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The body acquires energy in the form of calories resulting from burning the food that a person eats,

while the energy it loses represents the energy that the body consumes in exercising and physical

activities, as well as what is consumed by vital processes such as breathing and digestion, despite their limitations compared to the energy lost through physical activity.

Is obesity hereditary?


Definition of obesity

It cannot be denied that following unhealthy habits such as overeating, especially fast food and other

 foods rich in fat and calories, lack of exercise and lack of physical activity play a role in the incidence

 of obesity or what is known as obesity, which is mainly related to the increase in energy acquired by the body. 

Compared to those that lose it, obesity is considered a serious problem that increases the risk of

 developing some chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and even diabetes.

Causes of obesity

Several studies have indicated that genes contribute to determining the amounts of fat that the body stores and the area in which it stores it, such as the abdomen or thighs. 

On the other hand, the parents ’dependence on an unhealthy diet rich in fats exposes children to the

 risk of obesity and vice versa, as eating healthy foods and getting used to exercising Motivates

 children to follow a healthy lifestyle that reduces the chance of obesity and the subsequent pathological disorders.

Non-genetic causes

There are many non-genetic factors that increase the chance of developing obesity and cannot be ignored, including:

Pathological disorders: such as hypothyroidism, which causes slow metabolism and increases the chance of obesity.

Various drug treatments: such as antidepressants, anticonvulsants (epileptic seizures) and corticosteroids.

Psychological factors: as there are many people who eat more food when exposed to psychological pressures and feeling anger or boredom.

Not getting enough sleep.

Genetic causes

It is noteworthy that the genetic factor, according to the available information, plays a role in the

incidence of obesity, and that its role is exclusive in rare cases of obesity, where genetic factors interact

with daily, pathological and bad environmental habits, which in turn cause a disturbance of the balance between energy consumed and energy. the missing.

Most people who suffer from obesity have many genes responsible for this obesity, as there are 400 genes responsible for obesity and the gene related to obesity is the most common genes responsible for obesity and this exists. 

The gene is found in 43% of people and peoples around the world.

The presence of this gene or any of the genes responsible for obesity is responsible for the occurrence of things and signs indicating its presence, including:

Increased hunger times.

Increase the number of calories a person consumes.

Insufficient feeling of fullness.

Adopting a life without movement or exercise.

Inability to control how much a person eats.

The inability to lose weight despite exercising for months or even reducing the quantities of food that a person eats.

That the person has suffered most of his life from obesity.

One of the parents is obese.

Obesity genes

Recent studies have shown that genes, or what is known as genetic factors, play a major role in obesity

 or obesity, and that they increase the chance of obesity by 40-70%, and that there are about 50 genes

 responsible for obesity over time, despite That the genes do not determine the future health of a

 person, but may make him more likely than others to develop some disorders such as obesity, provided

 that the inheritance of these genes coincides with the adoption of unhealthy eating habits.

Genes give the body orders to be able to adapt to the environment and have similar reactions to what is

 around it, and the difference in the weights of siblings or twins or the harmony between the weights of

 single egg twins and the discovery of genes linked to obesity have reinforced the idea that genes are

 related to obesity mainly have made scientists research the reason for this difference And that there are

 children of twins or siblings, but their weight varies greatly, and that this difference is also evident in

 the routine behaviors of the siblings, such as addiction to eating when one of them or his body's

 tendency to store fat and the lack of stimulation of their metabolism, and then the scientists concluded

 that there is a genetic difference between the sibling and this difference The forehead has led to this

 clear difference in weight and the behavior based on that, and it is now known that genetics play an

 important role in relation to overweight and obesity and their various patterns, and it is worth noting

 that the likelihood of developing obesity increases at a rate of 2-8 times if there is a history. 

A family member of obesity.

A defect in a single gene responsible for obesity

Obesity resulting from a defect in only one gene differs from all other types of obesity causes. 

This defect in a specific gene rarely occurs and it is considered difficult to treat obesity without the use of drugs. 

Lead to obesity, including:

Leptin deficiency: Leptin is one of the hormones that help to feel full when the stomach is full and eat

enough food, but there are people who suffer from a deficiency of this hormone for genetic reasons and these will never feel full. 

Deficiency in the Proopiomelanocortin gene (POMC) Deficiency: This gene is responsible for sending signals to the brain to feel full or hungry. People who have a deficiency in this hormone suffer from not interpreting these signals correctly, which leads to a constant and constant feeling of hunger.

