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There has been around half-truth, a half myth for ages that your weight is something that your DNA, genes and in short, heredity decides.
Even a lot of people think that there is a valid connection between obesity and genetics.
After all, our genes are actually responsible for deciding what color of the eye we will have; what will be your hair color and how much your height will be, are just a few examples of characteristics that are predetermined.
Then why not weight?
But seriously, the topic of genes’ connection with obesity has been overly debated because just think for a minute,
can your genes actually make you fat?
Or
your diet, lifestyle and physical activeness are the real culprits for this ugly waistline?
The point is still not clear, and the researchers and scientists are still looking for genes that can be responsible for the obesity.
This search has the potential to open the doors for absolutely different horizons and methods when it is about treating the problem of obesity from other techniques rather treating it from diet or exercise.
Unfortunately, our body wiring is for shielding our weight and that is why the problem of obesity is not easy to deal with.
Our bodies have learned in the process of evolution to treat high-calorie food as a valuable source to combat starvation.
This statement is a highlight of Shantanu Gaur’s earlier statement (Allurion Co-Founder & CEO).
The Factual Information About Obesity
The scientists believed since the year of 2007 that they had discovered key gene that has the connection with obesity.
The name of the gene is FTO. The other names for FTO gene are as follows:
- Alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase FTO.
- Fat mass and obesity-associated protein
Chromosome 16 has the FTO gene and the experiment conductors linked the FTO gene with the issue of obesity.
The observers were not sure that how this FTO gene influences obesity or weight gain, but then in 2015, when a new research, conducted by the researchers at Harvard University and MIT was part of the Medicine Journal of the New England.
Their experiments were on mice and also on the human cells.
As per their research, a damaged version of the FTO gene has the tendency to trigger energy gained from food to be stored as a fat deposit rather being utilized by the body in its natural metabolic mechanism.
A typical; variant in the gene of FTO has the connection with the BMI and makes the body vulnerable to childhood or adult obesity issue.
The impact of locating the particular role that certain gene(s) perform in the occurrence of obesity and other relevant defects or problems is undeniably huge.
Learning the risk for predisposition is likely to eliminate the requirement for making the lifestyle changes that ask us to maximize healthy diet and exercise, the need to look for support in acquiring such a lifestyle, or even the invention of medicines or supplements that can hit precise genes that can influence obesity.
Unluckily, the study confirms that we are not at that stage yet.
Prior to hitting clinical trial, a drug must be tested on a laboratory basis for its effectiveness and safety then it is tried on human subjects.
So far, the science has just discovered a few of the variants that are not quite strong predictors just like family history.
Thus, we still need some more research work.
Study leader, Melina Claussnitzer, discussed the significance of this revolutionary research with the USA Today’s interview.
For the very first time, the genetics has unveiled a system in obesity that was not doubtful before.
The study of Californian University, Los Angeles, reached to rather familiar outcomes.
After giving a bunch of mice (genetically diverse) a typical diet for the duration of eight weeks, the scientists altered their diet to a high sugar and fat content diet for the similar eight-week period.
They discovered that abnormal and unhealthy diet stimulates little to no changes in the body fat percentage of some of the subjects but there were a few mice which showed the drastic changes in their body fat as much as 600 %.
If we take it another way, the results imply that some of the mice were genetically determined to put on more fat when they were exposed to high sugar content and high-fat diet.
Hence, these results lead researchers to believe that the genetics do have a role to play when it comes to evaluating that who will gain weight or who will not, irrespective of diet and exercise.
The Problem Of Excess Weight In America
It is highly an important issue because almost two in three adults, alone in the US, come in the group of obese individuals and it is just not mere fiction, but these statistics are true as per the survey report of Nation Health and Nutrition Examination.
Often enough, we just happened to blame obese people, it does not make any sense because if we really needed to blame anything, we would have to blame the ever increasing intake of processed food, accompanied by almost zero physical activity in our current era.
Our bodies are much more programmed to keep the fat as a scarce source energy and for making the survival easy, something that the human bodies used to face in the past where food was hard to get and the physical activity is totally unavoidable.
However, in our current so-called modern world, the things are totally another way around.
If we happen to adopt anti-obesity and chronic-disease equal to an embankment, we will certainly be able to turn this obesity tide before it drowns obese people in it, according to Dr. David Katz (current President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and founding director of Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center of Yale University).
In the last five decades, the graph of obesity in America has dramatically gone up.
Furthermore, according to the current study of North Carolina University at Chapel Hill, the scientists discovered that regular physical activity or exercise has the potential to keep the weight gain issue at a distance even when you have a genetic inclination to be overweight.
