Despite the debate surrounding obesity's label, genetic studies look deeper than the calories in, calories out mantra. The evidence is very clear there is a genetic component to the risk of becoming obese.
In recent decades, obesity has reached epidemic proportions in populations whose environments offer an abundance of calorie-rich foods and few opportunities for physical activity. Although changes in the genetic makeup of populations occur too slowly to be responsible for this rapid rise in obesity, genes do play a role in the development of obesity. Most likely, genes regulate how our bodies capture, store, and release energy from food. The origin of these genes, however, might not be recent. Any explanation of the obesity epidemic has to include both the role of genetics as well as that of the environment.
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