Obesity is a complex condition, but the food industry and its
products have been targeted as a major culprit by many. The new
research, published in the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, indicates that genes for body mass index may be
responsible for less than one per cent of obesity. European
researchers, led by Ruth Loos from Addenbrooke’s Hospital in
Cambridge, UK, performed a genetic survey of over 20,000 people
participating in the European Prospective Investigation into
Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Norfolk cohort. In an accompanying
editorial, Claude Bouchard from the Pennington Biomedical
Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana said the new findings
extend previously understanding on the role of genetics in
obesity. “The obesity epidemic we are facing today unfolded over
the past few decades and can clearly not be explained by changes
in the frequency of risk alleles,” wrote Bouchard. “It is more
likely due to a changing social and physical environment that
encourages consumption and discourages