SubscribeOverweight Children: Stop Blaming Parents?
A fascinating study in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition clearly points the finger at nature rather than nurture when it comes to childhood weight.
The British research compared pairs of twins (both identical and non-identical) and found that many differences in BMI and waist circumference could be attributed to genes.
In the words of the researchers: "Quantitative genetic model-fitting confirmed substantial heritability for BMI and WC [waist circumference] (77% for both)"
"These results do not mean that a child with a high complement of 'susceptibility genes' will inevitably become overweight, but that their genetic endowment gives them a stronger predisposition," the researchers said.
I have no doubt that some of us have a strong tendency to gain weight easily - and this is something that can be inherited. With my own eyes I see some children consume loads of junk food and do little physical activity - and yet remain thin.
I see others who spend considerable time every day engaged in physical activity along with a predominantly healthy and correctly apportioned diet - and yet they battle with weight gain right from the beginning.
It's a cop out to call someone lazy or unmotivated if they are overweight. In the same way some people gain muscle easily - others gain fat easily. They may have to pay special attention with diet, while others don't think about it at all.
With that example of the skinny kids you have seen with your "own eyes," you almost sound like you're in the "energy in doesn't equal energy out" group.
Seriously?
If so, you misinterpret the research: They're not saying that being genetically predisposed to obesity means that you eat little food but gain weight, It mean that you have greater cravings to eat and you eat more food -- and thus gain more weight.
Specifically, there is no reputable research that has concluded that human metabolism varies by more than a 5 percent between the vast majority of the thin and the vast majority of the obese, which comes out to 100 calories or so per day.
As Professor Wardle, one of the researchers in this study, has said, "Both genes and the environment play a role. The recent increase in obesity seems to be linked to environmental factors." She goes on to blame lowered activity, more accessible fattening food, larger portions, and higher caloric density in food.
ReplyI certainly have a very strong reason to believe that nature plays a very big part in this.
I have two boys, both adopted. They eat the same meals, the same snacks, and while the older one (11 years old) does eat more than his younger brother (age 7)it is completely consistent with his relative size and age. They have limited access to junk food, neither has the opportunity to purchase it without my awareness. Both are very active, involved in sports, and have one hour of gym daily at school.
The older one has a definite paunch, and always has had. I would define his body type as ectomorphic. Every single member of his birth family that I have met has a larger build.
The younger one is skinny, skinny. I have to buy slim cut pants for him, and take them in some after that. The child has the most amazing musclature on him. He had well-defined abs by the age of 2! Surprise, surprise, all the members of his birth family I've met are very slender.
So I don't need any studies to tell me that much of this really does come down to nature. And I make a point of never making an issue of body type or size with them; I never suggest one eat less or the other more. I just provide healthy meals, model proper eating and portion sizes, have healthy snacks available and limit junk food, and let them be.
ReplyYou don't understand that equation. Essentially *everyone* eats roughly as much as they burn over a lifetime. And all humans eat "loads" of calories (whether "junk" or "good" food) - on the order of 100 times the amount they store as fat. Whether they're fat or thin. This is because difference between (calories in-calories out)to make you very fat and (calories in-calories out) to keep you thin is extremely small compared to the total flow of calories through the body over time.
So it's a perfectly reasonable statement - both from a theoretical perspective, and from everyday observation - to say that skinny kids can eat loads of junk food and sit around all day. Because they should have essentially the same energy balance as someone who is very fat. i.e. the two sides of the equation should be equal to within a few percent no matter what weight you are. Unless you're undergoing massive rapid weight gain or weight loss - which by definition can only be maintained for a relatively brief time. The lifetime averages though have to work out to roughly the same. So likewise, it is also perfectly possible for someone to eat mainly healthy foods and be active and stay fat.
Also, I don't know where you're getting that there's no more than a 5% variation in metabolic rate between individuals. The basal metabolic rate is reliably a function of lean mass (fat mass can be ignored on a first order approximation). But as we know, lean mass varies enormously between individuals. A small, frail, elderly woman will have a totally different BMR from a tall muscular young man. That 5% variation could conceivably refer to "per kg" of lean mass. But is patently ridiculous as an absolute number. And weight loss is known to consistently reduces the *per kg* number by 10 or 15% as well.
ReplyTime to put the one with a paunch on a much stricter diet and exercise regimen. No excuse to have that at 11yo.
Reply"It's a cop out to call someone lazy or unmotivated if they are overweight. In the same way some people gain muscle easily - others gain fat easily. They may have to pay special attention with diet, while others don't think about it at all."
