A person is said to be obese when the body starts to accumulate more fat than required, according to age, height, and gender. When the BMI of a person is over 30, they are said to be obese, when it is over 40, they are said to be morbidly obese. 

Many scientific studies have been able to identify genes that are related to body weight, BMI, and body fat. These genes imply the response of a person to diet and exercise. There are over 100 genes that are responsible for obesity and weight gain, however, the three main culprits are FTO, LEPR and MC4R. The fat mass and obesity-associated gene is commonly known as the fatso gene or FTO. 

FTO gene is located deep within chromosome 16. The gene is huge, and thus named “fatso”, or FTO in short. This name is appropriate also considering what we know about the function of this gene. The FTO gene is long linked to obesity and BMI. Carriers of the variant have an increased appetite and greater craving for fatty foods. Around 70% of the carriers of the FTO variant are at a greater risk of obesity. No wonder it’s being so intensely researched!

Genetics reveals a lot about your predisposition to certain foods, traits, and conditions. Emotional eating dependence, satiety response, snacking pattern, fatty food preference, sweet taste perception, saturated fat response, carbohydrate response, protein response, fiber response, gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance are just to name a few. Once you know your risk to these conditions than you can apply the knowledge to plan your nutrition and health goals around it. 

Good nutrition is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Combined with the right kind of physical activity, you can reach and maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases (like heart disease and cancer), and promote your overall health. 

1. https://www.dnafit.com/us/

2. https://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/68/Supplement_1/1171-P&ved=2ahUKEwj2wbbMtdzqAhUXVH0KHaWJAckQFjANegQIAhAK&usg=AOvVaw2ZTkIVMB-8ld41lyEihTA_