New study discovers genetic tendency to overeat

"People who carry a gene variant linked to obesity eat an average of 100 extra calories per meal, research suggests."

- BBC World News, on a new study by the New England Journal of Medicine

An article recently published on BBC World News entitled 'Gene triggers unhealthy eating' focuses on a new study completed by the New England Journal of Medicine, which suggests that overeating may be genetically related. "The New England Journal of Medicine study, by the University of Dundee, carried out eating tests on 100 children aged four to 10. Those with the gene variant chose foods with more sugar and fat, suggesting they were instinctively drawn to them rather than healthy options....The researchers found that the gene variant had no impact on the speed at which the body broke down food, or on how active people were."

According to lead researcher Professor Colin Palmer, this implies that genetically related obesity is not caused by less effective processing of calories, but rather by an instinctive attraction to more calorie-intensive foods. "This work demonstrates that this gene does not lead to obesity without overeating and suggests that obesity linked to this gene could be modulated by careful dietary control. What it effectively shows is that the people with the relevant variants on the gene have a trait which may lead them to eat more unhealthy, fattening foods."

Professor Palmer also said that the study "reinforced the idea that soaring obesity rates world wide are closely linked to the widespread availability of cheap, calorie-packed foods. For people carrying the relevant gene variant, these may simply be too tempting to resist."

Unfortunately, research has shown that half the population carries at least one copy of the gene, known as the FTO variant. Doctor Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern, said: "Given that half of us have the FTO gene, making us more prone to eating fatty, sugary foods, this must surely help us to understand how difficult it can be for individuals to simply use will-power to change their behavior and adopt a healthier diet when their genetic make-up is telling them to do the opposite. If we are to tackle this problem adequately, we need to get smarter and start dealing with all the underlying forces that influence our choices."

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Learn more about nutrition by reading the full article on BBC World News and watching a video on how to track your nutrition in TrainingPeaks!