There's a huge link between Eating habits, Exercise and Human Genetics

Everyone is aware that in order to lose weight, we need to eat less and move more, but you claim that some people are constantly up against biology due to a genetic propensity for obesity. What genes?

Over 100 genes are now known to be implicated. Not skinny or fat genes, but a combination of genes that determine why some individuals may have a BMI (body mass index) of 27 and others a BMI of 23.

In actuality, we still don't fully understand many of these genes, though we do. One set impacts how well your brain ascertains your body's level of fat. Your brain needs to be aware of that in order to determine how long you can go without food. Your brain will advise you to eat more than you need to if it is slightly less responsive to that signal and believes you have less fat than you actually do.

Did I mention that genes can affect how your brain reacts to changes in your gut?

Yes, your brain is extremely sensitive to the number of calories you consume, the percentage of calories from fat and carbohydrates, etc. Your gut produces a variety of hormones that are released when food passes down your oesophagus into your stomach, small intestine, and out the poop shot. Your brain picks up on these signals. You end up consuming more if your brain is a little bit less responsive to these cues.

But don't we often overeat because something tastes good?

The third pathway in the brain that we are aware of is the reward pathway. Like a fuel gauge, your brain recognizes how many calories it requires, therefore if you expend 2000 calories, you need to eat 2000 calories as well.

But even if we may have expended calories killing the antelope on the Serengeti, eating 2000 calories to make up for those calories wouldn't protect you against failure in the future. Your brain's reward system instructs you to eat more food. The sensation you have after eating a piece of chocolate cake is what I refer to as the "oooh factor." Some people are more susceptible to the "ooh factor" due to genetic variations since it helps people feel happy and makes sweets and fat taste better. Some people eat more than others do due to the various combinations of these genes.

But why aren't we all obese if our ancestors evolved in a situation where they didn't know where their next meal would come from?

We all react the same way to starvation because if we didn't, we'd perish. We've evolved to eat more and conserve energy in order to deal with impending starvation. However, we do not yet have a common response to an obesogenic environment. Therefore, it is a genetic drifting phenomenon. Some people gain more weight than others since there was no need to react to that, whereas there was a compelling need to react to inadequate dietary intake.

You've been examining the FTO genes, which are most frequently connected to fat.

Dealing with those genes has taken up the last eight years of my life. We believe that the extremely complex molecule FTO functions as a protein sensor that affects how much food is consumed. It increases your appetite.

Although these effects are very mild, 50% of the human population carries at least one copy of the FTO gene at risk, and those who do tend to weigh 1.5 kg more than the average individual. You weigh three kilograms more if you have two copies. Therefore, even though the effect is slight, many people are affected.

And does the FTO have an impact on how the body reacts to exercise?

The strange thing is that. You eat more because of FTO's impact on how your brain perceives protein, but it also responds very well to activity. You may assume that if you have genes that are likely to make you bigger, exercising will help to lessen the impacts. However, the majority of these genes don't work in this way. If you carry two copies of this gene, you will typically weigh three kilograms more; but, if you exercise, you will lower your genetic burden by half and weigh only 1.5 kilograms more than the usual person. Contrary to popular belief, if you have the other weight-related genes I've mentioned, you will still be larger whether or not you engage in physical activity.

Although the reasons are unknown and will be difficult to ascertain, the outcomes are actual. Exercise is healthy for you regardless of whether you lose weight, but people with FTO also benefit from being able to lessen the effects of their genetic predisposition.

What happens once you comprehend these genes, assuming you do?

That is the 64-million-dollar question. The intention is to enable gene testing so that we can create a tailored approach to tackling obesity in individuals. Exercise will be more important for certain people than for others in terms of weight loss. Different people may react differently to protein and fat, which could affect which diet may be best for them. The idea is to use genetic tests to create a plan specifically for your health and happiness. But even though many businesses are already attempting to offer this, we don't have the information currently. Any business that presently makes that claim is blatantly false.

Since our biology cannot be changed, many public health professionals believe that we must modify the environment (which is heavy in sugar and fat) through legislation like a sugar tax. We still need to comprehend the biological variations that influence how people behave and react to their surroundings. Of course, without addressing the environment, the problem will never be solved, but how people react to that will vary. Some people don't like sugar at all, so a sugar tax won't affect their capacity to lose weight. A sugar tax might work for some people, but not for others. We need to learn more about how people will react to environmental changes in order to make the proper environmental modifications.