Genetics can play a
role in the obesity epidemic. There are “inside-the-body” factors
that can help explain why many people struggle with weight loss and
obesity. There are two theories that need to be examined.
The first is
set-point theory. Set-point theory states that the body maintains a
certain weight by adjusting hunger, appetite, and food energy intake
while also adjusting metabolism so the person's efforts may not work
no matter how hard they try. They may shed some weight, but it often
comes right back because the body aims to keep its “set point”.
The second theory is
fat cell theory, which states that fat cells that develop during
childhood as a result of over feeding will only get larger during the
growing years and will produce additional fat cells, therefore the
number of fat cells is fixed and cannot be easily altered in
adulthood. The fat cells that have developed will only get larger.
The saying “overweight children will become overweight adults”
fits in this theory. Preventing obesity during the growing years is critical
because fat cells increase in number during childhood.
Obesity may be tied
to environmental factors as well as inside-the-body factors. In
future posts I will discuss the environmental factors as well as more
inside-the-body factors.
No comments:
Post a Comment