There is a theory that men ascribe to when it comes to women. If they ever wonder about what the woman they are with will look like in the future as she ages, they will take a look at her mother. In 20-30 years time, that provides a good approximation of what she will look like.
There is a saying, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” This idea, like the theory mentioned above, is grounded in genetics. Genetics deals with inheritance, more specifically, the traits that people inherit from their mothers and fathers through DNA encoding.
Scientists have discovered a gene in lab mice that they have referred to as the “fatso gene”. They noticed that the heavier mice had this particular gene while others did not.
More recently, scientists have found in the human genome a similar phenomenon. Certain people have these “fatso genes”. A person with two of these genes is likelier to be obese and have diabetes. A person with one of these genes is, on average, heavier, as well.
Scientists estimate that about 16% of the world’s population has 2 copies of the “fatso gene”, while roughly 50% have one.
Another factor that can influence weight is the number of fat cells in the body. Studies have shown that some people have twice as much fat cells compared to other test subjects.
Fat cells are usually generated during childhood and end during adolescence. However, some people start generating these fat cells as early as age 2.
While this means that some people are genetically predisposed to being a bit on the heavier side, it doesn’t mean that they are helpless to combat it. Regular exercise becomes that much more important for people that have a history of obesity in the family.
Having more fat cells is also not as disadvantageous as you might think. It is better to have a lot of them rather than letting a few fat cells become overstuffed, and consequently enlarged. This makes it likelier for that person to develop weight complications.
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