Genes make you feel bad about your weight

Genes make you feel bad about your weight
Genes contribute to self-perceived weight status among young adults, especially among women.

‘The heritability estimates provided us with the first evidence that weight identity may have genetic underpinnings,’ Wedow said. For the study, the team used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health that has sampled more than 20,000 adolescents into adulthood, including hundreds of twins who were first quizzed about their health beginning in 1994.  All participants in the national study were re-sampled during four subsequent in-home interviews running through 2008. The new study is important since researchers have repeatedly shown that health assessments are strong predictors of adult mortality. ‘One’s own perception about his or her health is a gold standard measure – it predicts mortality better than anything else,’ co-author Jason Boardman from University of Colorado Boulder said. ‘But those who are less flexible in assessing their changing health over time may be less likely than others to make significant efforts to improve and maintain their health,’ Boardman noted. The researchers emphasised that even when there is a genetic connection to particular human behaviours or traits, social environments and personal choices will always play a major role in shaping outcomes. (Read: 8 things you can blame on your genes!)

Source: IANS

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