Kids with obesity-linked gene pick fattening foods

Kids with obesity-linked gene pick fattening foods

news.yahoo.com

NEW YORK – Scientists may have figured out one reason some people reach for the french fries instead of an apple. It could be a gene that's been linked to an increased risk of obesity.

A study of children found those with a common variation of the gene tend to overeat high-calorie foods. They ate 100 extra calories per meal, which over the long term can put on weight, said Colin Palmer, who led the study at the University of Dundee in Scotland.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Well here's an interesting study. To think all those times I ate ice cream instead of yogurt and drank soda instead of milk it was due to my genes. It's sort of hard to follow along with these new studies when all they do is shift the blame away from the parents and children to some piece of information that may or may not effect our choices.

Well I feel like having take out tonight instead of cooking is that my obesity-gene forcing me to make this choice or my lazy-gene?

-Ign0RanT

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 10-12-2008 by Ign0rant]

Interesting study about how common this obesity gene actually is.

www.medicalnewstoday.com...

-Ign0RanT

Originally posted by Ign0rant
Well I feel like having take out tonight instead of cooking is that my obesity-gene forcing me to make this choice or my lazy-gene?

-Ign0RanT

Tough call, I think the lazy gene is the stronger one however, I think a new study must have just come out stating that.

Come on. A obesity gene? Do people actually believe this stuff? I'm fat because of my genes, I'm tired because of my genes, my lazy kid failed school because he was too lazy because of genetics. Absolute insanity. Who pays these people to do these studies anyways, and where can I sign up? Seems like an easy gig. Find something that personal responsibility used to take care of and replace it with a "medical" excuse.

reply to post by salchanra


Yeah, it seems no a days people will take any excuse they can get.
Look at all those children taking unnecessary ADD medication when they don't need it.

-Ign0RanT

ADD, ADHD, I think there are a few more. Put away the x-box, grab a rake or a shovel, get outside, do some work. As for parents, buy a roast and some potatoes, toss them in the oven, and sit at a table. Not in your SUV while muching McWhatever. No more bizare illness! Amazing!

The real sad part about all of this, is while every parent will tell you they love their kids and would do anything for them, the truth is far from that. I dont doubt a minute parents love their kids, but a good deal of them would rather their kids be on some strange new drug instead of focusing on a healthy lifestyle, just because they have an excuse and in the short term its easier.

Originally posted by Ign0rant
Well I feel like having take out tonight instead of cooking is that my obesity-gene forcing me to make this choice or my lazy-gene?

Convenience too, I think has something to do with it. It's more conveinent and time saving to pick up the phone and order something, then it is to peel carrots & chop potatoes for steamed veggies, cut up some lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes for salad, and to grill/sautee/bake whatever source of protein you plan on having.

I think that we've grown up in the past 20 years as a society that belives we don't have enough time to cook for ourselves. Our real lives are too busy to spend time preparing dinner - afterall, we're only going to spend fifteen minutes eating it - why slave away for it when you can pay someone else to do it for you? The same society where its easier to medicate you're problems away then it is to deal with them....

I don't know...but when I was growing up we always had healthy food for dinner, and I wasn't allowed sweets for snacks at school. My mom packed my lunch with granola bars, apples and carrot sticks until I hit that age where I started making lunch myself - which was also the age that I discovered Caffeteria food, vending machines, and "Hot Lunch Days" at school. I easily put on 30 pounds from the time I was in grade 10 to the day that I graduated.

In College it was easier for me make Kraft Dinner, it was easier to eat canned soup, it was easier to make a package of Side-kicks. It was CHEAPER to grab a Big Mac from McDonalds. Me and my roomate could eat for under $7. Also, factor in the invention of the $1.99 menu. Or the "2 can dine for $8.99" flyers we got in the mail all the time. Add 20 more pounds to a 5'3 frame totalling 155 pounds. Tell me again, why I can't run?

Over the past year though, I've revamped how I eat and what I eat. I've been a vegetarian for 5 months, I'm a University student who lives on a budget. I can't afford to buy new jeans everytime I gain 5 pounds. I live in residence this year and NO DOUBT it is tempting to walk to the campus and just get a slice of 500 calorie pizza for dinner.

Eating healthy is a LIFE change, its not a quick fix. Dieiting is NOT an option. Changing the way you purchase foods and consume them, is what will make the difference. I have a rule I follow when going shopping. If it doesn't fit in the grocery basket, it doesn't come home. If it's in the fridge, I eat it. I have a small fridge, I go shopping once a week, and my bill stays under $60/week. It was tough getting out of the "quick" food mentality, but now that I'm out of it - I don't crave the same stuff I used to.

