Is weight hereditary?

Obesity is one of the most significant health problems facing our modern age. And this latest bit of research coming out of Sweden has led us to open this subject up to more examination. As is known, the topic of obesity now preoccupies many, from America to Europe, with new reasons being added every day to the list of why so many people are affected. Some say the reasons are primarily genetic, while others assert it is more linked to environmental factors. But who is right in all of this? With even experts in nutrition and metabolic problems unable to provide the answer to this question, it’s inevitable that many remain confused. And, of course, our rapidly changing lifestyles have made obesity a risk for everyone even when they don’t overeat, which means that people really are preoccupied by the topic. Imbalanced and unhealthy diets combined with excess amounts of time spent in front of the TV and computer are often listed as the top reasons for growing obesity rates. But now, new findings by European scientists hold that “obesity is passed down from fathers to their children.”

Research done at Sweden’s Umeå University focused on the weight of 130 children, from birth to the time they were 4 years old. Various factors affecting the children’s weight were examined by doctors as part of the research, with a focus on the influence a child’s mother and father has on the child’s weight. While results showed that both the mother and father have a bearing on the child’s weight, the research concluded that it is the father who has the greater effect. Speaking in reference to these findings, Professor Olle Hemell noted that the chances for a child to be either obese or a normal weight were more connected to the father than to the mother.

The results from this particular piece of research may in fact push many to examine their close circles of family and friends. Many children, especially those with overweight mothers or fathers, might grow up hearing warnings such as “Don’t eat too much, you’ll look like your mother soon,” or “Don’t you see your father, that’s your future!” Some of the examples we may see on our television screens even seem to confirm the Swedish research: Just consider the roly-poly Turkish chef Necdet Tosun (who is no longer alive but lives on in memories). This actor, who appeared in so many films and shows wearing his apron and holding his ladle, left behind him two quite obese sons. One is the now-deceased Gürdal Tosun, the very large actor who played the character of Tombalak in “Bir Demet Tiyatro.” The other is the actor Erdal Tosun, known for his role in the “Yarım Elma” series.

More than genetic, it’s related to nutritional habits

Another young actor who takes after her father in the weight area is the young Pelin Öztekin from the show “Çok Güzel Hareketler.”

So we turned to some Turkish experts in weight and nutrition to ask whether it could be true that “obesity is a hereditary condition passed down from fathers to children.” Most Turkish experts actually insist that a person’s weight and tendency towards obesity are more connected to environmental factors, their family’s nutritional habits and basic life conditions than to any genetic factors. Dr. Gülden Köksal of Hacettepe University’s nutrition and dietetics department notes that “the weight of a child’s mother and father are, of course, influential. But more than genetics, it’s really linked to eating habits formed at home.” Pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Atilla Büyükgebiz says we cannot narrow it down to just one factor. He also notes that the matter is linked strongly to learned nutritional traits from the family and early eating habits formed as a child. He also asserts, however, that “you cannot completely overlook genetic factors; for example, general appetite and the fat levels in your body are genetic. And these are linked to tendencies to gain weight.”

Metabolism expert Dr. Selçuk Can says: “Muscle, fat and bones are genetic. The child of a delicate-boned father will have a similar bone structure; thus, obesity can have similar factors indicated in terms of its hereditary status.” One thing all these experts do agree on, though, is that children of overweight mothers and fathers have a 25 percent higher risk of having weight problems of their own later in life. But the experts also insist that despite all of the above-noted factors, obesity is certainly something that can be prevented. At the top of the list of preventative measures is to make sure that one’s child learns good nutrition during his or her developing years and that children remain as active as possible.

Weight of both parents is an influence

Professor Dr. Metin Özata (endocrinologist): Between 30-70 percent of the reasons for one’s body weight are tied to genetic factors. Obesity is a problem with many causes and is based in both genetics and environmental factors. Twenty-five percent of children from obese parents are themselves obese. And in around 25-35 percent of the cases of childhood obesity we see, the rest of the family is of normal weight. But the chances that an obese person will have an obese child are about two to three times greater than the chances that a person of normal weight will have an obese child. But this does not in and of itself mean that obesity stems from genetic factors or that weight is passed on through one’s father.

Weight strongly linked to nutritional habits