Genes may be more to blame for obesity than a healthy appetite for junk food, according to a study in the UK.
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The Cancer Research UK study claimed that the ease of weight gain for school children is mostly inherited.
The report, which was carried out with more than 5,000 pairs of twins aged eight to 11, claimed genes contributed to 77% of the amount by which their body mass and waist circumference varied.
It seems only 23% of the differences between children was due to their home environment.
Jane Wardle, lead professor of University College London, told the Press Association: “Children born with ‘fat’ genes are not inevitably overweight, but have to work extra hard to stay slim. In today’s environment, which provides unprecedented opportunities for all children to over-eat and be sedentary, it is not surprising these tendencies result in weight gain,”
However, not all industry watchers agreed with the study’s claim. Richard Watts, co-ordinator of the Children’s Food Campaign, said genes were an influence on diet but said he was sceptical about the study’s claims.
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By GlobalData“There is no doubt that genetics is an influence in obesity but so are people’s diets and their lifestyles so I am sceptical that someone can be so precise about this, unless human biology has seriously changed in the last few years,” Watts told just-food.
“Nothing in the report explains the reasons behind the very steep rise in obesity levels and the ongoing debate about obesity. This doesn’t let the Government or the food industry off the hook in any way.”
