Do Genes define the Jeans size?

Your parents are why your eyes are brown and your hair probably has a red tint to it but do genetics determine the shape of your body? Some aspects of shape and size are more closely tied to genes than others, and the location of your fat makes all the difference in your health.

For instance, are you an apple shape or a pear shape? Generally, it’s belly fat, or the apple shape, that presents a higher health risk and an increased risk for becoming obese. There is speculation that this is because you inherit genes from both your mother and your father. Men typically store extra pounds in their gut region so if your mother carries weight around the stomach too, the odds are stacked against you of having anything but an apple.

This could be a concern because in cases where fat settles around the waist rather than the hips the chance of health issues such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes goes up as well. Fat that builds up on the hips and thighs of the pear-shaped person isn’t as potentially harmful.

Genes are also thought to play a role in things like insulin resistance. Insulin determines how the body stores glucose and fat. Insulin resistance happens when the body’s cells become resistant to insulin and don’t break it down.

An increasing waist size and weight gain predominantly in the abdominal area, such as in a person with an apple shape, are risk factors for insulin resistance—which is a precursor to pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. From there on, it’s a vicious cycle here: obesity increases insulin resistance and insulin resistance increases obesity.

Are you destined to be overweight?

As mentioned earlier, that to some extent your genes play a role in your weight and body shape and can lead to weight issues. If your parents are obese, you’re more likely to be too. However, that isn’t set in stone.

Your lifestyle and environment plays an extremely important role in this. You still have the ability to reduce your risk of becoming obese and/or developing diabetes, heart disease, or other related health conditions, by making good lifestyle choices that lead to a healthier life.

Obesity is a complex disease and many factors can contribute or lead to it, including genetics, behaviour and environment you are exposed to. It can run in families not just because of genetics but also due to family or cultural food preference, dietary patterns, and your exercise behaviours.

The number of obese adults is increasing in the country at a very fast pace. It’s important to recognize that genetic makeup influences the susceptibility to gain weight when a person lives in such a way that supports limited physical activity and excessive eating.