The claimEvidence B · meta-analysis
Obesity is genetic destiny — you can't change it
The evidence
Heritability is a population statistic, not a personal verdict. Genes give a tendency, not an endpoint; the same genome yields very different weights in different environments (Loos & Yeo 2022).
The mechanism, in brief
Wrap the above into one takeaway, while closing both extremes.
Sources (3)
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- Sumithran, P., Prendergast, L. A., Delbridge, E., Purcell, K., Shulkes, A., Kriketos, A., & Proietto, J. (2011). Long-term persistence of hormonal adaptations to weight loss. The New England Journal of Medicine, 365(17), 1597–1604.
- Loos, R. J. F., & Yeo, G. S. H. (2022). The genetics of obesity: from discovery to biology. Nature Reviews Genetics, 23(2), 120-133. Polygenic (common) and monogenic (rare) obesity share genetic and biological underpinnings, pointing to a central role for the brain in body-weight control.