Should we blame genetics for the obesity epidemic?

No

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by Robin Tidwell

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Just as in many areas of discussion, the topic of the causes of obesity and the ensuing nature versus nurture debate is ongoing and evokes strong emotion. In the US alone, the majority of the population is considered overweight and the reasons and excuses are endless.

A reason is something that occurs because of a mitigating factor - a documented thyroid condition is a reason for being overweight but can be treated by medication. An excuse is something an individual makes up or tells himself is the reason, but has no basis in fact; an example is ordering a fast food meal on a daily basis because that's "all" one has time for.

At a recent doctor visit, I asked the doctor if my excess weight of twenty pounds was due to my medication; he said no. I said I thought perhaps it was due to the normal aging process; again, no. He said I simply eat too much. And he's right. So, should I keep eating too much? No. The reason I weigh more than I should is because I eat too much - the excuse comes into play if I continue to do, given this information: I like food, I have a health condition, it's in my genes, and so forth. Yes, I have overweight people in my ancestry; they also probably ate too much!

As we age, yes, our metabolism slows down; if we continue to eat in our forties and we did in our twenties, and do not increase the exercise component, we will gain weight. It's a simple matter of adjustment.

What of those folks who have always been overweight? Well, many people do have a family history of this, but it isn't set in stone; this is not a reason, although it may be used as an excuse. Often it has to do with just poor eating habits, passed along generation to generation. Some do have a higher metabolism, regardless of ancestry, and people do come in all different sizes and shapes. Not every woman will be a size 6, but weights vary with body type and shape.

Sometimes the reason is poor parenting - a parent who says his child is always hungry and feeds him constantly; one who uses the bottle or a snack as comfort, instead of providing love and attention. These are the parents who are responsible for their child's weight; just as a parent who feeds a child proper portions of nutritionally sound foods is responsible for his health and well-being.

Lest one believe that a parent is one hundred percent responsible for his child's weight, allow me add that there comes a time when a child must take responsibility himself. If a child has been taught to eat properly, and healthfully, and engages in a moderate amount of physical activity most days, by the age of 15 or 16 he should begin to take the largest share of responsibility for his own health. There are few things that one can force a teenager to actually do, especially if his earlier training is lacking.

Certainly by the time a child reaches adulthood, he can make his own choices regarding his health and his weight - there are no more excuses available, especially in this day and age when information and assistance is so abundantly available. The saying that an overweight child will be an overweight adult is patently untrue; the odds may be more likely that he will continue childhood patterns, but this is simply an excuse and not a reason.

I have three children, the eldest of whom is overweight. She was not as a child, but the women on her dad's side of the family do have that tendency. This is not a reason, but an excuse; she may have that same tendency, but that does not doom her to being overweight, it simply may make it more difficult to regain and retain a healthy weight. My middle son was slightly overweight for a time; many children have this issue, and the solution is to ensure healthy choices and proper portions and wait for the passage of time. He has now reached nearly his full height and is fit and at the right weight. The youngest is built like his father and has never had a weight issue; there were times I wondered if he was underweight. That's not to say he may have issues later in life - he will make choices that could determine that.

There are reasons, yes, that a person could be overweight, but many or most of those reasons can be countered and changed. The excuses, however, appear to be endless. Obesity is not a genetic certainty, but can be a merely a propensity and can be guarded against and rectified, if the individual is willing.

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