I agree with you. I was 5-10 lb overweight (5'4 and 160-165 lb, but a lean body mass of close to 125 lb.) even when exercising 15-20 HOURS a week and trying to eat healthfully. Waist size of 28.5 inches (41-28.5-41.5) Stricter dieting was I suppose possible, but often lead to impaired training and my doctor discourages it with my history of eating disorder. I have a friend who is 5'4 and 103 lb who eats constantly and doesn't exercise (yes, she weighs less than my lean body mass). Waist size of 23 inches. Her metabolism is quite high. Some people have a tendency to be larger.
Very few people are going to be obese even if they work on it -- especially not very obese... but I certainly believe some are going to be overweight or larger than their peers at roughly the same activity level and consumption. This is for a large part why I encourage promoting HEALTHY BEHAVIORS over an arbitrary goal - especially in the beginning before someone is able to really get an idea of their body.
ReplyNo putting an 11 year old on a strict diet (different from the healthy diet she feeds everyone at the table) is an awesome idea. Oh, the great memories I have of my eating disorder in high school -- that was awesome!
Replyi was a fat kid, and it wasn't necessarily just because my mom LET me eat whatever i wanted whenever i chose, but it was also because all my friends at school had junk food all the time, packed by their parents- this is middle school now, so there is no way that these kids could have bought all this junk on their own... i dont blame JUST the parents but i must say that both my mother's side and father's side are heavy, but i eat healthy and do exercise, seems i've beat the fat gene!!
ReplyFascinating that you singled out the older one to be put on a diet to lose weight, but didn't suggest the younger one be put on a diet of foods to help him gain weight. Shows that we apply the superficial judgements we make about adults even to kids. No wonder so many of them get screwed up about eating and body image. (Interestingly, it's the younger one who has the big sweet tooth, and would go on a candy diet if you let him. And no, the older one is not getting his junk food "on the side".)
Nobody is being put on a diet, strict or otherwise!!! They are eating properly. Nobody is suffering from a lack of exercise!! An hour plus of exercise a day is adequate for anybody. (The older one just had breakfast and I watched as he made his smoothie - skim milk, low fat yogurt, banana, and about 1.5 tsp. of peanut butter. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.) I will continue to model proper eating, talk about portion sizes, and good food choices vs. bad ones. We have dinner together as a family almost every night, fast food is rare, and we don't have junk like chips or cookies in the house. I think the best thing I can do is create an environment that encourages healthy eating and healthy ATTITUDES about food.
ReplyYeah but how to explain the paunch? I didn't have a paunch at 11, and I didn't exercise 1 hour a day.
ReplyMake them do sports.
Reply/end
When I was growing up, I was always a chunky kid and my little sister was skinny (she even had to go on a weight gaining diet to gain 10 lbs). I always just thought she'd hit the metabolism jackpot, but I didn't put all the pieces together either. Up until I was about 11, I was a very active kid...I rode my bike, ran races with my friends, etc. Then I turned into a couch potato and the pounds kind of crept on. My sister, on the other hand, kept active all the way through high school by playing sports, walking to school, etc. And I always THOUGHT we ate the same foods, but I never really realized that I ate a lot MORE of those foods than she did. She usually only took a small serving of what was for dinner while I often went back for seconds or thirds. So it really wasn't all that surprising that she was slimmer than me when we were growing up. But when I started watching my diet and started working out, I lost quite a bit of weight and as it turned out, my natural weight and her natural weight are very very similar. So even though genetics may have something to do with body weight, your environment definitely has a huge role in it as well.
I still think those "lucky" kids that can eat junk all day and not gain weight shouldn't be allowed to eat junk and be couch potatoes. Empty calories should be replaced with nutritious foods and all kids should be encouraged to exercise daily. Otherwise, those "lucky" kids are going to find themselves getting older and finding the pounds piling on when their metabolisms slow down.
ReplyHello!!! The objective of the article AND the point of my entry was to point out that there are differences in our body types and propensity to put on weight because of GENETICS, that diet and exercise does not explain everything. That you had a different body shape as a child without exercising just proves the point.
In answer to your question about why you didn't have a paunch when YOU were 11, I'm guessing that the reason is that you and my son don't share the same biological parents!! Just like my two sons don't share the same biological parents and therefore do not gain weight in the same way.
My older son is not considered overweight for his height, he just has a propensity to have a belly - nothing else on him is big. My younger son IS considered slightly underweight for his age. But you seem to think my older son is unhealthy, and I think your comments are a reflection of our society's mistaken belief that skinny = healthy.
ReplyShh, he proved the point without meaning to. It was funny. He might backtrack now.
