Should we blame genetics for the obesity epidemic?

No

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by Rixta Francis

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Of course it's very easy to blame our genes for our being overweight. That takes away the responsibility we have ourselves to take care of our body. And it's true that some people easier gain weight than others and that that's something that usually runs in the family. So it's easy to turn things around and say that if not gaining weight has something to do with genetics, then getting overweight is also a genetic problem.

But genes don't change (if they do they cause serious diseases and often cause the death of a baby), so the obese people of 2009 have the same genes as their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents etc. But all those previous generations didn't have any problems with overweight. If the obesity problem would be genetic, then 100 years ago there should also have been a lot of obese people. But though there have always been people with overweight, obesity is really a new phenomenon, definitely in the numbers we see nowadays.

So if you have a genetic predisposition to easier gain weight than others, does that mean you can't help it? Your ancestors with the same genes didn't get overweight, so that shows that there's definitely something else involved. And that something else is simply our modern western lifestyles. Our ancestors didn't have cars, but walked or took a bike to go to places. That way they got plenty of exercise, which stopped them from gaining weight. Of course also many did heavy physical labor, which meant they needed a lot of food because they burnt so much. The English breakfast with bacon, eggs and sausages was meant for these laborers, who needed to work a whole day on that breakfast, as often they didn't get lunch. You don't need that if you spend the whole day at an office desk.

But there aren't that many jobs anymore that require heavy physical labor and many of us take the car even for the shortest distances, like for posting a letter. Taking the car has become such a habit that many people don't even think about the option of walking to places that are close by. This means that many live a life without any exercise whatsoever and our bodies aren't meant for such a sedentary lifestyle.

On top of that the eating habits of the average American are just right out terrible. Everything is loaded with sugar and fresh fruit and vegetables are in such low demand that they have got quite expensive. Which is then a good excuse for lots of people to buy junk food, as that's cheaper. And though an overdose of fat isn't healthy at all, it's the sugar that's the real problem. Many young children drink already lots of soft drinks, which are loaded with sugar. Other parents think they are doing better and give their children packed fruit juices, but unfortunately they are also mainly sugar water with some vitamins. And sugar is added to pretty much everything processed. Take a good look at the packages of your groceries and you will be shocked to see how much sugar there is in everything. Cereals that exist in 50% sugar are nothing special, cold meat is often sweetened, even bottled water not rarely contains some sugar. A hundred years ago sugar was expensive and something most people only got at special occasions, but nowadays it's so cheap that everything gets sweetened and we have got so much used to the sweet taste that anything unsweetened seems to be tasteless. Our taste buds have got ruined by all that sugar and many kids can't appreciate the natural taste of fruit and vegetables anymore.

If parents want to prevent their children from becoming overweight they should not get them used to sugar. A sweet treat is fine, but it should stop with that. Get children used to unsweetened food and by the time they are five or six they have got into the habit of eating healthy. And join the club of sugar free people yourself and you will lose a lot of weight without the need to do anything.

Schools also have a job in this. They should educate parents and children about the sugar problem and make rules about the sugary foods kids can eat at school. Vending machines with candy and sweet drinks shouldn't have a place in any school, as they are stimulating the kids to get overweight. Teach children to drink water if they are thirsty and eat a cheese sandwich or nuts if they are hungry.

Don't blame genetics for the obesity problem. Don't listen to the diet gurus who tell you to cut out whatever from your diet, but rarely mention the sugar. But sugar is the only real difference between our diets and the food our great-grandparents ate. They ate a lot of fat, protein and carbohydrates, but didn't consume much sugar.

Don't expect the government to do anything about this, for the sugar lobby is way too strong and the interests for politicians are too high. So take the initiative yourself and cut down on sugar. Better don't consume any added sugar at all, but that's difficult. But try to stay away from processed foods as much as possible and stick with the natural stuff. If everyone would do that, then the next generation won't know much obesity anymore. I just don't think that will ever happen. It's easier to blame our genetic make-up, as then we can keep eating the poison that refined sugar is. And we can die early from all kinds of diseases with the words on our lips "it's not my fault".

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