Login:

Search blogs:

---

Fat Free Fitness Health, Diet and Fitness Today – Monday 7th December 2009 - The 'fat gene' in children

Posted: 07/12/2009 at 08:03pm by Rich Leigh, founder of Fat Free Fitness

New findings today from a study by scientists at Cambridge University suggest that a genetic ‘mutation’ causes childhood obesity, as opposed to being a result of overfeeding and under-activity.

You may remember similar findings from last year, and probably the year before that too, about a gene dubbed the ‘fat gene’.

The children in the study had been on the at risk register because of fears they were being overfed. They have now been removed from the list on the basis of the findings, after scientists at Cambridge University found that certain types of genetic mutation were present in those suffering from severe obesity.

The scientists of course have been careful not to claim that this is the definitive cause of obesity, with Dr Sadaf Farooqi from Cambridge University, one of the scientists behind the study, quoted as saying "This study shows that severe obesity is a serious medical issue that deserves scientific investigation”, although mainstream media outlets have certainly grabbed onto it with more vigour.

So, looking at the story from an at first unbiased viewpoint: a number of children, all obese, were part of a study. A genetic variation was found in a number of them, which allows the scientists to hypothesise (and report) that this gene, found in a number of obese children, could be the cause of obesity.

Now, looking at it from a biased point of view, I have a real problem with the study. Of course the scientists haven’t conclusively stated that the gene causes obesity, because they don’t know, or maybe even think, that it does. What they know is that this gene is within a certain number of children.

Did they test a similar sample number of ‘normal’ weight children?

If they did, this has not been reported, despite being a story picked up by pretty much every national media outlet online, something which is sure to grace the pages of many in print tomorrow.

I suggest that this to Cambridge University is merely an exercise in PR to demonstrate that scientists at the prestigious University are constantly experimenting and studying matters of importance. As somebody who has worked for years within both the public relations and health and fitness industries, I suggest this because this is something I’d do too if I was working on the PR account for the University which has to justify external funding, student fees and stakeholder interest whilst also maintaining its renowned status.

The story has it all – headline grabbing ‘results’ (merely a scientific proposition), high profile study progenitors and a bandwagon to jump on, namely the fact that nearly one in four children in the UK is now clinically classed as obese.

I take no issue with the above, other than the fact that it furthers the idea that obesity is something out of our control, which having worked with all manner of people with weight problems, know that it is not.

Years ago, when the ‘fat gene’ was first proposed, all of a sudden, people had something to hang their obesity on; a reason for their weight other than the obvious, which made my job of teaching people that weight loss was attainable and required their willpower all the more difficult.

I once read a quote by self-help author Dr Robert Anthony that seems apt: “When you blame others, you give up your power to change.” That’s what studies like this do. They retract the power to change from the people who need it most.


Nearly 1 in 4 children is clinically obese

Add Comment View Comments

Comments

Currently no comments.

Add a Comment

Name: *
Email: *
Website:
Message: *
Enter the security code: *

Newsletter Signup

Sign Up For Free Tips & Advice

Enter your e-mail address:

Top 5 Blogs

Guest post - Why do we overeat? Includes tips on how to beat it!

Guest post: Male fitness cover-model David White gives his diet alternatives!

Rich gives guest interview to online fitness magazine finalfitness.co.uk

Real life story - How Fitness Changed My Life

Good news: a big bum = healthy! Health, Diet and Fitness Today - 12/01/10

Have you read these?

4 in 5 men will be overweight or obese come 2020

Fitness Product of the Day - Reebok Weighted Speed Skipping Rope

Can new 'wonder-belt' help you shape up? - Health, Diet and Fitness Today - 21/12/09

Which is the fattest region in the UK?

Why Octo-mom lost 145lbs!

Fat Free Fitness Weight Loss