Comments on: Obesity Gene

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:40:28 +0000

There are murmurings from some researchers that the human adenovirus AD36 could be to blame for at least a proportion of obesity cases since 1980…

http://tinyurl.com/6gknm9

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:21:53 +0000

Rosana, I’m not really sure who you mean should take charge and of whom should “they” take charge?

By: rosana dunmon

rosana dunmon — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:01:41 +0000

people should do something about it. there is a lot of things people could do about it but no one is taking charge.

By: Gus P.

Gus P. — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 04:38:01 +0000

David Bradley says: Numbers like 1 in 100 and 1 in 200 are worth considering in the context of genetic disposition, i agree with you. But if those were the numbers that we were talking about, it certainly wouldn’t be in a conversation about the epidemic in the United Sates. So yes, genetic disposition may account for “hard losers,” who are a fraction of the obese population in the US. And since we can safely assume that the genetic disposition in the US is not multiples of the rest of the world, perhaps we should consider the cultural habits of Americans that make us so much fatter than every other first world country.

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:32:03 +0000

Well, anonymous, I hope your reference to bombing Burger King is as flippant as mentioning Ethiopia in this context. Weight loss is not rocket science, for the vast majority, sure. Ingest fewer calories than you use and you will lose weight. However, there are perhaps individuals who are the opposite of what body builders call “hard gainers”, people who for whatever reason accumulate more calories from their diet than others. If the vast majority are fine, then what percentage may be “hard losers”? 1 in 100, 1 in 200. Those are still significant numbers in a population of several hundred million people, surely?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 10:38:30 +0000

Funny how there seem to be so many more people with this genetic problem and faulty gut flora etc in the US and UK compared to, say, Ethiopia. If all the money spent on this research was channeled instead into bombing all the burger kings perhaps the problem would be solved. Just a thought. Maintaining a healthy weight (in the VAST majority of people) is not rocket science. Why try to turn it into it?

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:51:45 +0000

Good point, most Brits will know only too well how awful overboiled Brussels sprouts with their Sunday roast can be, delicately steamed they’re almost a delicacy (the sprouts, that is, not the Brits)

By: DV82XL

DV82XL — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 11:54:08 +0000

You know, it’s a matter of getting over the psychological hump that has developed from a lifetime exposure to vegetables in the form of creamed corn and boiled carrots that make us think that vegetarian meals are boring and tasteless.

I still consider myself a meat-eater, but since my teenage daughter became a vegetarian about a year ago and started doing a lot of the cooking I would never have known just how good and satisfying a veggie meal could be. In other words: it’s the preparation more than the content that’s central to good food. Our problem is as a culture we know more about how to make pork rinds tasty than doing the same for pulses.

And it is just the preparation – boil a steak and see how much you like it.

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 08:49:05 +0000

Michael, it is indeed a perennial problem – how to switch from porkrinds to pulses? But, what makes the obesity issue so odd is that given our society’s infatuation with life extension and age deferral (which simply boils down to a fear of death) individuals don’t recognize the life-threatening effects of being overweight, eating sh*t, smoking, and avoiding exercise. Invert those habits and most people would get instant life extension without all the expensive health supplements, plastic surgery, liposuction, and stomach stapling.

Of course, if it’s “in my genes”, then they have a perfect excuse not to bother. By the way, make mine a veggie cheeseburger on rye, with a side order of dahl, thanks, and hold the mayo.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 21:45:31 +0000

If only there was a magic solution to the obesity epidemic. I agree that a genetic argument could not explain the dramatic rise in obesity; the population’s genes simply haven’t shifted that quickly. However, a study of genetic components of obesity may improve medical care(again, not looking for a miracle pill, but medical therapies are desperately needed given the negative impact of obesity).

The question for me is, how do we get more people eating pulses instead of pork rinds? What changes in the broader system could we make to encourage this behavior?
In case you are interested in these types of questions, researchers at the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity talk about them regularly at: http://www.ruddsoundbites.com