ReplyPercent of calories per macronutrient from that drink, with estimate of equal amounts skim milk, low-fat yogurt and banana, with 1/4 amount peanut butter (derived from NutritionData.com) =
59% carbs
15% fats
26% protein
60% liquid carbs! Not good.
Whatever happened to an omelet? I am totally clueless as to how people have abandoned whole foods, and made these insulemic shakes into a supposed meal.
Perhaps that same ridiculous fear of dietary fat, which has created this obesity epidemic in the first place, as empty calorie carbs displace essential nutrition.
And now I must tell you, that the fat that your kid did get was around a 60:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3!
One can't just get their fat from plant seeds, or there will be a pro-inflammatory result every time.
If this one meal is representative of the whole, cardiovascular disease (omega-6) and perhaps diabetes (insulin) will be the eventual result. You can see the current results for yourself.
Better re-think this supposedly healthy diet. I know I put a lot of thought into your kid's meal, and I'd hate to have wasted the time on calculating figures to only have it fall on deaf ears.
ReplyKailish, don't be ridiculous. You cannot extrapolate someone's health from what they ate for one meal. Tomorrow he will choose something else. But as a breakfast it doesn't fall outside any nutritional guidelines I know of.
I worked at the diabetes association for several years. This breakfast would, on reflection, fit in very well within the guidelines - which would be two starch servings, one fat, one protein, and one milk. I don't know which diabetes association you've worked at, but it must have been one in a parallel universe.
With all due respect, from your past contributions I have long since decided that your idea of healthy eating and mine is pretty far apart and probably the last place I would go to for nutrition information. You have a certain agenda that you push, and I don't agree with it. I'm not telling you how to eat, please don't push your views on me.
ReplyTo be fair, Kailash is one-track-minded on what you need for body-building. He can't seem to refocus his mind on other people's needs and requirements. He should at least admit this character flaw.
ReplyFitness Fanatic, do you have a blog? Your name doesn't go through to anything. You seem pretty reasonable, despite all the times we disagree. :)
ReplyIn the end there are several responsible instances. First, the companies that make the unhealthy foods, second the governments that allow those foods on the market, then also the stores which sell them and the many other instances which advertise for them. Then, you can say parents can be somehow blamed. But in the end, every body differs aswel.
Most of the times parents want the best for their kids, they just don't know how to seperate the good from the bad.
ReplyI was not aware that low-fat dairy products, fruit, and peanut butter were not whole foods. Maybe our definitions disagree, but my definition of a whole food is something I can make myself. All of those are able to be made by a person who wants to, excluding the banana obviously. Once again, please realize that people do well on different diets, and not necessarily the one you prefer.
ReplyNo, I don't have a blog for privacy/security reasons. I'm not as brave as others. So I anonymously post comments on the blogs I like. :-)
ReplyYou all seem to be missing the fact that:
A. This kid is fat
B. He ate a bunch of fast carbs (liquid sugars)
C. Diabetes associations are failing society
D. Removing or extracting fractions of a food (including the fat) make it no longer a whole food
I'm very sorry that you are all so unreasonable, and seem to have little to no understanding of carbohydrates, insulin and obesity.
ReplyA generation or two ago there were probably still kids that had a propensity to become overweight - but there was no "obesogenic" environment.
So where does that leave us now? Some kids (and adults) have to work so much harder to maintain weight than other kids. Other kids just "go with the flow" and maintain weight.
Reply:laughing:
Kailash, what exactly is your degree in and where'd you get it?
ReplyJim--I agree with you about the "obesogenic" environment. When I was a kid, many of the convenience foods that are around today simply didn't exist. Also, my parents never bought them for us. Plus, we didn't have video games (well, we had the original 8 bit Nintendo, but we only really played it MAYBE 30 minutes a day) and we didn't have a home computer until I was about 12. We never got soda except on special occasions and if we had it in the house, I had to split a can of it with my sister. I think if I had been a kid in this day and age instead of in the 80's, I would have been a fat kid instead of just a little chubby.
ReplyBTW, I don't eat a bodybuilding diet. Bodybuilders typically eat a lot of carbs at specific times, using endogenous insulin to push nutrition into their muscles.
I eat a low insulin diet, all of the time. I would never drink the shake that this kid had.
What he drank (and his mom approves of) is a typical post-workout shake for a bodybuilder, purposely designed to cause an insulin spike.
So it's not I who ate the bodybuilding diet, but this kid. And it seems that "the proof is in the pudding", when mom watches him get fatter.
ReplyHow very unreasonable and uninformed. You proved my point exactly. Thank you.
