Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

You know how you work out in the gym and eat healthy every day and it takes you twice as long to get thin as your “naturally” thin friend? It’s not all in your head.

• ‘Fat’ gene found by scientists-News-UK-Health-TimesOnline

“People who inherit one version of the gene rather than another are 70 per cent more likely to be obese, British scientists have discovered. One in six people has the most vulnerable genetic make-up and weighs an average 3kg more than those with the lowest risk. They also have 15 per cent more body fat.”

So, why diet? If I’m just destined to be fat because of my genes, why should I suffer more than the normal person just to look normal?

Because it will probably save my life. An extra five years or so sounds really nice. If all I have to do is eat healthy food and move my body once a day, it’s worth it.

Based on this article, they might even solve the genetic problem:

If the biological function of the gene, known as FTO, can now be understood, it could become possible to design drugs that manipulate it to help people to control their weight. “Even though we have yet to fully understand the role played by the FTO gene in obesity, our findings are a source of great excitement,” Mark McCarthy, of the University of Oxford, who led the research, said.

“By identifying this genetic link it should be possible to improve our understanding of why some people are more obese, with all the associated implications such as increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. New insights will hopefully pave the way for us to explore novel ways of treating this condition.”

All I can say is don’t be the first in line for these miracle cures. You don’t want to be the guinea pig in the race to “cure” obesity.

Via: Blind Prophecy 2.0 – Is this why two years of regular gym workouts and dieting have had limited results?