The study examined the FTO gene; it discovered that females who had a variant of this gene when exercised punctually or on the regular basis decreased the chances of DNA based weight gain by almost one-third.
The Weight Loss and Fat Gene
People are quite eager to tell you to avoid precise food items that are high in the fat or sugar content to keep the waistline slim.
There are no such studies that will not confirm this perception.
However, the scientists believe, the things are not as simple as they appear, particularly when the genes are also part of the situation.
There is a valid connection to an improper diet and fat deposit in the human body.
According to Zero Belly Diet Book, certain food items and lifestyle transformations have the potential to deactivate the FTO gene that leads to fat storage.
The book author this much sure about the theory because the subjects in a panel of the test for the book lost up to fifteen lbs just in the mere period of 2 weeks when they restricted the intake of sugar, and saturated fats and they ameliorated the ratio of fat burning food items.
Well, it is a universal fact that you cannot go wrong with balanced natural foods.
Apparently, with any detox, meal plan, diet etc the results are likely to vary individual to individual so it is not kind of a surprise to get a comment like this.
Additionally, reducing a huge amount of weight over a short period of time is not quite ideal in the long run.
Start adopting small changes are much better than bringing the drastic changes and then get back to the point A.
If your diet does not have the food items that are part of this list, does not matter!!!!
It is never too late to begin; start adding one thing at a time in your diet and soon, you will have a variety of healthy food items in your diet.
As you can see, soda is not part of this list and you are an eager drinker.
What to do?
Reduce the intake bit by bit. 30 minutes’ exercise not possible, how about 3-minute sessions, or a fifteen-minute session.
Do remember, something is better than nothing, every step counts and it is all part of progress.
Combat Obesity with Belly Fat Foods
1. Quinoa
This super grain is quite trendy these days.
There are reasons; this grain is not short of amino acids like lysine and proteins, which are vital for developing muscle and torching fat.
There are various studies, which are in its favor and one study released in the Agriculture and Food Chemistry Journal has discovered that quinoa has the potential to elevate metabolic activity.
2. Green Tea
It is an herbal solution and the consumption has been in practice since the ancient times to cure almost any ailment.
However, the studies indicate that Green Tea has the potential to decrease appetite and accelerate metabolism.
Even one Chinese Medical Journal study suggests that the green tea catechins have a link to the treatments of myriad health issues, such as type 2 diabetes; cardiovascular disease and obesity.
Moreover, green tea is tremendous for facing the problem of inflammation.
3. Blueberries
These blue gems might be tiny in size but they do have an incredible nutritional punch.
Blueberries are rich in polyphenols- a chemical substance associated with eliminating fat of belly.
One of the studies at the University of Michigan has found that when blueberries are taken with a heavy fat content diet, they can decline the level of cholesterol.
Whereas another study at the Tufts University found that the consumption of catechins improves the reduction of abdominal fat almost 77% and it is likely to double the total weight loss.
4. Eggs
Eggs have choline (a B-vitamin). Each cell in the body utilizes B-vitamins for the cell development. The human body requires a fair amount of this nutrient and just four eggs are more than enough to fulfill your daily need.
Women just need 425 mg and men need 550 mg.
Choline basically offers a lipotropic impact on the body or reduction of fat.
5. Fatty Seafood
Omega-3 fatty acids are literally your best buddies, you may trust them and fish is enriched with Omega-3 fatty acids.
Moreover, Tuna, particularly, is an excellent source of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Both have the tendencies to shut down fat genes.
Another great source of it is cod (fish). One study released in the journal (Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases), has connected five servings of cod a week, included in the low-calorie diet, to significant weight loss.
6. Red Meat
Well, beef has gathered bad reputation, but it does have benefits to offer, like providing protein to appropriate decomposition of fat.
Numerous studies have confirmed that high protein diet is inversely proportional to a decline in hunger.
Moreover, lean meats have a high ratio of choline, which provides another fat-torching feature.
7. Certain Spices
Not only spices are good for providing flavors to your food, but also most of them contain properties that can be helpful in weight loss.
Turmeric is one of the spices that should be part of your kitchen shelf.
There is a research available that confirm that curcumin has the tendency to elevate metabolism and eliminate fat cells.
As per a study published in Nutrition Journal when mice were on a high-fat content diet with curcumin for a period of 12 weeks and the researchers noted that the mice gained less amount of weight and possessed lower body fat by the end of the study.
8. Veggies (Green Ones)
There is much too hype about the leafy greens and vegetables and luckily, the hype is so true.
They are actually helpful for the human body.
Cruciferous vegetables like (broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi) have the potential to shut down the fat tissues.
The cardinal nutrient is sulforaphane. Even, it has the ability to be helpful in reducing the risk of breast cancer in the consumer.