When you are one day able to discern the truth of information based on "what is right", rather than "who is right", you will then know maturity.
Good night, and good luck.
ReplyRead: "I have no type of expertise despite my constant armchair-expert comments here that denigrate others, and even the tested advice of experts."
I would not worry, those of you who he goes against. Kailash is a troll. I've considered it a possibility for a while based on various inflammatory and unbacked claims, but I think this makes it clear when he refuses to back himself with any information past "people I know" and insulting people who disagree, and instead tries to respond from the basis as if he's automatically correct and those who refute his claims lacking in some way..
ReplyAn excellent interpretation.
ReplyI'm sorry but forcing the 11 year old to go on a diet is not only unfair but mortifying!
My parents have always been health freaks and made me think I wasn't good enough the way I was (No, I was never actually over weight.) As a result I am anorexic. I'm currently 5'9" and 98 lbs....And decreasing. AM I BEAUTIFUL NOW?! I know I might die someday and I really don't care anymore...
But my condition would have never occurred had my Family been like 'soozeequeue'. I envy your sons.
ReplyPlease forgive me.
Morgan, please seek help. It is something you can overcome. I spent years with an eating disorder in high school, and years after that with a distorted self image-- but I have gotten to the place where I can love myself for myself. You can do it too!
Your family is wrong and you can show them that by being healthy and happy. Be your own person. Good luck. www.something-fishy.org has information.
ReplyMorgan:
Eat a balanced macro nutrient ratio(carbs/protein/fats) and you'll be fine. Also ditch the Cosmo and other rags that promote negative body-image.
ReplyI think putting a random observation in the article compromises the validity. Saying
"With my own eyes I see some children consume loads of junk food and do little physical activity - and yet remain thin." and compare them to kids who battle weight is not scientific based research, nor accurate from presenting a point. While I do believe that genetics plays a role in susceptibility to gain weight, I do not believe that there has been a astronomically genetic code transformation in the last twenty years. Because weight has only been a problem in starting in the late twentieth century. Also, what you see may not be accurate. My sister battled with weight her whole life. We found out later that my dad would always give her honeybuns boxes or fatty snacks when she was younger to make her happy. Also, she has a tendency to wake up in the middle of the night and eat fattening food. Many fat people are fat because of what they do when no one is watching. Crazy diets and unbalanced nutrition plans hurt longterm weight management. However, how people deal with stress is still untapped research. I have found through observation (do not quote me on this), but some of my friends, when they are stressed, lose their appetite. However, some of my friends (including me), when they are stressed, become extremely hungry. Stress is not the factor because stress is not a new concept. However, junk food is. Because of the relatively recent, since the human race is 6,000 years old, availability of junk food and overconsumption of meat, we are now reaping many consequences for overindulgence. I think the body has a predisposition to deal with stress in different ways and that is a key factor that affect weight gain.
ReplyThis is a blog, not a scientific journal. We regularly include shockingly biased opinions and ill-informed statements -- just to keep you on your toes ;-)
Replya person cannot ignore the influence of the parents tho. When just yesterday i watched an overweight adult hand out 1 lb of fudge to each of her children (after they had each finished their bags of cotton candy), you can hardly be surprised that these children were overweight. genetics definetely factors into being overweight, but the environment they grow up in can be equally at fault.
ReplySurely. I saw a little girl once at a "salad bar", 3.5' tall it looked like and as big around as two of me. (And I'm a sturdy-built 5'4 woman) Her dad brought her a 32 oz cup of soda, and a big, big plate of nachos as her opening meal - obviously salad was available.
ReplyYes! genetics means a lot but honestly, exercising is the key to stay fit and thin and healthy at the same time.Even if the mother nature gave you great genetics you cannot abuse them, as junk does not do any good to your health! staying thin does not necessary means healthy!
ReplyI was adopted early as a baby. I have a sister who is adopted, too, and is not biologically related to me. My adoptive parents are healthy, and we all got plenty of exercise. We were allowed very little snacking in-between meals, but we always had dessert after dinner. Just something my parents did every day. My adoptive sister was always svelte, and ate like a pig. I was skinny until I was 13, and then plumped out for a few years. I thinned out in high school, only to get thicker by senior year. Not horribly heavy, but bigger than my peers for sure.
I ate the same things my sister ate, but I had cellulite by the time I was 15. She was constantly telling me about my flab, fat, and chubbiness until I was a very insecure young woman. Even my adoptive father chided me anytime I wanted a piece of candy or dessert...when everyone else had some.
