New research suggests that people's genes are key to helping them stay slim. A study Cambridge University the U.K. discovered that thin people had DNA that contained variants which helped them stay slim and fewer variants linked to being overweight. Researcher Sadaf Farooqi, professor metabolism and medicine, said: "We've found that there are genes associated thinness." She added: "Genes play least 40 per cent a role people's weight. It's much more than people realize." This might help explain why some people are naturally skinny while others have big problems keeping their weight down and seem to pile the pounds so easily.
The study is published the journal PLOS Genetics. The researchers said they undertook the study to find why so many people struggle their weight. Over 30 per cent American adults are obese, while a staggering 94.5 per cent adults on the South Pacific island Nauru are overweight. Professor Farooqi said she wanted to help people who are struggling their weight. She said: "It's easy to rush to judgment and criticize people their weight, but the science shows that things are far more complex." She added: "Healthy, thin people are generally thin because they have a lower burden genes that increase a person's chances being overweight and not because they are morally superior."
