Are Our Genes Responsible for Midlife Weight Gain?

This was an area where I received my biggest change in attitude. This is also an area where there has been a recent explosion in knowledge. One review on this subject studied family, twin and adoption research trials. Within this broad section of groups the suggested heritability of obesity ranged from 10-80%! Within my reading the number 20% of overweight is due to genes kept appearing. Remember that single gene defects are relatively rare. More common is a multitude of genetic changes which make one susceptible to weight gain - especially in a permissive environment.

One study which illustrates this point was performed in the Framingham Offspring Study (Corella, Journal of Molecular Medicine, 2007). Of the 1207 women tested, 13% had single neucleotide polymorphism called APOA5-1131T>C. Those that were genetically at risk for obesity by this trait had increased body mass index when their diet contained more than 30% of its calories from fat. In those with the "obesity gene" who followed a low fat diet there was no increase in body mass index.

Now that you know what age, genes and menopause have to do (or not) with midlife weight gain, my next post will deal with how to prevent it.

Related Blogs:

• It's Not Easy: Midlife Weight Gain in Women
• Is Age Responsible for Midlife Weight Gain?
• Is Menopause Responsible for Midlife Weight Gain?

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: The Role of Genes in Weight Loss
• Obesity in the Genes?

Technorati Tags: women's health, weight, obesity, menopause, age, health and wellness