By the time I was in my 20s I had a full-blown eating disorder, and have battled with my weight ever since. In my late 20s, however, I met my birth mother. She is obese, as are 4 of her 5 sisters. My oldest biological sister has an eating disorder that put her in the hospital, and she now tops the scales at 300 lbs. My biological brother was obese until he became a vegetarian. Now, he's slightly overweight, but his new diet (and, probably drug use) keeps him at a reasonable weight compared to the rest of us.
Finding my birth parents and seeing my biological family’s predisposition to heaviness and weight-problems made me feel better about things to an extent. I realized it wasn't my fault entirely. But, still, its people like some of those on this blog that never cease to surprise me. I can be a size 6....but, I can't get there as easily as most people. I have to be on a strict diet, exercise for hours a day, and restrict myself from 'living' in many ways to avoid putting on weight.
Honestly, now that I understand more about genetics, it's clear to me that there's only so much one can do if they're born with bad genes. But, with regards to the obese generation we've become...
What about not being able to let your kids play outside because of the increase in sexual predators that plague our neighborhoods these days? I know as a parent I happily let my child stay inside or play in the small backyard as opposed to running about in the neighborhood like I used to do as a child. The fear we live in for our children's safety is no myth. It's every parent's worst nightmare considering the what ifs of having your child abducted or hurt. Then there's the school lunch program....my daughter has a choice of pizza, bean burritos, mac n'cheese, or cheesy bread for lunch most days. On a good day they get Stix, a take out/delivered fast-food Chinese meal. What kind of choices are they to give adolescents? No veggies. No salad bars. No fruit. If fruit is offered it's as a side, which the kids usually ignore. When I pack my kid's lunch she's better off. When I can't, I know she'll come home hungry because of the empty calories she gets at school. Did I mention her lunch hour is at 10am because that's when they have to start the 'shifts' of kids filtering through or risk not being able to feed all in a 3 hour period because they've got more kids than they can cook for. (3 schools in the district closed because of state funding issues)
And, yes, I feed my kid the occasional junk food. But, generally, she eats well at home...lots of organic fruits and veggies and whole grain carbs. Our problem is portions and we're working on it. But, my adoptive sister, who goes to the gym 2 times a day, get Botox injections, and facial peels, and countless 'topical' procedures because she thinks she's fat or unhappy with her appearance binge eats every chance she gets. Is she healthier than I am? Probably. Is she happier than I am, I highly doubt it. She finds flaws in everyone she dates, and judges people by their appearance. My biological family, while a bit screwed up at times, holds some of the happiest, nicest people I know. Thin doesn't equal longevity, healthy, or happy.
We can only do the best we can do. The rest is nature (genes) and circumstance. If you got cancer tomorrow and were told you only have a year to live would you still avoid carbs or homemade shakes or fast food like the plague to keep your butt dimple-free? I doubt it. Live your life every day reasonably. And, remember to live a little every now and then.
But, when I hear people tell the lady with the 11 year old with a paunch belly to put him on a strict diet I want to scream. My daughter had a paunch belly since she was a toddler and no doctor could tell me why. It turned out to be an allergy to wheat. Once I took her off wheat, her paunch went away. Don't always assume a belly on someone is because they are lazy or eat like a pig. It's funny....the nicest people on the planet are the people with flaws or those who aren't 'the cookie cutter' bodies or faces we see in magazines. The people I've encountered who are the meanest, ugliest people are those who pass judgment on others with no merit. They're people who are constantly worried about their appearance and think everyone else should live at the gym like they do. In my opinion, the mom with the two kids with different weight and metabolism is a great Mom who's doing her best with the best of heart and intentions. More power to her. For those of you who couldn't see past her statement about her son who has a paunch should be ashamed of yourselves. I suspect you're miserable and wish to make others miserable, too, or you think so highly of yourself, you project your ideals onto others without a care to who you might hurt. So....Soozeequeue, rest assured you're doing the right things and thanks so much for your post. Your children are lucky to have such a great Mom.
ReplyI have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I do believe that there are some people who are more inclined to be chunky than others. I can absolutely see that. And I think the mother with the two adopted children would be in a good position to know this. On the other hand, some of my chunkier friends with chunkier kids also eat differently than thinner ones--lots of cheese, chips, cake, etc. I don't know if they see this clearly, but it makes up part of their normal life in a way that is noticeably different.
(By the way, that smoothie with the peanut butter sounds reasonably healthy, but as if it would be about 450 calories (milk/100, yogurt/100/banana/100/peanut butter/150). That's a pretty heavy breakfast, about the same as eating four eggs and a piece of toast with butter, or three bowls of oatmeal with plenty of milk and sugar)
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