Healthy eating HAS to start in the home, since this is where kids grow up. It has to be followed at school - WHAT is with the microwaveable subs that DON'T mould? What is with the Sugary Sodas? What's with the frozen dinners we're told will make dinner "easier" for us?

Most importantly, healthy eating has to be a part of your every day life - otherwise, you won't do it. Teaching kids when they're young to make the healthy choices is just as important, as knowing yourself, what the healthy choices are.

- Carrot

reply to post by CA_Orot

In College it was easier for me make Kraft Dinner, it was easier to eat canned soup, it was easier to make a package of Side-kicks. It was CHEAPER to grab a Big Mac from McDonalds. Me and my roomate could eat for under $7. Also, factor in the invention of the $1.99 menu. Or the "2 can dine for $8.99" flyers we got in the mail all the time. Add 20 more pounds to a 5'3 frame totalling 155 pounds. Tell me again, why I can't run?

Yeah, I hear you. Well I am off campus but the temptations don't stop. Around the corner I have a pizza place, Chinese and Mexican. Two blocks down there is a Taco Bell and McDonald's in the same complex. It's sad what America has turned into. It's not like we can point the finger though because we have all fell victim to it plenty of times. After coming back from brain draining classes and extremely hard tests would you either cook or order out. Ordering seems more plausible especially when the rest of your housemates are doing it as well. Don't get me wrong it's tough. I've eaten out twice this entire semester and make it a habit of working out five days a week; I highly doubt my genes made that decision for me.

-Ign0RanT

Im not sure about this. I have seen some kids eating the same very fatty foods and they are as thin as a stick and they are just as "lazy" if not more than the bigger kids who some are even more active than the thin ones.

Is this gene picking and choosing certian kids or is there something else invovled than just some gene?



Cheers!!!!

Bull crap. I think this gene has to have been around a long time if it is so prevelent, yet people have only been elephants for a few decades.

The difference is sedentary lifestyles and a deep-fried cardboard coated in MSG died.

If anything this article highlights the need for parents to ensure their children have a healthy died.

My kids love brocalli. It's the darndest thing I've ever seen, but I ain't complaining.

Originally posted by RFBurns
Im not sure about this. I have seen some kids eating the same very fatty foods and they are as thin as a stick and they are just as "lazy" if not more than the bigger kids who some are even more active than the thin ones.

I have a sixteen year old who disappears if he turns sideways. He eats the same food as my ten year old, yet the ten year old is overweight. I would almost say he eats more junk than the younger one because I try to limit the younger one on what he eats. I am also not the biological mother of the older one. I think genetics may have something to do with it, but not to this extent. Almost any child will reach for chocolate if they have a taste for it.

Originally posted by Ign0rant
Yeah, I hear you. Well I am off campus but the temptations don't stop. Around the corner I have a pizza place, Chinese and Mexican. Two blocks down there is a Taco Bell and McDonald's in the same complex. It's sad what America has turned into. It's not like we can point the finger though because we have all fell victim to it plenty of times. After coming back from brain draining classes and extremely hard tests would you either cook or order out. Ordering seems more plausible especially when the rest of your housemates are doing it as well. Don't get me wrong it's tough. I've eaten out twice this entire semester and make it a habit of working out five days a week; I highly doubt my genes made that decision for me.

Agreed. When I check my mail I throw out those flyers RIGHT away, because if they sit on my desk, I'll be tempted to order in on a night when I'm swamped. It's exam time for me right now, and I am trying to avoid the temptation to give in. If I do go down to the campus to study, I take food with me so that I won't be tempted to go the Caf. Right now, my jeans from the start of the semester, still fit me. I want to keep it that way.

I don't believe that genes have much to do with anything... My mother, is in phenomenal shape and always has been. She watches what she eats, and she's careful about Sweets and Fattening foods. I've never seen my mother in the frozen food section at the grocery store. But I know that she indulges in the ice-cream and chips sometimes. My father on the other hand, I bake cookies, and I swear he gains 5 pounds. But just as soon for him, if he switches to healthy eating for a few days, he's lost it again.

You're only as good as the fuel you put into your body... I admire you for making it to the gym 5 days a week...I really got start back up on my Yoga...

- Carrot

reply to post by secretstash


Yeah I have to read up more about this subject but genetics plays a main factor in it. I was in the gym once conversing with a body builder. Apparently the definition of some muscles on the body do not depend on the amount they are worked out, but genetics. So genetics may explain why some children become obese while others stay thin. Yet genetics do not alleviate our responsibility of living healthy lifestyles.

