I have seen these kids from 15 hit the age of 30, never having so much as a bulge in their belly.

Weight and genetics has more than one side here, and what I just described is PURE behavioral. (I only hope by your choice of that particular keyword you don’t subsribe to the “holey” DSM-IV doctrine, by the way)

A good example would be that in countries where people are starving, you don’t see any obese people in the impoverished areas and therefore obesity is NOT a genetic disease in almost ALL cases. Obviously there is the very very uncommon exception to this.

People need to stop eating so much food and stop blaming everyone else including fast food. Cook your own dinner, eat a variety of different foods and exercise. If you’re still obese you’re either not doing that or are eating too much.

The whole genetics thing on obesity is all bunk based on a number of very rare medical conditions linked to obesity (particular genes that affect fat storage)! I should know.

You are attempting to demonstrate that because a person’s leptin levels influence appetite, that this proves that there is a link between genetics and obesity. Am I correct?

First let me clarify something.

Me saying “Obesity is not genetic”, more specifically means: “The recent explosion in obesity rates is not due to a change in genetics”.

I did not mean to imply that there can not be a single genetic link to obesity. Surely there are disorders that are genetic in origin that cause weight gain, or a change in appetite. But I have seen no evidence that says anything different than these cases are in the minority.

Case in point: Lets look at the entry for Leptin in Wikipedia…

A very small group of humans possess homozygous [...] mutations for the leptin gene which leads to a constant desire for food, resulting in severe obesity.

Ok, now let’s look at this:

Although leptin is a circulating signal that reduces appetite, in general, obese people have an unusually high circulating concentration of leptin.[20] These people are said to be resistant to the effects of leptin, in much the same way that people with type 2 diabetes are resistant to the effects of insulin. The high sustained concentrations of leptin from the enlarged adipose stores result in leptin desensitization. The pathway of leptin control in obese people might be flawed at some point so the body doesn’t adequately receive the satiety feeling subsequently to eating.

Is it not possible that a person that becomes obese due to overeating, and accumulates excess adipose tissue (fat), is storing this leptin in higher concentrations than they normally would, resulting in the desensitization?

And very similar to diabetics, insulin resistance can occur because of a genetic effect, or because of habitual diet (the rates due to the latter are skyrocketing).

Quite often, risk factors that upset one system, upset another, in a similar manner. Central obesity, glucose intolerance, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high concentrations of leptin, and leptin resistance. They’re all linked in some way or another.

And what’s the #1 best way to reduce the likelihood that you will get any of those disorders? Proper diet and active lifestyle.

Take a look at this post:

http://healthhabits.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/binge-eating-is-your-brain-making-you-fat/

It seems that behavior can have a huge impact on leptin sensitivity in some of the same ways that it does regarding insulin.

So, while genetic predisposition should always be taken into account, you can’t ignore that behaviors have a lot more impact than some might, or would like, to think.

i was ready to bit you because of that post regarding starving people. i see your point there , but the problem is way bigger.

but i guess my opinion regarding that matter isn’t this important on this blog, because what really matters here is the fat problem.

i’m am overweighten, but i didn’t give up, what i can’t understand is why so many people simplilly give up on being healthy and build so much excuses to keep going on the bad habits and stile of life

The average American household spends roughly $1,200 per year on electronics alone, According to a recent study by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), which is suprisingly more than the combined expenditures for both alcohol and tobacco.

Among the $1,200 in purchases, televisions are of the greatest popularity, being in over 90% of American households; of which, 25% own HDTVs. Mobile phones are also amidst some of the most popular devices, occupying 76% of American homes.

Over the past year, the fastest growing gadgets in the electronics industry were Digital cameras, MP3 players, network routers, and DVRs.

“Many of the top owned products have enjoyed mass-market saturation for years and will likely see growth based on upgrade and replacement sales,” said CEA senior research analyst Elena Caudle. “Some of the more intriguing categories are those that still occupy niche markets, such as mobile CE devices like GPS systems and satellite radio, which have seen healthy growth in the past few years.”

Households with teens, which were determined to spend half of their total arbitrary income on electronics, were shown to exceed the average household expenses by $500.

Caudle added that, “It’s interesting to note here that two of the fastest movers and shakers in the CE industry are devices that enable home networking. The other three products enable consumers to create, shift or transport digital content. As consumers continue to embrace digital technology this new convergence will continue to change the way Americans live, work and play.”

These figures, while they may be accurate on the average household, simply do not reflect what the majority of us actually spend on electronics. If you’re sitting at your computer reading this, chances are, you spend significantly more than $1,200 per year on your ‘must have’ gadgets.

Interestingly enough, these figures surpass the combined annual household spending of alcohol and tobacco, according to the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; of which, households spend ~$450 and ~$320 on alcohol and tobacco, respectively.

A Discussion About Obesity