A deficiency in the MC4R gene: People who have a deficiency in this gene suffer from insufficiency of satiety as well, and children are often the most affected by this deficiency, with 2-3% of people suffering from this deficiency.

Is obesity hereditary?

Doctors and specialists usually ask obese patients to meet their families to find out if someone suffers

 from diseases caused by obesity such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes or even high blood

 pressure diseases, because parents usually share most of the genes among themselves, so it is possible.

That the cause of obesity is hereditary in the patient, and the doctor can reveal this by meeting his family who are obese or have a defect in the genes responsible for obesity.

More: the dangers of obesity

More: Obesity and its relationship to heart disease

The doctor asks the patient to adhere to a healthy diet and to maintain constant exercise, and these

practices will not modify the defect in the genes, but they will modify the wrong practices and the

system of life that the patient lives, and the continuation and maintenance of these practices will

 preserve the health of the whole family and even on Good genetic factors that will be passed on to future generations.

Genetic obesity in children

When children eat food in larger quantities than they need, then the body stores this food and fats in the

body to be burned in the event that the body needs energy, but if the body does not do work that

 requires energy, these fats will increase and accumulate in the child's body and cause him to become obese. With time.

There are many reasons that may cause obesity in children, it is possible for children to inherit a defect

in certain genes from the parents that may cause them to become obese, but the child not only becomes

obese because of a defect in the genes, but he must also eat large quantities of food that exceeds what His body needs it for energy and growth.

Parents must monitor the way their children eat food, and they must make sure that their children eat

enough quantities for them to grow and produce energy, and that they do not pressure their children to

eat larger quantities of food if they feel full because the way they eat food when they are children will

affect their way of eating when they get old and will become then A lifestyle that is difficult to change

or amend, so you must pay attention to the quantities of food that children eat, when they eat them,

and what types of food they eat to avoid foods full of fat and calories without having any nutritional benefit from eating them.

Emphasis must be placed on the child's lifestyle and the practices he practices organizing his day to include continuous exercise and maintaining a healthy diet for him. 

There are many problems that can occur and affect the child's possibility of obesity, including:

Failure to prepare food at home by parents: When parents cannot prepare home-prepared food for

children, children eat canned and fast foods, which increase the chance of obesity and increase harmful fats in the child's body.

Parents' lack of commitment to a healthy eating and exercise regimen: When the child sees that there is no healthy diet inside the home and exercise is not maintained, they imitate what is in front of them and think that this is the right thing.

Lack of awareness and guidance for students in schools: The teaching and administrative staff in

schools must teach children healthy food and exercise constant exercise, and schools after selling

unhealthy foods in the canteens on the school campus to encourage students to maintain a healthy diet.

Can genetic obesity be treated?

There are many ways to treat hereditary obesity resulting from a defect in genes, as genetic obesity

 resulting from a defect in a specific gene can be treated by adopting an appropriate and healthy diet or

 through an operation to correct the defect or remove the accumulated fat, but most of these patients cannot maintain Lose weight after that.

The doctor can use some medications that reduce appetite and feelings of hunger in obese patients,

 such as Liraglutide, which works like a glucagon-1-like peptide (GLP-1) that is secreted from the

 intestine when eating and which gives the body a feeling of fullness.

Also read: Dealing with obesity

Specialists advise people with obesity, even if it is due to a genetic defect, to adopt a diet full of healthy

and high-value nutrients, full of low-calorie fiber, and to adhere to constant exercise that helps burn fat and metabolism processes.

References

cdc.gov. Behavior, environment, and genetic factors all have a role in causing people to be overweight and obese. Retrieved on the 29th of August, 2020, from

https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/resources/diseases/obesity/index.htm

Jeffrey Sicat. Obesity and Genetics: Nature and Nurture. Retrieved on the 29th of August, 2020, from

https://obesitymedicine.org/2018/07/23/obesity-and-genetics/

Madeline Kennedy. Is obesity genetic? About 43% of people are predisposed, making it harder to lose weight. Retrieved on the 29th of August, 2020, from

https://www.insider.com/is-obesity-genetic

medlineplus.gov. Causes and risks for obesity in children. Retrieved on the 29th of August, 2020, from

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000383.htm

Mathias Traczyk-copenhagen. Drug Makes Weight Loss Easier For People With Genetic Obesity. Retrieved on the 29th of August, 2020, from

https://www.futurity.org/genetic-obesity-drug-weight-loss-1773922/

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