The BBC on the recent University College London study on 5,000 twins (identical and fraternal) that demonstrates that “Obesity ‘may be largely genetic’”.
Additionally, Junkfood Science has a very well written summary of a seminal 1940’s study on starvation and physiological/psychological responses to starvation, as well as what happens when starvation is remedied and folks’ eating habits adjust. In fact, there seems to be very little cause to say that folks who eat a lot after going on starvation diets are “overeating”, and apparently body weights return to almost the same as before starvation within 9 months of returning to a situation where access to food is unfettered.
Tags: dieting · eating · fat acceptance · food · health · obesity · starvation2 Comments
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The study the BBC references shows very little difference from the study I did for my Master’s in 30,000 identical and fraternal twins and their first-degree relatives. I was able to isolate some variant genetic and environmental effects between sexes, as well as at different age stages because of the design of my dataset, but my conclusions were no different: BMI is ~74% genetic.
My conclusions in the early 1990s replicated conclusions drawn by Stunkard in twin studies in the mid-1980s. It is unfortunate that I never published the data, because it would have been one more study the popular media and opinion could choose to ignore!
Wow, that’s very interesting. I actually have been thinking of compiling as comprehensive a research/citation resource for my own use in the upcoming ideological battle I will no doubt have with my doctor and my nutritionist in the next couple of months.
So that’s another reason it’s a shame!