The corpulence of children is linked to that of parents. Parents’ weight is particularly decisive when they are overweight.
It’s a legacy that we could do without … 20 to 60% of our BMI is inherited from our parents, according to a study published in Economics and Human Biology. Produced by the University of Sussex (UK), it suggests that children from obese families should be given special attention. Indeed, genetic heritage and family environment play a significant role in the development of overweight.
Notable result: the share of family inheritance in excess weight is relatively uniform depending on the country. The study was carried out on 100,000 children in 6 countries (China, Indonesia, Spain, Mexico, United States, United Kingdom). Each time, the same conclusion: each parent participates in the BMI of their offspring up to 20% on average.
“This gives us both important and rare insight into how obesity is passed down through generations in developed and developing countries,” said Professor Peter Dolton, who co-authored this study.
A variable part
But the impact of the family environment is not everything. In children whose BMI is within normal values, the weight of the parents is less determining: father and mother each account for 10% of their child’s body size. Conversely, the parental inheritance increases when the child suffers from obesity. The family share rises to 55-60% of overweight.
For the authors of this work, these conclusions “throw a harsh light on the role of the family” in the appearance of overweight. It is also an opportunity to redefine prevention policies, with more emphasis on the role of the family environment. Because good habits take hold very early on.
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