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Results of a new British study find that genes may play a bigger role on whether or not a child is overweight or obese than diet and nutrition factors.
Researchers, who studied more than 5000 twins came to this conclusion which is shocking due to the fact that previous studies have shown environmental links were responsible for whether or not a child was overweight, obese, or slim.
Results of the study, which are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition find that genes are up to 3-quarters responsible for a child’s chances of being overweight, obese or thin.
“Contrary to the widespread assumption that family environment is the key factor in determining weight gain, we found this was not the case,” said Jane Wardle, director of Cancer Research UK’s Health Behavior Centre, who led the study.
Professor Wardle said: “It is wrong to place all the blame for a child’s excessive weight gain on the parents - it is more likely to be due to the child’s
genetic susceptibility.
“These results do not mean that a child with a high complement of susceptibility genes will inevitably become overweight, but that their genetic endowment gives them a stronger predisposition.”
The study is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
