Nature Trumps Nurture in Child Obesity
Nature Trumps Nurture in Child Obesity
Study Shows Genes Play Important Role in Risk of Childhood Obesity
"It may be that genes influence behavior through appetite or by making it harder for some people to resist food," she says. "So while one child might be perfectly OK living in a home filled with [potato chips] and cakes, another might find it very challenging."
She adds that diet, lifestyle, and other environmental influences play a major role in obesity, especially for genetically predisposed children.
"This type of genetic predisposition could not be expressed if there wasn't so much food around," she says. "We would all be skinny. It is our environment that is allowing our genetic susceptibility to express itself. It would benefit everyone if we did more as a society to encourage activity and healthy eating, but it would be especially beneficial for children who are highly susceptible to their environment."
Nature Trumps Nurture in Child Obesity
Study Shows Genes Play Important Role in Risk of Childhood Obesity
Bad Genes Don't Make Obesity Inevitable continued...
"It may be that genes influence behavior through appetite or by making it harder for some people to resist food," she says. "So while one child might be perfectly OK living in a home filled with [potato chips] and cakes, another might find it very challenging."
She adds that diet, lifestyle, and other environmental influences play a major role in obesity, especially for genetically predisposed children.
"This type of genetic predisposition could not be expressed if there wasn't so much food around," she says. "We would all be skinny. It is our environment that is allowing our genetic susceptibility to express itself. It would benefit everyone if we did more as a society to encourage activity and healthy eating, but it would be especially beneficial for children who are highly susceptible to their environment."
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