10/31/08

Controversial Topic

Is being fat genetic? Nope, sorry! Ok maybe 1-5% I am always amazed at the slow metabolism myth or the genetic myth. The truth is that obesity is an environmental influence. Even Mayo states clinic states "A low metabolic rate is unlikely to cause obesity."

Causation versus correlation is what is important here. Example if someone notices an obese child and also obese parents, that person might say "they have bad genes." What is the reality and truth though? Most of the time being overweight is a person's environment not their genetics. Just because there is a correlation among overweight parents and overweight children does not mean genetics causes them to be overweight.

In my opinion, environment and how we treat the body is the number one cause of obesity. Trust me I understand how environment can influence a person's health. If you went to college and had "environmental fun" you know what I am talking about:)

The great news is we can control our environment. We can control how we treat our bodies and most importantly we can look and feel great.

To a great environment,

Jeremy

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Very interesting. I like this topic and can see the correlation between the two. I control what goes in my mouth and how much physical activity I include in my daily routine.