The Fat Gene

I'm the pudgy baby on my daddy's knee, 
with sister Sally in the sandbox.

If I inherited a "fat gene" it was from my dear old Dad. As an adult my father struggled with his weight and sadly died of a heart attack at 55. His parents were not overweight. The were ranchers with an active lifestyle. My Dad was active in his youth but it was his generation who, after WWII settled down with desk jobs and put on weight.

My family history supports what I've just read about "fat genes", that variants of the gene FTO contribute risk factors for obesity but do not necessarily condemn a person to weight problems.

"FTO will not be the only gene that influences obesity, and inheriting a particular variant will not necessarily make anyone fat. "This is not a gene for obesity, it is a gene that contributes to risk," Professor McCarthy said."

Time Magazine, Mark Henderson, Science Editor - April 13, 2007

We may have developed these genes as hunter-gatherers whose lives were active and an ability to hold on to fat was a survival strategy that saw us through periods of famine. If our less active lifestyle of plentiful food continues a few more millennium these genetic factors may be selected out. Meanwhile, the good news is that food choices and activity level remain the greater factors determining weight. Some of us may have to work harder to maintain a healthy weight but we are not condemned to a life of obesity by our genes.