Health & Medicine
Fried Food and 'Fat Genes': Genetics to Blame for Weight Gain from Decadent Indulgences
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Mar 19, 2014 01:09 PM EDT
Do you like fried food? (Of course you do, unless you're vegan, all-organic, etc.) Ever wonder why so many people can scarf down a basket of greasy chicken fingers without gaining an ounce? The simple answer: Science. The more complicated answer: Husky genetics.
In other words, scientists have found that obesity may have a genetic link, specifically when factoring in how much fat the body can store and how it burns that fat.
For this recent study, researchers examined 37,000 men and women while having them fill out questionnaires regarding their fried food intake. In addition, scientists also examined their genetic risk for obesity based on 32 different gene variants, as well as their body mass index (BMI).
So what did scientists discover about individuals with 'fat genes?' Well, it just so turns out that while eating fried food could make you fat, for those with more fat-storing genes, eating fried treats could make them even fatter. (But don't forget to thank your great-great-grandmother for her rotund figure. That's how her and your other ancestors survived the famine. Right?)
"While we encourage everyone to reduce fried-food intakes and follow a healthy lifestyle, it appears time to consider how to integrate the novel genomic findings into our future health recommendations and practices," said Lu Qi, one of the researchers, via Medscape.
In conclusion, if you want to eat fattening, greasy, carnival goodies 24/7, it might not be such a good idea--that is, if you're harboring 'fat genes.' But if you want to take a risk anyway--genetics aside--do it in moderation, maybe. And occasionally hop on the treadmill.
More information regarding the study can be found via the journal BMJ.
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First Posted: Mar 19, 2014 01:09 PM EDT
Do you like fried food? (Of course you do, unless you're vegan, all-organic, etc.) Ever wonder why so many people can scarf down a basket of greasy chicken fingers without gaining an ounce? The simple answer: Science. The more complicated answer: Husky genetics.
In other words, scientists have found that obesity may have a genetic link, specifically when factoring in how much fat the body can store and how it burns that fat.
For this recent study, researchers examined 37,000 men and women while having them fill out questionnaires regarding their fried food intake. In addition, scientists also examined their genetic risk for obesity based on 32 different gene variants, as well as their body mass index (BMI).
So what did scientists discover about individuals with 'fat genes?' Well, it just so turns out that while eating fried food could make you fat, for those with more fat-storing genes, eating fried treats could make them even fatter. (But don't forget to thank your great-great-grandmother for her rotund figure. That's how her and your other ancestors survived the famine. Right?)
"While we encourage everyone to reduce fried-food intakes and follow a healthy lifestyle, it appears time to consider how to integrate the novel genomic findings into our future health recommendations and practices," said Lu Qi, one of the researchers, via Medscape.
In conclusion, if you want to eat fattening, greasy, carnival goodies 24/7, it might not be such a good idea--that is, if you're harboring 'fat genes.' But if you want to take a risk anyway--genetics aside--do it in moderation, maybe. And occasionally hop on the treadmill.
More information regarding the study can be found via the journal BMJ.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone