This is a recent problem. Do we think those purported fat genes just evolved in society over the past eightyish years, and spread so widely that, per the 2017-2018 NHANES data, 73% of American adults are overweight (30.7%) or obese (42.4%)? On a population level it’s clear this cannot be genetic. There’s been a cultural shift that has caused this problem, often thought to be related to processed food, less time to cook, and for some underserved communities, food deserts.
Look at how dramatically obesity has risen since the '80s:
It’s an overly simplistic view of the very complex set of issues. Even if we isolate the weight, which we shouldn’t do, even if we assume we should all strive to be of some set weight, which we shouldn’t do even harder, there is no one definitive factor that contributes to that. Reducting it all to “just eat better bro” is, in a lot of cases, akin to saying to a person with depression “just stop being sad”.
There is no “weight gene”, but it doesn’t mean there is no underlying physical issues that a person can’t overcome with just a sheer force of will.
And that’s not even going into the poverty cycle issue, which means that for some people better dietary choices simply unavailable.
Notice, I don’t know the percentage of people with it, but neither do you. But the problem is, weather a person can do something about their weight or not, putting all the, pardon the pun, weight of their bodyshape on them is almost never helpful, and almost always harmful.
This is a recent problem. Do we think those purported fat genes just evolved in society over the past eightyish years, and spread so widely that, per the 2017-2018 NHANES data, 73% of American adults are overweight (30.7%) or obese (42.4%)? On a population level it’s clear this cannot be genetic. There’s been a cultural shift that has caused this problem, often thought to be related to processed food, less time to cook, and for some underserved communities, food deserts.
Look at how dramatically obesity has risen since the '80s:
It’s an overly simplistic view of the very complex set of issues. Even if we isolate the weight, which we shouldn’t do, even if we assume we should all strive to be of some set weight, which we shouldn’t do even harder, there is no one definitive factor that contributes to that. Reducting it all to “just eat better bro” is, in a lot of cases, akin to saying to a person with depression “just stop being sad”.
There is no “weight gene”, but it doesn’t mean there is no underlying physical issues that a person can’t overcome with just a sheer force of will.
And that’s not even going into the poverty cycle issue, which means that for some people better dietary choices simply unavailable.
Notice, I don’t know the percentage of people with it, but neither do you. But the problem is, weather a person can do something about their weight or not, putting all the, pardon the pun, weight of their bodyshape on them is almost never helpful, and almost always harmful.