The Truth About "Skinny Genes"
Jennifer D'Angelo Friedman
, SELF magazine
This one's kind of a no-brainer: University of London researchers have found that thinner parents tend to have thinner children.
Well, duh.
But staying slim isn't as simple as having "skinny genes," as the study puts it. We asked Marjorie Nolan, RD, national spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, how much of a role your parents really play in your weight-loss destiny.
"It's not as simple as just genetics and body types -- it's also about environment," Nolan explains. "If you have thinner parents, chances are they also take care of their bodies and eat healthfully. We now know that environment plays an even bigger role than genes."
In other words, children learn healthy lifestyle habits from their parents. But certainly, "skinny genes" help. So if our parents weren't slim, do we have to work even harder to maintain a healthy weight? Nolan says yes.
"There's no doubt that some people are programmed to be heavier. In this case, you have to watch what you eat a little more, take more time to be active, weigh yourself regularly, keep a food journal, do all those things that maybe come naturally to other people."
And even if you were born with "skinny genes," this doesn't mean you get a free pass on healthy habits.
"A lot of people who are genetically thin are still not healthy. Plus, the food is so different today from our parents' generation, as are portion sizes. If you look at the stats from the last 30 years, over half of Americans are now obese or overweight. Their genes didn't suddenly change -- it's really about environment."
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