Currently, 60 million adults in the United States are obese. And according to researchers, by the year 2015, three out of every four Americans are predicted to be obese or overweight. These researchers have proven over the years that exercise and eating habits can directly affect whether or not we are overweight and/or develop the chronic diseases that stem from being overweight such as diabetes and heart disease.
However, we’re now being told that whether we’re fat or thin may be determined by something more than unhealthy eating habits. According to Exercise Physiologist Melinda Sothern, Ph.D. at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, our genes may predetermine the future weight of a child — and the first few years of a child’s life are critical.
According to Sothern, children are born with a certain number of genes they inherit. During their development, some genes will either turn on or turn off depending upon the child’s environment and what behaviors he or she is allowed to participate in.
Sothern claims that it isn’t yet known when obesity becomes irreversible. It is known that when children become overweight before the age of six, their parents’ weight is probably the biggest predictor of staying overweight.
No matter whether you’re predisposed to the obesity gene, one thing is sure: diet and exercise are vital at any age. Studies show that the amount of physical activity kids are exposed to in the first three years of life has much to do with whether they become overweight or obese. In addition, positive role modeling from parents about diet as well as exercise is essential in keeping their children healthy.
Source: Information provided by Melinda Sothern, Ph.D., Pennington Biomedical Research Center, based on an interview with Ivanhoe’s Medical Breakthroughs regarding genetics and childhood obesity