-Ign0RanT

I don't put much belief in all this gene stuff. It takes away responsibility.

We've heard of such genes as,

the gay gene
the killer gene
the smart gene

And now we have the fat/overeating gene.

Choices and decisions determine our future, not genes.

A person doesn't have to kill. People don't have to be gay. You can be smart even if your family isn't. And you don't have to eat too much just because your dad and mom eat too much.

Troy

[edit on 11-12-2008 by cybertroy]

A frequently missing component of the diet discussion is the type of high-fat food you're eating. Growing up, we cooked meals at home and when eating out chose restaurants where wholesome foods were offered. This does not necessarily translate to "low-fat". As a family of amateur gourmands, we were never instructed to count fat grams or calories; fats came from oils (olive, sesame, sunflower, etc.), butter rather than margarine, market cheeses (those sourced from goat's milk were a favorite) and other whole dairy products. There were no fat-free "cheese" singles or faux butter sprays to be found in our house. The focus was not on low-fat foods but rather on wholesome ones and portions were always modest. Be assured that our diets were not low-fat or low-calorie, but every family member maintained a slim figure and fantastic health (including the elder members, who have never had issues with cholesterol or heart disease). I could chalk it up to genetics and a bit of luck, but this doesn't seem to be the case. As an adult, I generally eat the foods I grew up on. However, convenient foods became routine during periods of stress at school and work. This led to weight gain but was solved by reverting back to my childhood diet. I think that the quality of the calories and fat you're getting plays a more significant role than the amount, though you'll certainly want to keep to a reasonable intake.

Just some food for thought.


[edit on 11/12/08 by paperplanes]

reply to post by paperplanes

I could chalk it up to genetics and a bit of luck, but this doesn't seem to be the case. As an adult, I generally eat the foods I grew up on. However, convenient foods became routine during periods of stress at school and work. This led to weight gain but was solved by reverting back to my childhood diet. I think that the quality of the calories and fat your getting plays a more significant role than the amount, though you'll certainly want to keep to a reasonable intake.

Good for you, it's refreshing to see someone actually take responsibility for their own actions. Yeah it all depends on the food we choose to eat. Honestly if the 'gene' does influence the your choice in food, put yourself in a place/position where you won't have an option to obtain unhealthy food.

I think it's more likely the 'excuse gene'

Of course kids would rather reach for a cake,they taste nicer when you're younger.

The difference today is the parent.

Once upon a time they would actually teach offspring the benefits of apples over cakes.
Once they would actually take the time to prepare a healthy,balanced meal.

Now they just hand the cake over and tell the kid to sod off bothering them while they're watching TV,or 'having a pint' or 'lighting up'.

Oh,the wondrous improvements in 'quality of life' technology has brought.

Now the single 'fat kid in class' is going to be replaced by 1 out of 3.

Obesity is not so simple as calories in, calories out, or genese. There is a tyrade of issues that people are just completely unprepared for or don't know of.

Stemming from sabotage, social pressures, family upbringing, natures tendency to make you eat, to psychological.

Is it really that people are lazy or are they depressed and tired and don't give a damn?

And yes, people are tired. Americans work 400 more hours a year then any other coutnry on Earth. With far less vacation time. Most Eurppeans get 24 vacation days, Americans get 12, if you work for a great company or the government. That doesn't include sick leave.

So we are overworked, taking care of children, we have isolated ourselves so we live 30 miles from the nearest friend or relative so we make sure we dont' have any help. We are lonely, we are tired, we are depressed because all we do is work. Most of us only see our friends a few times a year.

Our families teach us bad habits. There is the clean your plate syndrome. Where you are forced to eat everythign on your plate despite not being hungry. This takes a way a child's ability to decide what they want to eat.
That includes forcing children to eat veggies or anything else they don't want. Children are born with an innate ability to know what they need to eat and when. We quickly rob them off that by constanty pushing food, making them finish what they don't want, and not giving a proper amoutn of choices.

While a toddlers choices seem to come in spurts, when the nutrition is calculated over time, it evens out. Sometime my kids eats meat for days. Other times all he wants is apples. I give him what he wants, and he knows to stop eating when he is not hungry anymore.

Before I got married, I lost 65 lbs. When you are trying to diet, the amount of pressure and sabotage is astounding. It is hard enough to not overeat, much less when you have teams of people, even the ones you love, trying to make you fail.

