out…. cringe!!!) accounts for less than 1% of the differences between people (a mere 0.34 %) (2)And it is the most strongly linked! (3)
When it comes to obesity the power of your genes is nothing compared to the power of your fork, and even the influence of the obesity gene appears to have less effect on those who are physically active (4) and may be completely abolished in those eating a healthier diet! The obesity gene (FTO) only appears to affect those eating diets higher in saturated fat, predominantly found in dairy, meat and junk food) ***so hey, keep doing that keto thing 🙁
Those eating a healthful diet seem to be in no danger even if they inherit the fat gene from both parents. (5) FTO also does not affect your ability to lose weight! (I recently watched an obese fitness coach <- ( oxymoron) explain why she and her clients could not lose weight… and she used this EXCUSE) These people are dangerous to your health, with no level of knowledge to help you! They’re as dangerous as the ones that say… “Well, you’re getting older… you can expect to struggle, get sick, whatever they throw out there… really saying “I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, but glad you hired me!!!) They even tested adopted children vs biological children in obese families, with lifestyle vs genetics… in a nutshell the conclusion was that lifestyle and environment play more of a factor than genetics! (6)
I am often accused of having good genetics! Both of my parents were each 100 lbs. Overweight.
They both had type 2 diabetes, which I had and reversed. My mother had thyroid issues, I have been borderline Hashimoto's twice and brought it back to normal. My mother had severe osteoporosis and I have no bone density issues. Both parents also had high cholesterol, which I battled with and won. Now factor in that I eat a diet our cells recognize (how we are supposed to fuel up!) And I have fought off all of these fatalistic issues.
Ready to talk and see if you're a candidate for my program? Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Come and ask me anything you want!!
- Locke AE, Kahali B, Berndt SI, et al. Genetic studies of body mass index yield new insights for obesity biology. Nature. 2015;518(7538):197–206.
- Loos RJ, Yeo GS. The bigger picture of FTO: the first GWAS-identified obesity gene. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2014;10(1):51–61.
- Speliotes EK, Willer CJ, Berndt SI, et al. Association analyses of 249,796 individuals reveal 18 new loci associated with body mass index. Nat Genet. 2010;42(11):937–48.
- Kilpeläinen TO, Qi L, Brage S, et al. Physical activity attenuates the influence of FTO variants on obesity risk: a meta-analysis of 218,166 adults and 19,268 children. PLoS Med. 2011;8(11):e1001116.
- Corella D, Arnett DK, Tucker KL, et al. A high intake of saturated fatty acids strengthens the association between the fat mass and obesity-associated gene and BMI. J Nutr. 2011;141(12):2219–25.
- Centre for Economic Performance. Vertical transmission of overweight: evidence from English adoptees. Published October 2016. Available at: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp1324.pdf. Accessed March 19, 2019.
And a few more…
