What role does genetics play in weight loss or gain? Are there thin people and other fat people as there are small people and tall people? Scientists have compared what genetically differentiates people who stay thin from those who don’t. What do you think they found?
When you can’t keep your figure, you often wonder if… “It’s in the genes! » And then the genes, we do not risk criticizing them, it is the family heritage so… we can not do anything about it, it is like this: Case closed. Well no !
Who doesn’t have a friend who laughs when we sort through our plate or when we’re not in the mood to go shopping (with her)? Of course, in general, this friend, she can eat whatever she wants whenever she wants without ever gaining a gram…
Life is unfair. We are not all equal on the scale!
The 7 risk factors for weight gain
Thousands of international studies on excess weight have highlighted seven risk factors associated with overweight and obesity:
- Eating behaviors: portions that are too big, food that is too fatty, too rich in salt or sugar, breakdown of meals, etc.
- Sedentary lifestyle: lack of physical activity.
- Excess stress leading to unsuitable nutritional behavior: snacking, compulsive eating, etc.
- Family life habits: preparing and sharing meals, eating habits, activities, etc.
- Alcohol consumption.
- Lack of sleep.
- Too low calcium intake.
The skinny gene
But some researchers are formal: there is indeed a thinness gene (the one I don’t have?). It wouldn’t do us much good to find out, but the good news is: they know how to use it!
A slimming gene? Cool, how do I get it?
To find it, scientists* followed 47,000 (healthy) people, aged between 20 and 44, and identified those of them who were always thin, even very thin. They compared their genetic map with the others (us!) and that’s when they discovered this famous gene, or rather a mutation of this gene, which they baptized “ALK” (for Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase).
But make no mistake, ALK is not our friend! It’s the opposite, it’s WITHOUT HIM that we manage not to get fat! Scientists, to demonstrate this, have gone further…
Of mice and women
For their experiment, the researchers fed mice with the equivalent of a diet… Mc Donald’s, you can’t make it up. Two groups of mice: one with their ALK gene, and another without it.
Results: the mice with ALK grew well, thank you Mc Do, and those without the gene remained thin !
Neither one nor two, scientists have glimpsed the possibility of treat weight gain and obesity by acting on the alteration of this gene. Without it, we would burn more fat. According to them, it’s technically possible (we already know how to inhibit the effects of this gene), so What are we waiting for ?
Come on scientists, hurry up!
Promising beginnings… to be confirmed : it’s always the same with good scientific news: we have to wait for the rest… So research continues to confirm all of this. I’m not worried: given the profits that such a solution could generate, they won’t let go… golden gene.
Count on me to stay vigilant and as soon as things change, I’ll be there to warn you! For all the information and tips of all kinds – but verified – for stay in shapeI’ll keep you informed !
* See the study report Identification of ALK in Thinness – ScienceDirect
