The UK version of Marie Claire just published this study "Size Zero Could be Down to Genes".
"Last year, the same researchers discovered that people with a missing copy of these genes were 43 times more likely to be morbidly obese."
This is nothing new, FA'ers have been saying this for ages, but basically when they explain this concept, a lot of the time all they get is an equivalent of a childish "la, la, la, I can't hear you!" from friends, family, co-workers and society in general.
"If we can work out why gene duplication in this region causes thinness it might throw up new potential treatments for obesity and appetite disorders"
Um what? You just said that weight has to do with genetics. How can you treat something that has to do with heredity? Being fat is not a disease! Oh yes I forgot, it's OK to be thin because of your genes. But if you are fat, oh noooo, you don't get a free pass. You still have to diet until you starve yourself and exercise until you pass out, YOU BIG FAT LAZY DISGUSTING PIG!
"This shows that failure to thrive in childhood can be genetically driven,’ says Professor Froguel. ‘If a child is not eating, it’s not necessarily the parents fault."
Doesn't that also mean it's not the parents fault if their child is fat?
But parents do get blamed if their child is fat, they are accused of feeding them improperly, of giving them too much junk food and not encouraging them to exercise enough. Some children even get taken away because it is seen as abuse.
This research just adds to the notion that it is OK to be thin for any reason, whether is genes or disease. If a person is thin because of anorexia or AIDS wasting syndrome they get sympathy (I am no way discounting these very serious diseases). But if a person is fat because of a disease or condition like hypothyroidism or PCOS, it's still that person's fault and should do everything they can to lose the weight. I am so tired of the double standard that thinness automatically means you are healthy and being fat means you are instantly unhealthy. Weight is not an indicator of health.
