Proof obesity runs in families? Adults are SIX TIMES more likely to be fat in ... trends now
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Middle-aged adults are six times more likely to be obese if both their parents were at the same time in life, a study suggests.
Growing evidence shows children of obese parents are likely to follow the same path and grow up overweight themselves.
But until now, the research had not tracked whether this trait – thought to be down both environment and genetics – lasted well into adulthood.
Analysis of height and weight data involving more than 2,000 people showed a strong link between parents' body mass index (BMI) when aged between 40 and 59 years old, and that of their children at the same age.
Experts found even one obese parent tripled the risk compared to those whose parents were a healthy weight.
Researchers admitted it could not be established whether this was a result of 'fat' genes, environment, or a combination of the two. But found even one obese parent tripled the risk compared to those whose parents were a healthy weight
Mari Mikkelsen, of the University of Tromsø, Norway, said: 'Genes play an important role by affecting our susceptibility to weight gain and influence how we respond to obesogenic environments in which it can be easy to eat unhealthily.
'Some studies also speculate that children tend to develop similar dietary and exercise habits to their parents when they all live together under the same roof, resulting in a similar BMI status.
'Obesity in childhood, and especially in adolescence, tends to follow the individual into early adulthood and so we suspected it would also follow them into middle age.
'We found that this is indeed the case - children whose