When you go through your day, pay attention to the number of times someone offers you food, and even chastises you for not taking it. Aw come on, I made it myself.
Or relatives looked hurt and shocked when you turn down the goodies they gave you, or made especially for you.

A friend had a bday party at work, there are always bday parties at work. I had five people, who all knew I was watching what I eat, try to force cake on me. But it is birthday cake! the birthday girl herself insisted, even getting mad and saying: it is bad luck not to eat someone's birthday cake.

I quickly developed a 2 turn rule. If you push food more then two times that I politely turned down, I have the right to be rude. AT that point, I considered them very rude.

I was amazed at a party once that my husband and I attended, when a friend kept pushing alcohol on him. he didnt' drink for personal reasons that no one needed to know. But the host kept pushing. And she didn't drink herself!! they had no idea why he didn't drink, alcoholic, medications. No one cared. They didn't want him to be different.


Because of the guilt instilled in us by the clean your plate syndrome, we absolutely do not like to waste food. So if someone gives us that box of christmas cookies, we feel guilty about wasting it.
Or we take it to the office where it makes it even harder for others to avoid.

Our office used to get all sorts of goodies, I had to resort to putting a bowl of apples on the table to remind me to eat healthier.

Studies have been shown that a person can only resist a treat 3 times. So when it is in your face at the office, where you are already tired and depressed, it compounds the problem.

Weight watchers teaches you that if you receive junk food, to throw it away or give it away, but you don't keep it around the house.

How many times during the week do you see cake, cookies, doughnuts, appear at work?

Not all willpowers are created equally. If someone has been indulged by the parents their whole life, you don't automatically develope a sense of willpower at 18. On the surface, you know it is bad, but the underlying behaviors that have been drilled over a lifetime are stronger.

Then there is the food itself. Laced with preservatives, altered, bleached and then enriched. So much so that most people dont' even know what the original is supposed to look or taste like. We are told some things are good for you when they are not. Like mac and cheese is supposed to be good for you because the packet of articical cheese resembles dairy.
EVERYTHING, INCLUDING INFANT FORMULA, has high fructose corn syrup in it. This spikes your blood sugar and makes you crash, craving more sugar.We have no idea what we are eating. I grow my own strawberries, and they are nothing like the store. REal strawberries are small, but very sweet, where I can't even eat the stores because they are just large red pulp.

Then you have the schools serving up garbage. When I went on a diet in high school, the only snack I could find that was lowest in fat and calories was a rice krispy treat. There you go. How are kids supposed to know what is good for them when they never see it? By the time they are adults, the habit is cemented.

As for exercise, we are duped on that also. We have so many gym machines and treadmills advertised to us that we dont' know what real exercise is. And that stufff is BORING. And no one can stick to something so boring. When I used the eliptical machine, I was watching every minute for the boredome to be over. What we are not told is that exercise can be fun. Hiking, dancing, martial arts. I picked up belly dancing. It was hard work, fun, and rewarding. So was step aerobics. What people aren't told is to work it whenever they can. Park in the farthest spots, take the stairs instead of the elevator, take the long long way through the office. It adds up. I knew someoen who wore ankle weights at work all day just to strengthen their legs.

We are mis-lead on so many levels. It is not wonder people are apathetic and overweight. No one knows what to do. I learned almost all this information, on my own.

And this is just a sampling of the problems, the problems are as varied as people. It is the genes wholly? No. But like everything else it sets us up for a predisposition and makes it tougher.

reply to post by Ign0rant


That is true. I have heard trainers say that a six pack on a man is a genetic trait. Many guys have to have sculpting done to get it. And no matter the exercise, if you don't have it, you don't have it.

Things are never simple. Neither is eating disorders.

Originally posted by nixie_nox

That is true. I have heard trainers say that a six pack on a man is a genetic trait.

What they should have told you is that EVERYONE has those '6pack abs'.
You just can't see them when you have more then 2kg of wobbly stuff covering them.

Busting your butt doing 1000 sit-ups a day will not make them show more.
You just have to lose the covering of fat.

As I've said before.I come from parents who are both obese.Yet I always had 'abs' ...until I started eating too much crap.

Kids are fatter and eat more rubbish simply because parents have gotten lazy and the availability of 'convenience' foods LOOKS like a fast solution.

30 minutes preparing each meal will save your kids a lot of 'heartache' literally and figuratively speaking.

A healthier meal could have been prepared with chosen balanced ingredients,in the time that it took to get that grease and preservative soaked rat-burger delivered.